During the process of intense exercise, there might not be a sufficient amount of oxygen available for completing the process, which results in lactate being made. The lactate can be converted by your body into energy without oxygen being used. But lactic acid or lactate may be built up faster in your bloodstream than you are able to burn off.

From swimming to soccer, to running, to cycling, endurance is required by aerobic exercise so that athletes and individuals who lead active lifestyles are able to continue on without losing all of their steam. But it might not be as easy as cycling a century (100-mile ride), swimming farther, or running longer. In this article, I will be discussing some of the traditional ways that you can boost your stamina in addition to strategic methods that keep you going longer and stronger.

When Your Limits Can Be Pushed – Building Your Threshold Tolerance Up

Endurance is what enables individuals to work out for extended amounts of time (i.e. long-distance running) at a certain level of intensity. There are several different factors that combine together to create the “endurance profile” of an athlete, and lactate threshold and VO2 max are two of the more important ones. V02 max, which is the maximum rate that an athlete’s body is able to consume oxygen while exercising, is the most popular aerobic capacity measurement (although it isn’t clear if it’s the most accurate necessarily).

Although endurance ability is mainly a matter of genetics, targeted training can help to improve maximal oxygen uptake. It has been shown that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts do the trick to increase the VO2 max of an athlete. Another component of endurance is the lactate threshold of an athlete or the level of exertion that lactate accumulates inside of the muscles. Fortunately, it is possible for almost any athlete to be able to improve both of those measures. Tempo runs might do the trick for improving lactate threshold – and the ability for working out harder for a longer time period.

Endurance athletes frequently have higher percentages of slow-twitch muscle fibers, which running and other power steady-state activities efficiently use oxygen to produce more energy. Distance running can help to train slow-twitch muscles for more efficiently fueling these workouts and for more effectively fighting fatigue. A long-distance running continuous practice also can help with converting fast-twitch muscles into slow-switch muscles, which helps to enhance endurance levels.

Super Stamina – Building Your Action Plan

Try the following 8 tips to help increase your endurance. With some nutrition guidance and smart training, that Spartan or Ironman Race might be completely within your grasp!

1. Rest up. In order to go hard and long, athletes need to have fresh muscles. On easy days go easy; on hard days go hard; never string together hard days without getting enough rest. Feeling fresh can really help anybody go the complete distance.

2. Eat healthy. Carbs are key to exercise nutrition since glycogen is used by the body for fuel when things get tough. After glycogen has run out, the body looks to other sources for energy and starts burning fat. For extended cardio exercise sessions, 30-60 grams of carbs should be consumed per hour, depending on what your body weight is. Studies have shown that a mix of protein and carbs can help to reduce muscle damage and also enhance endurance performance. That said, remember that the best mix of protein, fat, and carbohydrates will vary considerably among athletes. Keep experimenting to find the best combination for your body.

3. HITT hard and HITT quick. It may sound crazy, but less really can be more quite often. High-intensity interval training – quick bursts of intense exercise – helps to improve your endurance when combined with traditional training methods. Do you need some ideas on ways to mix things up? Try doing a track workout or run some stairs for speed. Just make sure to allow for plenty of recovery time following these intense workouts.

4. Add some strength. Variation is very important to endurance training. Resistance training can help to strengthen muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones – to help improve overall fitness and also help with the final spring to that finish line. To help improve your stamina, mix aerobic exercise up with bodyweight, dumbbell and kettlebell exercises.

5. Turn on some music. Can it be as easy as just pumping the volume up? It has been shown that listening to music helps to increase endurance performance during walking, so it won’t hurt to work out to some tunes. Among endurance athletes, the mind-body connection is particularly strong, and any kind of pick-me-up can be helpful when the going gets rough.

6. Work on whatever is weak. Often people discover their fitness niche and then stick with it. However, what you should do instead is mix things up to build up endurance. Flat-landers need to stomp the hills, while long distant runners need to work on their speed. Getting to your personal best means you need to work on things that are most challenging for you.

7. Drink nitrates. Yes, it is science. It was found by one study that foods rich in nitrate like spinach, radishes, lettuce, celery and especially beets can help to increase your stamina by as much as 16% through reducing intake of oxygen in athletes (It is still unclear if similar effects are produced in other nitrate-rich foods as beets). Therefore, consider drinking beet juice and eat some past the night before your workout or activity. It could help. You never know. Just keep in mind that beet juice is high in sugar, so it needs to be used moderately.

8. Train smart. Follow the gradual adaption principle – which is, to steadily and slowly increase speed and mileage. That is an excellent way of building endurance. There are ways this can be done safely in order to avoid injuries, from drinking lots of water to getting enough sleep and running on a soft surface.

Never Quit But Finish – Building Your Endurance

In closing, Increasing endurance is essential for athletes and other individuals who lead active lifestyles. The 8 tips discussed in this article can help you do just that. From getting enough sleep and eating healthy, to performing HIIT and strength training, or even listening to music can all help you effectively and safely increase your endurance to improve your athletic performance and overall fitness, health and wellness.