Skip to main content

Endurance Training Isn't as Terrible as It Sounds!

What is Endurance Training?

Hey Y'all, let's dive right into it!

Endurance training is a form of physical exercise that focuses on improving your aerobic fitness, strength, and stamina. It's an important component of any person's (athlete or not) fitness routine and it can help improve overall performance in everyday life. 

Endurance training can help you increase your energy levels and improve your ability to perform activities for longer periods of time. Additionally, it can help you build muscle, reduce fat, and improve your cardiovascular health. 

Common types of endurance training include:

  1. running 
  2. cycling 
  3. swimming 
  4. circuit training. 
Whether you're an athlete or just looking to get in shape, endurance training is an essential part of any workout program.

The Benefits of Endurance Training

Endurance training is an effective way to improve overall physical fitness while also helping to reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

So naturally, there are many advantages to engaging in regular endurance training. It can help to increase aerobic capacity, which allows you to do more physical activity with less fatigue. 

Additionally, endurance training increases the body’s ability to utilize oxygen, burn calories more efficiently, and build lean muscle mass. This can lead to your body composition improving, better cardiovascular health, and a decrease in body fat.

Endurance training can also help to improve mental clarity. Research shows it can reduce our stress levels and even improve our sleep quality. Regular exercise can also be beneficial for mental alertness and cognitive function, as well as promote better moods. 😃😃


Getting Started  

First, set realistic goals for what you want to achieve. Make sure that you’re able to measure and track your progress over time. This will help you stay motivated and be able to evaluate your progress. 

Once your plan is in place, you gotta to stick to it. 

Endurance training requires consistency in order to make progress and see results. Set aside enough time each week for your training.

Finally, recovery is just as important as the workouts. I mention this frequently, but the reminders are warranted. Rest days are essential for rebuilding muscles and allowing them to become stronger. Recovery helps prevent injuries and burnout too, so yeah, don't skip it. 


The Different Types of Endurance Training

Interval Training: 

Interval training is a type of high-intensity exercise that involves alternating between short bursts of intense activity and lower intensity recovery periods. This type of training is very effective for improving your cardiovascular system and increasing your overall endurance levels. 

Tempo Training: 

Tempo training is a form of endurance training where you focus on sustaining a steady pace throughout your workout. This type of training is great for building up your endurance levels, as well as developing a stronger cardiovascular system. 

Long Distance Training: 

Long distance training involves running or cycling at a steady pace for extended periods of time. This type of endurance training is great for building up your cardiovascular endurance levels and helping you to increase your overall stamina.

Hill Training: 

Hill training involves running or cycling up hills at a steady pace. This type of training is excellent for building up strength and increasing endurance. It also helps to improve your running or cycling speed, as well as teaching you how to manage your energy levels efficiently. 

Yoga: 

Yoga is a great way to improve your overall strength and endurance levels. It increases flexibility and balance, helps with stress management, and teaches you how to regulate your breath. All of these factors can help to improve your performance during endurance activities. 


Tips for Success

Set realistic goals: 

You should start off with small goals that are achievable and build your way up from there. Having achievable goals will keep you motivated and help you reach your desired outcome.

Focus on form: 

One of the most important things to remember when engaging in any type of endurance training is proper form. Focus on keeping your core tight and your body upright while performing movements. This will help prevent any unnecessary injuries and allow you to get the most out of each workout.

Listen to your body: 

Endurance training can be physically demanding, so it is important to listen to your body and know your limits. If you start to feel any pain or discomfort, take a break and adjust your workout accordingly.

Incorporate strength training: 

While endurance training focuses on improving stamina, incorporating strength training into your routine will help you become more powerful and resilient. Make sure to include strength exercises like squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses in your workouts to develop full-body strength.

Vary your workouts: 

It’s easy to fall into a routine when it comes to endurance training, but it’s important to keep your body guessing by varying your workouts. Try different types of exercises and switch up the intensity of your workouts to keep things interesting and ensure you’re seeing results.

Monitor your progress: 

As with any physical activity, monitoring your progress is key to success. Keep track of how long you’re able to go without taking a break and how much distance you’re able to cover over time. This will help you see how far you’ve come and stay motivated to reach your goals.


EM




References:

American Sports & Fitness Association. Your One-Stop Guide to Endurance Training (americansportandfitness.com)

Health Benefits of Endurance Training: Implications of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor—A Systematic Review - PMC (nih.gov)

Comments

  1. I do Yoga exercises but I think I might take it up a notch and try another type of endurance workout. I will listen to my body for guidance if the new workout is too much for me. Thanks for the suggestion.🙂

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Glossary of Equity & Inclusion Terms

Knowledge is Power: When We're Informed We're Better People 🤓 Hey Y'all!  Before you scoff and roll your eyes.. Hear me out. During orientation at my new workplace, I was given a glossary of terms to become familiar with. Having not worked anywhere that gave a damn about diversity, equity, or inclusion, let alone spent time during the new employee onboarding process to convey it, I was impressed.  The organization's vision is to be known within the community as a force that's committed to DEI. Yeah, this stuff matters, especially since the majority of the staff and clients are POC, those living with mental health issues or disabilities, veterans, seniors, or a combination of the above. This glossary is a tool to increase your awareness (if you're not familiar with these terms) and to provide common language for us to use in conversations.  〰〰〰〰 Ableism  - The all-encompassing system of discrimination and exclusion of people who live with developmental, medical,...

Part 2: CPI De-Escalation Tips

Hey Y'all, I've been focusing a lot on aggressive and violent behavior, as well as exploring strategies to navigate mental health crises, should you find yourself locked in one. These types of situations can emerge quite unexpectedly, and there aren't official protocols or a magic formula for preventing these high-stress events from happening. There are, however, constructive, positive and humane ways to respond and handle these behaviors. These de-escalation tips from CPI are about support not suppression and about seeing each other with the compassion that each of us want to be seen with. 10 Ways to De-escalate High Stress Situations - Be Empathic and Nonjudgemental- Don't judge or be dismissive of the feelings of the person or people in distress. Remember that their feelings are real, whether or not you think they're justified or not. Respect those feelings, keeping in mind that whatever the person is going through could be the most important event in their life ...

Book Review: We'll Soon Be Home Again

Six Stories of Children Who Watched Europe Descend Into Tyranny Sweden's Most Internationally Renowned Graphic Novel Hey Y'all, In an attempt to switch up from my usual content I'll start doing book reviews once a month. For May, I'm reviewing the graphic novel by Jessica Bab Bonde and Peter Bergting titled  We'll Soon Be Home Again.  It's a haunting but necessary read that shares six real stories of children who survived the Holocaust, each one raw and painful. The illustrations are honest and stark; the storytelling straightforward, which somehow makes it hit even harder. As we watch anti-Blackness, anti-migrant, and all forms of hate rise in today’s America, especially against anyone who isn’t cis, white, or Christian, this book feels urgent. For me it served as a history lesson and a warning... I'm going to be honest, this isn’t an easy read, but it shouldn’t be. Their stories are a moving cry for compassion, as each one is stripped of their possessions ...