Muscular Endurance Training

A little like David Lettermans’ TOP 10 LIST, we are at the end of our “7 ELEMENTS” of achieving high levels of training and performance series.  We’ve had a few breaks and thrown in education, but we are at #7!  We’ve hit on the following:

    #1 – NUTRITION,

                   #2 – REST & RECOVERY,

                   #3 -PATTERN OF MOVEMENTS ,

                   #4 – PROGRESSIONS. 

                   #5 – MOBILITY AND STABILITY,

                   #6 – POWER & STRENGTH

#7 is MUSCULAR ENDURANCE and wraps up this series.

Normally, when we speak of muscular endurance, we are talking about the combination of strength and endurance and the ability to perform many repetitions against a given resistance for a prolonged period of time.  It is a crucial element of fitness for athletes such as distance runners, swimmers, cyclists and rowers. It’s also important for success in many team sports like soccer, field hockey and Australian rules football.

What we also want to talk about is the ability to do our job, work, or a skill over and over again without fatigue.  Think of a carpenter building a house.  If he has the skill to hammer nails, but also has the endurance to keep doing that activity over and over and over again all day – he will be able to do more, and be a better home builder.  We want to build up endurance for sport – but also for skills in life and work.

Traditionally, muscular endurance programs have used moderate loads lifted for 12-25 repetitions. However, this is completely inadequate for many sports such as boxing, canoeing, distance running, cycling, swimming, rowing, x-country skiing, triathlon and many others life long skills and jobs.

Any form of training must mirror the specific demands of the life activity or sport. In resistance training, this means that the load used should match the resistance that must be overcome while competing or working. The number of repetitions or the duration of exercise bouts in a session should approach that during the event.

To reach peak levels of performance in life and sport, make sure to add Muscular Endurance training into your program as well as the other elements.

Coach Rozy