Fitness can be a complicated topic to get your head around, especially when you take into account all the varying ways in which you can improve your fitness. Whether you are trying to improve your stamina, strength or endurance, there are simple and easy steps you can take today to refresh your fitness routine. If you’re looking to challenge your endurance threshold and mix things up with your fitness routine, then let’s get started and review the many ways you can level up with endurance.
Try A New Style
Your workout routine has arguably the most impact on your strength, endurance and fitness. Sticking to the same routine for too long can actually have a negative effect on your fitness, and it might also become boring and make it easier to skip your exercise days. Over time your body and muscles get used to a movement and the endurance you create reduces. Try mixing things up with your routine to keep things fresh. Circuit training is a fantastic solution to help build serious endurance.
Circuit training challenges your body on many different exercises to help build endurance through strength and cardio-based exercises. Moving through the circuit, your body will be challenged like never before. This will help activate muscle groups you may not have challenged for a while and get that heart rate into the optimal zone.
Set Goals
There is no use trying to jump from level one to level one hundred in the same week, your body simply won’t be ready. Improving your endurance is all about taking manageable steps towards a fitness goal. Tracking progress is about knowing where to start, so doing some research is going to put you in the best position to improve. Understand what exercises will help you towards each stage or milestone before reaching your ultimate goal. It’s crucial to understand that improving your endurance takes time, so don’t expect the world to change overnight.
There is always a temptation to centre your goals around weight loss – but do not fall into this trap! Make your goals about the number of reps you want to achieve, the number of days you want to exercise and even how you want to feel. Tangible goals will allow you to look back and see how far you have come. If you are building muscle then that is heavier than fat, and so a number on a scale is not the best indicator of your progress.
Your Equipment Really Matters
When the whole world went into isolation, there was a real movement of people using wine bottles, books and other items around the house as weights. While this will do in a pinch, you don’t want to be relying on these items and instead use quality equipment that is going to protect your body. You can find this endurance equipment from reputable sports retailers, ensuring the best materials are used and will safely work within your routine. Your workout equipment goes beyond weights and dumbbells, you also want yoga mats, resistance bands and other supporting items.
If you have no idea where to start, then it might be a good idea to attend a gym and access the types of equipment you use so you can gauge what you actually need and what range of exercises can be done with those pieces. Working with a personal trainer will also assist in understanding the role of your gym equipment, and you can even ask that they tailor a program that is bodyweight heavy or equipment heavy.
Group Or Solo Training
The benefits of training in a group are vast, not to mention how fun it can be! When you are group training and incorporating weights, it is important that you always focus on form and not speed. Some of these high-energy fitness groups can really elevate your output, but you want to be exploding in your cardio sets but acting responsibly in your weight rounds. It might be an idea to get accustomed to endurance training before signing up for these classes so you can understand what you are capable of and what range feels comfortable for you.
Sleep Well
Sleep is one of the commonly forgotten ingredients to any endurance or fitness improvements. Sleep is critical to your body’s recovery and even to the development of muscle. If you sleep poorly or not enough, then your body won’t rest appropriately, allowing it to refuel for the next session or exercise. Make sure you prioritise sleep and allow yourself to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night. If you’re someone who doesn’t sleep particularly well or has challenges sleeping deeply, consider speaking with someone about your sleep habits. Logging poor sleep can be like exercising with one arm tied behind your back.
Hydration Is The Key
Hydration is a fantastic way to help improve your endurance. Water and other hydrating fluids are amazing for repairing your muscles and allowing you to push even further. Everyone’s fluid intake requirements are different, but once you find your levels, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll feel different. Exercising without the appropriate hydration can be dangerous and will hold you back. Water is important, and so is considering other fluids like electrolytes.
Electrolytes need replacing, especially after exercising where you lose a lot of fluid through sweat. Without electrolytes or water, you’ll struggle to find any endurance at all no. Finding the right balance can be a little hard, but be sure to listen to your body, and if you need, consider talking to a trainer about your needs.
Improving your endurance can be a tough challenge if you don’t know where to start. Understanding how to train, when to train and then how to set manageable goals are all critical to changing things up with your routine. Achieving your goals can be all about change and mixing things up. To refresh your fitness routine and start improving your endurance, try these easy tips.
