Endurance Training & Recovery
Strength and size are probably the two most common weight training goals. But they’re not all you should be thinking about at the gym.
Endurance is equally important, despite the fact that it’s often overlooked. The goal of endurance training is to increase endurance and stamina, whether on a whole or when it comes to specific muscles or muscle groups. Improving endurance can not only help you last longer at the gym. it can also improve the gains you make in that time.
If you want to improve endurance, here’s how to do it…
1. Train for Endurance
Training for endurance involves the aerobic system as opposed to the anaerobic system, even when it comes to your muscles. You can improve your body’s endurance using both cardiovascular and weight training exercises. Let’s take a look at how to tackle both:
Cardiovascular Endurance – The best strategy for improving cardio endurance is to engage in extended bursts of moderate-to-high cardio exercise. Over time, your cardiovascular system will improve in its ability to sustain energy for longer periods of time. I recommend a series of 2 or 3 different cardio exercises in a row during each workout, in order to train your body more completely.
For example, start with 20 minutes of a light jog on the treadmill, followed by 15 minutes on the rowing machine and 15 minutes on the elliptical.
Weight Training Endurance – Training for muscle and strength endurance is a little more complicated, but the results can really power up your workout program.
In order to train for muscle endurance, you need to think about 3 factors. First, you need to lift heavy weight. You’ll never improve strength without lifting heavy, so you need to start there.
The next thing you want to think about is volume. What I mean by this is that you need to get out a lot of reps if you want to improve endurance. So although you want to lift heavy, don’t lift so heavy that you can’t get out many reps.
Finally, You want to reduce your rest periods between sets to just 15-30 seconds. Think about it – endurance training is about lasting longer without resting!
If you’re looking for a great supplement to help improve your endurance training tenfold, I recommend Fusion Purple K. It’s a buffered Creatine supplement that’s safe, effective, and able to give you amazing results when it comes to overall gains in strength, endurance, and stamina.
And…
2. Think about Recovery
When you’re training for endurance, you need to pay even greater attention to muscle recovery. This is especially true if you’ve never focused on endurance training in the past. Your muscles will end up sore, tired, and at risk of injury.
Here are 5 basic strategies for improving recovery from endurance training:
- Improve Your Sleep – Sleep is when the most repair and recovery occurs in your muscles, and the more restorative, deep sleep you get, the better your training recovery.
- Eat for Recovery – In the first hour after endurance training, it’s critical to give your body the nutrients and vitamins it needs. A protein shake with a high quality, time released whey protein like Combat Powder is one way to do it right.
- Hydrate – Hydration is important during all stages of training, including post-workout. Hydrate during and after any endurance training program for optimal recovery.
- Get Serious about Stretching – Stretching improves recovery from all types of weight training, including endurance training. Dedicate at least 10 minutes after your workout to stretch, focusing on the muscles you worked on that day.
- Get a Massage – Although a professional massage after every workout would be ideal, it’s not practical. To help improve recovery and reduce muscle soreness, do some self-massaging. You can use a foam roller or a tennis ball to help you out!
Together, endurance training and improving recovery can really go a long way to improve your overall fitness, strength, and ability to sustain for long periods of time. If you’re not already incorporating endurance training into your program, it’s time to start!
Have any questions or feedback about endurance training and recovery? Please leave a comment below…
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Thank you for visiting! Weight Loss and Training is a health blog which features all the best weight loss tips that I have learned over my 20 years of training. My background includes a degree in Kinesiology from the world renown Simon Fraser University, certification in nutritional sciences from UBC, and Personal Trainer Specialist certification from Can Fit Pro.