BOOST STAMINA
How to Improve Your Stamina
The key concept here is to challenge yourself. If you’re trying to improve your stamina (or any aspect of your fitness), you’ll need to follow the “principle of progressive overload,” a physiological rule that explains how the body gets stronger, faster, and fitter.
To put it simply, the principle of progressive overload says that you won’t improve in any capacity if you keep doing the same workouts at the same intensity over and over again.
It would help if you changed something, be it frequency, intensity, volume, weight, distance, speed, or rest intervals. For example, if you can barbell squat 10 reps at 100 pounds, you should next try to squat 12 reps at 100 pounds or 10 reps at 105 pounds.
Minor tweaks like this lead to significant improvements over time. Here are 16 ways to change up your workout routine and induce improvements in your stamina.
Go for Long Walks
Here’s a simple way to improve stamina: Move your body for long periods. Going for long walks of 30 to 60 minutes is a phenomenal way to build endurance, especially for beginners. Even advanced exercisers can enjoy the stamina-boosting effects of long-distance walking if they amp up the speed and intensity.
Walking 30-Day Quick Start Guide and Beyond
Add Running Intervals
If you don’t feel walking is enough to improve your stamina, try tossing in a few running intervals throughout your walk. Interval training is one of the best methods for improving overall fitness, at least in a time-efficient sense.2 Next time you head out for a walk, add a 30-second sprint every three or four minutes.
How to Do Sprints: Proper Form, Variations, and Common Mistakes
Increase Your Running Distance or Time
Go the distance for stamina. Because stamina combines endurance, speed, and strength, challenge yourself to maintain your usual running pace for a minute longer. When you can do that, add another minute. Your stamina should continue to improve this way for a while, although everyone has limits on how far and fast they can run.
Increase Distance Without Burnout
Run Hills and Stairs
If increasing your running distance or time doesn’t sound fun (we don’t blame you), vary the running instead. Adding hill runs to your routine can make a huge difference in your stamina if you live near hills or hiking trails. Alternatively, stairs and bleachers work, too. Running in an uphill manner challenges your lungs and legs alike.
Benefits of Running Uphill
Try High-Volume Weightlifting
Studies show that volume is the number-one variable in resistance training that improves fitness.3 Volume refers to the total load you lift in a session, day, or week. It’s calculated by multiplying the weight by reps.
In general, continually increasing your volume benefits your fitness. For example, if you perform three sets of 10 squats at 100 pounds, find your total volume by multiplying three by 10 by 100. The total volume comes out to 3,000 pounds.
How Many Sets Should Be in Your Workout?
Practice Isometric Exercises
Isometric exercise is any exercise during which muscles fiber but don’t extend or contract.4 Planks and wall-sits are two good examples of isometric exercises. Incorporating isometric work into your fitness routine can teach your muscles to stay under stress for extended periods, improving stamina.
Isometric Exercises to Try
Planks
Isometric squat or wall sit
Hollow holds
Loaded carries
Isometric Training Is Crucial for Building Strength
Decrease Rest Intervals During Workouts
One surefire way to improve your stamina is to allow yourself less rest time (unless you’re lifting very heavy weights, in which case you should rest three to five minutes between sets for optimal strength gains).5
Studies show that decreasing rest intervals while performing moderate- to high-intensity exercise increases physical performance and body composition.6 Shortening your rest interval forces you to perform more work in less time, which in theory, should support improvements in stamina.
Are High-Intensity Intervals or Endurance Workouts Better?
Try Cycling
Riding a bike in any fashion—mountain biking, road biking, or indoor cycling—can improve your stamina if you push the pace (and the terrain if you’re outside). Indoor cycling in particular is proven to increase aerobic capacity, a major contributor to stamina, as well as other health markers.7
Mountain biking may be more effective at increasing muscular endurance and power due to the increased and variable resistance.8 Outdoor cycling in general can boost cardiovascular stamina, improving fitness levels and reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease.9
Surprising Side Effects of Indoor Cycling
Swap Cycling for Rowing
If you’re an avid cycler, you may want to add rowing to your workout rotation. Scientists have long hypothesized that rowing is a more effective workout than cycling10 because rowing recruits more muscle groups more intensely.Rowing seems to improve cardiovascular capacity more than cycling,12 so next time you have the opportunity to hop on an erg, go for it!
Listen to Music While Exercising
Everyone knows a good song can pump you up for your workout. Listening to music brings people joy and energy, and this remains true during exercise. Listening to upbeat music during your workout might boost your performance in a number of ways, from reducing your perception of fatigue, distracting you from the strain of your workout,and making exercise feel easier.
Drink Caffeine Before Exercising
If you’re looking for a one-off way to improve your stamina, consuming a bit of caffeine before your workout might help. Studies show caffeine is a great pre-workout supplement because it can increase your energy, mood, and physical capacities. However, the effect seems more significant in men than women, and you should be careful not to become reliant on caffeine.
Add Meditation to Your Fitness Routine
Remember how we mentioned that “stamina” refers to physical and mental pursuits? This is where that tidbit of information comes in. Adding mindfulness practices such as meditation, deep breathing, or yoga to your overall wellness routine might improve your mental stamina.
If you’re used to fast-paced, engaging workouts, mindfulness practices will challenge you to push through perceived boredom and handle stress, two factors that play a role in how long you can exercise at a near-maximal level.
A 2016 study in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that medical students reported improved mental stamina (less stress and improved patience and well-being) after six weeks of yoga and meditation.