What Are 5 Ways I Can Increase My Stamina?

Five ways to boost your stamina

Building stamina through your diet includes consuming proper nutrients and staying hydrated. You can boost endurance by building more lean muscle through exercise and physical activities.
Building stamina through your diet includes consuming proper nutrients and staying hydrated. You can boost endurance by building more lean muscle through exercise and physical activities.

Whether you want to run a marathon or increase your workout endurance, there are many reasons for wanting to increase stamina.

Often called endurance, stamina is the ability of your body to sustain physical and mental effort for long durations. So if you want to pull yourself out of an energy crisis, here are five ways to boost your stamina. 

Building stamina through your diet includes consuming proper nutrients and staying hydrated. You can boost endurance by building more lean muscle through exercise and physical activities.

Good eating habits, sleeping patterns, and exercise are all equally important in building stamina. 

Exercise more frequently

Frequent exercise is the foremost way of increasing your stamina. Long sessions of aerobic exercise paired with resistance training can boost your stamina. 

A study from 2017 found that previously exhausted participants increased their endurance and energy levels after six weeks of interval training and exercise.

Exercise releases endorphins which help reduce fatigue and exhaustion. Endorphins also minimize discomfort and block pain.

You should incorporate one hour of exercise into your routine to boost your stamina. 

Reduce recovery time

Muscular endurance will allow you to perform physically for more extended periods without feeling exhausted. If you wish to build muscle endurance, it's best to limit your exercise recovery time to between 30 to 60 seconds.

When you perform muscular endurance exercises such as bodyweight squats and pushups, you must reduce your recovery time to build stamina. But also remember to increase the repetitions of each set of exercises. 

This is one of the best ways to boost your stamina because it will help you build endurance and push your body to its limit by improving cardiovascular activity.

Take adequate rest

Taking adequate rest is crucial if you wish to build stamina.  Many people think that pushing their bodies to their limits will help improve endurance. However, that isn't the case.

According to a study, sleep deprivation increases fatigue and reduces your energy levels. You should aim to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep.

You should also focus on muscle recovery by taking a rest between sets when you work out.

Some muscle recovery techniques also help prevent inflammation, exhaustion, and muscle damage. If you wish to benefit from a stamina boost, getting sufficient sleep and rest between exercises is vital.

SLIDESHOW

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Increase the intensity of your workouts

An increase in stamina is directly proportional to the intensity of your workout. So if you are working out at a steady pace, it is time to reconsider the intensity and pace of the exercise. 

You should try to increase the volume in weightlifting.

The volume refers to the load that you lift per session. It is calculated by multiplying the weight and reps. For example, for two sets of 10 weighted squats, each with 50 kilograms, the total volume will be two multiplied by 50 multiplied by 10, which is 1000 kilograms. 

This volume of resistance training is more crucial than the frequency of the resistance training programs. It is because high volume makes your lungs and heart work harder, which improves your cardiovascular fitness and endurance.

However, you should remember to gradually increase the volume to allow your body to adapt to the changes. 

Add plyometrics to your workout sessions

Plyometrics are powerful aerobic exercises that boost your stamina, increase your strength and speed. 

This type of exercise is known as the cheetah of all exercises because of the explosive movements that require you to exert muscles to their maximum potential within short durations. It is also called jump training.

Plyometric training helps improve performance in sprinting, jumping, and builds energy levels. According to a 2016 study, plyometric training for six weeks significantly improved the endurance of female soccer players.

So if you wish to improve your stamina, you should remember to incorporate plyometrics into your workout sessions. Remember to gradually work up to them by slowly increasing the exercises' difficulty, intensity, and duration. 

Some examples of plyometrics include lateral jumps, prisoner squats, jumping lunges, plyometric pushups, etc. 

You should gradually imply these ways to boost your stamina because you can't expect to improve endurance overnight. Thus we suggest that you add these tips to your workout regimen over time to get maximum benefits. 

References

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport: "Effects of plyometric training and creatine supplementation on maximal-intensity exercise and endurance in female soccer players."

MayoClinic: "Sleep tips: 6 steps to better sleep."

National Library of Medicine: "Endorphins and exercise," "Exercise to reduce work-related fatigue among employees: a randomized controlled trial," "Rest interval between sets in strength training," "Sleep and athletic performance: the effects of sleep loss on exercise performance, and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise."

National Center for Biotechnology Information: "An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis," "Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise," "Effects of Plyometric Training on Muscle-Activation Strategies and Performance in Female Athletes," "Increasing Lean Mass and Strength: A Comparison of High Frequency Strength Training to Lower Frequency Strength Training."