Many sports and daily activities require you to use your muscles repeatedly over a long period of time, or even to hold a muscle contraction for a prolonged period of time. Show
The ability to sustain muscle strength over time in functional or athletic activities is key for being able to enjoy life and leisure. For instance, you can’t spend a day skiing or riding bikes with your family if you don’t have the muscular endurance to carry you through. Improving muscular endurance has many benefits. It’s important to understand what muscular endurance actually is, why it’s important, and how to improve it. Here are the answers to these questions, as well as some exercises to work on improving your muscular endurance. Muscular endurance refers to the ability of a given muscle to exert force, consistently and repetitively, over a period of time (1). It plays a big role in almost every athletic endeavor. You might think of muscular endurance as stamina. Long-distance running is a sport that requires muscular endurance. During a race, a marathon runner’s body performs the same movement and stride, over and over again. This requires their muscles to have an advanced level of endurance to avoid injury or extreme fatigue. But it’s not just elite athletes that benefit from good muscular endurance. There are many other real-life instances when you need your muscles to function well for a long time — like holding a small child as you rock them to sleep or walking up and down stairs carrying groceries. Summary Muscular endurance has been associated with a decreased risk of multiple health issues. For instance, a 2014 study found that greater levels of muscular endurance were associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Higher muscular endurance correlated with lower levels of triglycerides, serum blood sugar, and decreased blood pressure ( ). In a 2017 clinical review, higher levels of muscular endurance were associated with lower risk of musculoskeletal injuries. There was strong to moderate evidence that lower levels of muscular endurance in pushups and situps were correlated with a higher level of injury ( 3). Summary Improving muscular endurance involves increasing the total time a muscle is contracted during an exercise. This can involve increasing the number of reps you perform of a specific exercise or for a specific muscle group (4, 5). A study that aimed to test and improve the muscular endurance of cross-country skiers suggested that an effective muscular endurance training session would include more than 20 reps, but less than 100 (4). Similarly, when you try to improve your muscular endurance, completing high-volume sets may be an effective training strategy. Just remember that you may need to adjust the load. For example, if you normally bench press for 3 sets of 8–10 reps, then you may change to 2 sets of 25–30 reps. The caveat is that you will likely have to decrease the amount of weight you’re using. For example, if you use 155 pounds for 10 reps to failure, you might decrease to 110 pounds for a higher volume set. Another option is to increase the amount of time you hold a contraction. By nature, isometric contractions will train your muscles for endurance (6, 7). For example, karate practitioners will squat in a horse stance (a squat position) for multiple minutes at a time. This works on the endurance of the hips and thighs. The same idea can be performed with a plank, as described below. This will primarily work the abs and other core muscles. In fact, a 2014 study found maximum improvements in ab endurance when performing the plank 5 or more times per week (6). The main goal, regardless of the method, is to constantly challenge your muscles as you progress — either by striving to perform more reps or to hold a position longer. Summary Below are examples of five exercises that can help you improve your muscular endurance. They require no equipment, and you can do them at home. To see improvement, you’ll want to work on these exercises 2–3 times per week, on non-consecutive days (8). Remember, the goal is to perform these exercises to failure so that you improve your muscular endurance over time. That said, be sure to maintain proper form in order to reduce the risk of injury. Pay special attention to the tips under each exercise to perform the movements the correct way. Share on Pinterest991_Top5-Endurance-Exercises
Tips: If you start to lose form (either your hips sag low or your buttocks starts to lift up), then it’s a good time to rest before performing another rep.
Tips: Maintain good form by keeping your head up, chest lifted, and shoulders back. Don’t let your torso become parallel with the ground. Try a variation on this traditional squat by widening your stance and pointing your toes outward. This move will target the inside of your thighs. Share on Pinterest991_Top5-Endurance-Exercises
Tips: Keep your trunk upright as you perform this. As you lower your body, your lead knee should track in line with your shoelaces and your shoulders should be behind your toes. Share on Pinterest991_Top5-Endurance-ExercisesShare on Pinterest991_Top5-Endurance-Exercises
Tip: If this movement is too advanced for you, start with your weight on your knees instead of your toes, or begin with a wall pushup. Share on Pinterest991_Top5-Endurance-ExercisesShare on Pinterest991_Top5-Endurance-Exercises
Tips: Don’t pull your neck or head with your hands. The work should come from your abs. Muscular endurance is an important part of general health, as much as it’s a vital component for certain athletic activities. It’s important for function, decreasing your risk of injury and your risk of certain chronic conditions (such as heart disease). Muscular endurance training involves increasing the amount of time a muscle is under contraction. This can be done with increased reps or isometric hold times. If it’s a departure from your typical exercise routine, give muscular endurance training a try and see what the increased challenge can do for you. What is the ability of the muscles to use its strength repetitively or continuously?Muscular Endurance: the ability to efficiently use muscles over a longer period of time. The ability of a muscle to repeatedly contract or sustain continuous contraction involving less than maximum force. Muscular endurance can be tested by performing the one minute sit-up test or push-up test.
What is the ability of the muscles to perform continuous without fatiguing?Muscular Endurance- the ability of the muscles to perform difficult physical tasks over a period of time without causing fatigue.
What is the ability of a muscle or group of muscle to sustain repeated contraction against a resistance for an extended period?Muscular endurance refers to the ability of a muscle to sustain repeated contractions against resistance for an extended period of time. Activities that build muscular endurance include long-distance running, cycling, or swimming, along with circuit training and bodyweight exercises.
Is the ability of a muscle or muscles group to exert force repetitively?Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to repeatedly exert force against resistance for an extended period of time. Performing multiple repetitions of an exercise is a form of muscular endurance.
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