Looking for a way to improve muscular endurance?
I get it, improving your muscular endurance can be tough. Especially if you don’t know what activities to do.
In this blog post, I will expand on the activities I use to improve muscular endurance.
So whether you’re just getting started or you’re looking for new ideas, you’ll find what you need here.
I’m convinced that these muscular endurance activities can help you build stronger muscles. Improve your cardiovascular health, and burn more calories. And, they’re also great for your mental health!
My wish for you is that you get inspired and will find activities to improve your endurance too!
In this article:
- What is Muscular Endurance?
- What are the Benefits of Muscular Endurance?
- How to Train for Muscular Endurance?
- Why did I select these Muscular Endurance Activities?
- my best overall bodyweight Exercises
- my best overall Cardiovascular Exercises
- my best weighted exercises for Endurance and building Strength
- continue your adventure
Before diving into the list of muscular endurance activities,
here are a couple of key points you need to understand about muscular endurance:
What is muscular endurance
Muscular endurance is the amount of times you can repeat a physical exercise before you need to stop and rest.
Muscular endurance is used to measure your overall “fitness”. Knowing how to utilise muscular endurance and measure is a valuable skill. It will make your home-based workout more pleasurable, specific, and long-lasting!!
If you can’t wait to learn more, my ultimate guide to muscular endurance is a great start. Take a deep dive into what muscular endurance is and how it can help you.
What are the benefits of muscular endurance?
The truth is that benefits largely depend on your personal health goals. It also matters where you are in your fitness journey.
here are some benefits associated with good muscular endurance,
- Be active without feeling exhausted
- Improve muscle strength and bone density
- Keep and maintain good posture
- Have more energy
- Getting more done in your day
How to train for muscular endurance
Progressive overload training
Progressive overload Training means gradually increasing the amount of weight, reps, or sets over time. This will ensure that your muscles continue to adapt and improve.
With regular endurance training, you can expect to see improved strength, cardiovascular endurance, and muscular endurance. And this will lead to better overall fitness and health.
Why did I select the activities on this list?
This is not supposed to be the be all end all list of best exercises ever. Maybe your favourite exercise didn’t make the cut and you are wondering why.
The main reason I have selected these exercises is because I have done and incorporated all of them in my own workout routines.
Outside of having personal experience and seeing good results, I believe these could be very beneficial for you too.
These are the criteria I used to judge:
- the exercise needs to be very easy to learn
- the exercise needs to be straightforward to perform
- the exercise does not require expensive machines
- the exercise work a variety of muscle groups
- the exercise can be done at home, outside or in a gym
- the exercise can be modified to make them more challenging as your fitness level improves (progressive overload)
- the exercise can be combined into a very effective workout routine
Best overall body weight exercises
The first batch of exercises are a staple in many classes and routines. I’m convinced that there are no new things here. But that doesn’t make it less exciting.
They are very scalable toward the level you are at in your fitness journey.
Basic body weight exercises are easy to learn and last but not least, require no fancy fitness equipment to get you going.
#1 Push up
The humble push up is a classic exercise.
No matter if you like them or not, the push up should not be overlooked when creating your workout program.
A properly executed bicep push up trains practically the entire upper body. Biceps, triceps, pectorals and back muscles. Yes, everyone is invited to this party.
And as a cherry on top, there are countless variations that can be done to make this exercise a challenge for every fitness level.
#2 Plank
The upper body takes away most of the attention for some. But the real power house is your core. These muscles stabilise the spine and form the link between upper and lower body.
If you are looking to bring more variation into your plank exercises, the side plank, or extended plan are great alternatives to add in your routine.
Because of this simplicity it is by far my favourite core exercise.
#3 step Lunges
Let’s be honest, the lower body is not easy to train when it comes to body weight movement only. Even done with no additional weight, lunges are a great exercise to add into a pure body weight based routine.
The reason I’m going for the lunge instead of the squat is because (in my opinion) the squat is a technically more complex exercise.
#4 Burpees
Doing a burpee uses the entire body. It should be done as fast as possible and you combine two directions at once. Going back, forward, up and down. Making it by far the most challenging and exhausting of all conditioning exercises.
To be 100% honest with you, I don’t love doing burpees but I love the way I feel after doing burpees.
#5 Pull up
The mighty pull up is the counterpart of our push up. As all the other exercises in this list it has been used for years as a measure of strength.
The reason that this exercise comes in the 5th spot and not the second is that it actually requires some sort of equipment aka pull up bar.
No matter where you are in your journey, it’s easy to incorporate a form of pull up into your routine and slowly graduate to the next level.
Best overall cardiovascular muscular endurance
I believe that a cardiovascular component is necessary to create overall health. The activities on this list are meant to incorporate a couple targeted sessions of 20 to 30 minutes of cardio in your weekly exercise routines.
