Whether you're training for a marathon or chasing a
toddler around the house, there are plenty of reasons to want more stamina.
Often referred to as endurance, stamina is your ability
to sustain a physical or mental effort for a long period of time. If you've
been experiencing a personal energy crisis lately (outside of dealing with your
utility bills), developing your endurance might be just the thing for
recovering your zing.
Try these five not-so-obvious ways to boost stamina now.
1. Reduce recovery time and resistance
To build muscle endurance, limit your recovery time between sets
to 30 to 90 seconds. Want to kick things up a notch? Take the recovery time --
and the weight -- down a notch. Less resistance, more repetitions and resting
for 30 seconds or less between exercises is optimal for building stamina, a
2006 article in the Journal of Strength
Conditioning and Research concluded. In other words, embrace those circuit workouts!
2. Maintain balance
Cutting your recovery time and pushing yourself during a
workout are great steps toward having more stamina, but don't forget that your
body still deserves some R&R.
"You want to train hard, but if you end up training
hard every day, you might find that the intensity you put out gets lower and
lower," says Erica Giovinazzo, registered dietitian and CrossFit coach at
Brick New York. If you find your marathon gym sessions are adversely affecting
your performance, take it easy for a day.
"Rest, go for a light run, bike ride, swim or take a
yoga class instead of going all out," suggests Giovinazzo.
3. Ratchet up intensity
"There is a time and a place for keeping a steady
pace, but if you really want to increase stamina, then increase the
intensity," advises Giovinazzo. To accomplish that, she recommends doing
short intervals at a sprint pace.
"(It) could be running, rowing, biking or doing
other kinds of exercises -- such as burpees, squats or even push-ups," she says. "Whatever
(you do), you'll know you've increased the intensity when you're out of breath
and feel that good burning sensation in whatever muscles are being
worked."
4. Remember 'frequency + duration'
Feeling the burn after an intense (but short) bout of
burpees is a sign you're working your muscles. But hey, don't forget the other
two components that comprise the stamina-building trifecta: frequency and duration
Make sure you're not only going all-out one day per week,
but that you're meeting the American College of Sports Medicine's
recommendation, which includes doing three to five workouts weekly (each for
20-plus minutes).
5. Think: Mind over matter
Another important way to increase your stamina is to use
the power of your mind. "Our minds are the key to either pushing our
bodies or stopping short," says Giovinazzo. "If we want to increase
stamina, we have to be willing to push the envelope. (And) to do that, we need
willingness and determination."
By Vanessa Voltolina, upwave.com
