We have a guest blogger this week from New You Boot Camp! New You Boot Camp provides a fun and effective fitness boot camp for people looking to get in shape on their next holiday.

When it comes to exercise, one of the most difficult things to build up is endurance. Sure, you might be able to create short workouts that help you build muscle, but eventually, you’ll want to be able to have the skills and power to maintain such bursts of energy for a longer period of time. Whether it’s long distance running or swimming, there are several ways to increase your endurance and build muscle at the same time. Here are a few ways to build that necessary endurance for events like triathlons.

Maximum Reps with Minimal Weight

Doing 30 reps of a particular workout will do absolutely nothing for your endurance. If building muscle is your primary goal, then you’re on the right track, but if you’ve got to get some sustainability to your strength, you’ll need to plan things a bit differently. Start with a weight that’s about 1/4 of what you would normally use for leg or bench presses. 3 sets of 10 at this weight won’t do much, but 3 sets of 100 most certainly will. Increase the weight with each set.

Running

Endurance is all about extending your current workout. If you run one mile every other day, that’s all you’re going to be able to run. Look to increase your running distance by about one mile per week. Depending on how long you’d like to be able to run for, shoot for a goal that’s a few miles above that. The idea is that your cardiovascular system needs to get used to the energy that’s required to keep your body going for such a long time. By over extending your run, your body will comfortably handle any distance that you need to cover. Additionally, you’ll need to get your muscles in shape as well for such a long run. Consider adding in ankle weights or a backpack that’s carrying about 15-20 pounds of weight. When it comes time for your actual endurance test, you’ll find it much easier to run without the weight, which allows you to go for extended periods of time.

Here are a few more basic tactics for increasing your endurance.

  • Eat foods that take time to burn, but keep your metabolic rate high
  • Overshoot all goals. Your body needs to get used to going farther than usual.
  • Keep your body fat to around 6%. Lack of body fat leads your body to burn off valuable nutrients needed to keep your energy up.