These 5 are, in my opinion, the best overall because they can be used to build a robust level of cardiovascular endurance. Even if you are not a professional athlete, feeling less exhausted and exercising longer is a great improvement on your quality of life.
I understand that there is much to learn and to explore for every one of the following cardiovascular exercises. And if you wish to do so, it’s worthwhile doing a deep dive into all of them.
#1 Walking
It’s almost too simple, but of all things cardiovascular, the easiest to do is a simple walk.
It is shocking how little walking the average person does in our modern western society.
Anybody in good shape and without disabilities knows how to do this. We all have had multiple years of extensive training since the day we started wobbling at 18 months old.
#2 Running
This is walking’s bigger brother.
If you are interested in furthering your running techniques, this might not be the best place to start. But if you are looking for an easy, affordable way to get some cardio in, running definitely takes the second place for me.
#3 biking
If you are looking for a low impact alternative, biking can be a great and fun cardio workout. Low impact means that there is no contact of the body with the ground.
It’s totally fine to start out with a regular bike and start doing some laps.
#4 step/stairs
I am tremendously lucky to live in beautiful British Columbia. With the coastal mountains in our backyard we have no shortage of hills to hike and to climb.
If you have access to a building with 6 or more floors (office building, apartment building) chances are there should be stairs available. These are great to start walking up and down to get your cardio in.
If the stairmaster in your local building or gym is taken, try to crank up the incline on the treadmill and do a steady pass.
#5 battle ropes
I love working with battle ropes. They are a great warm up tool before you start working out. Very simple to learn. And a great combination of cardio and muscular endurance.
For those who have no idea, battle ropes are heavy and long training ropes. They come in various thickness, weights and lengths.
If you want to add a great set of battle ropes to your home gym, this might be a good place to start
Best weighted exercises to improve cardiovascular and muscular strength
This is a combination of weighted exercises to gain muscular strength, a nice flow to get your heart rate up and your lungs working.
These exercises do require some fitness equipment like dumbbells, kettlebells, battle ropes, and weighted balls.
#1 kettlebell swings
Kettlebell swings are perfect for people who want a total body workout in a short amount of time. This exercise involves all the major muscle groups, including the shoulders, back, hips, glutes, legs, and core.
Not to mention, it’s a great cardiovascular workout.
#2 kettlebell snatch
The Single Arm Kettlebell Snatch is a great workout for your shoulders, chest, back, and core. This exercise combines different exercises in one dynamic movement to target and strengthen multiple muscle groups.
It’s a great way to improve your flexibility and strength while having fun.
Added bonus, improving strength in your muscles will help with everyday tasks and improve daily life overall.
#3 deadlifts (kettle bell, dumbbells)
Novice lifters seem to be intimidated by the deadlift. The first thought is mostly about bulky athletes pulling huge amounts of weights on a bar. I’m here to say that this exercise does not mean lifting huge amounts of weight and becoming a powerlifter.
The deadlift is one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your lower back muscles, activating your core, and boosting your metabolism.
No matter which one works for you this is a great exercise to incorporate in a weighted routine.
#4 sled push /rope pulls
The sled push is an excellent exercise for overall conditioning and strength development. It’s a great full-body workout that will work both upper and lower body muscles.
If you are looking to blast a ton of calories, you found your match. Outside of burning a lot of calories with the sled push and pull, it’s also a great way to condition your overall body.
The only downside is that you’ll need a sled and heavy resistance to get started. Not all gyms will provide this equipment. But if you find this, be sure to take advantage and you’ll be on your way to a great workout!
#5 squat and slams slam ball
Slam ball exercises are a great way to mix up your workout and target muscles you might not normally work. This exercise is a combination of squats with overhead press. And will work your leg, core, back, arms and shoulders.
With just one piece of equipment, you can get an amazing full-body workout that will leave you feeling stronger and more balanced.
Conclusion
The truth, it takes focus, time and consistency creating a healthy lifestyle.
I created this article to save you frustration and burning time looking online. Although it’s fun to read up on success stories of fitness models and browsing through muscle magazines, it’s important to start right.
I’ve wasted precious time not knowing where to start.
If anything I hope that you will find the necessary information to get going. And, more important, keep on going and improving.
Remember, always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new exercise routine.
Are there any other activities you like to do when trying to improve your muscular endurance?
I love to hear about it and learn. Feel free to reach out [email protected]
Until next time and be well.
Continue your fitness adventure
Be sure to check out the articles we’ve linked below!
This is a deep dive in my favorite callisthenic exercises when you are considering doing a full body calisthenics workout – 5 calisthenics exercises for your next full body calisthenics workout
Looking to know more about the best overall cardiovascular endurance activities – 5 convenient types of cardio training to get cardio fit
Want to work with weights but are tired of doing it with dumbbells only. And you want to add cardio to make it more challenging? This next article is for you – 5 Weighted Exercises to Improve your Cardiovascular Endurance and Muscular Strength together!