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Building endurance is an important factor in increasing strength and building muscle. In order to run longer, lift heavier weights and lose those last five pounds, breaking through endurance levels is key.
If you want to build endurance, you'll need to test your personal boundaries. Still, this doesn't mean you must push limits so far that you end up hurting yourself. Whenever you try to build your endurance, you'll need to keep an eye on remaining within your physical limits.
Building up endurance gradually is important, especially if you are not overly active to begin with. To be successful, you must come up with a solid plan to include a healthy mix of cardiovascular activity and weight training. Here are five healthy and effective endurance techniques:
1. Challenge yourself. To build endurance, it'll be important to push yourself (while keeping within reasonable limits). This can mean running for 30 minutes if you are used to running for 20 minutes, for example. Alternatively, you can try to increase your weight lifting repetitions from three sets of eight to three sets of twelve.
2. Exercise often. In order to effectively build endurance, you must exercise more than once a week. Exercising at least three times a week will help build your endurance slowly. Start at a comfortable level and do a little more each time in order to make your body used to the activity. After you feel comfortable, you can increase your frequency again, or alternatively, you can increase the time you exercise or weights you use.
3. Follow a healthy diet. Following an unhealthy diet will only increase the energy necessary to exercise. In order to build endurance, you must have a healthy body. Cut back on high fat foods and alcohol. Instead, you should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. You should also drink plenty of fluids to keep yourself hydrated.
4. Work out to your favorite music . Your favorite song or songs will be sure to increase your energy and help you stick to the time limit you set for yourself. Try fast music for cardiovascular exercise and slower music for cool downs.
5. Take a day off . Taking some down time is important because it allows your body to replenish and recharge. Resting too much can run the risk that you fall out of your normal schedule. Instead, take off just enough time to recharge and then get back to your routine. Try picking a day or two out of the week as your break period.
Building endurance is a personal goal and can and should not be compared to another person’s stamina and goals. Keep your target goals in focus and eventually with hard work and patience, you will get to where you wish to be.
Pretty good advice.
With science in the field of medicine advancing so rapidly, I wonder if there will be a time in the near future when some genetic engineering will help the human muscle endure even more.
It is conceivable that an athlete will be able to run even faster and cover longer distances. At that time the fastest man will be able to sprint a 100 meter distance in less than 9.72 seconds. Possible? probably.
But in the meantime lets practice the tried and true methods of healthy nutrition, rest and lots of practice.
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