

Most sport-specific training programs are based on both energy systems: aerobic and anaerobic.
Muscular endurance exercises how to#
How to Increase Your Anaerobic Endurance In this post, we’re exploring how to improve your muscle endurance.

It’s much easier to train your body to run for longer than it is to lift increasingly heavier weights. It’s for this reason, along with muscle tissues using up their main source of energy (adenosine triphosphate, or ATP), that weightlifting quickly becomes tiring and your muscles struggle to lift heavy weights repeatedly. They are typically high intensity activities that last from anywhere between a few seconds to two minutes.Īnaerobic exercise uses fast-twitch muscle fibres and lactic acid builds up in the muscles during physical exertion. In contrast, anaerobic exercises are used to build strength, speed and power, along with building muscle mass. Aerobic exercises are typically prolonged low-to-moderate intensity – that’s cardio, mostly. The aerobic energy system uses oxygen and fats to supply energy to the body. The Difference Between Aerobic & Anaerobic Exercise

This can lead to doing the same activity repetitively, which taxes certain muscles more than others and leads to imbalances. You might be able to run a marathon or bike a century ride, but you may struggle with achieving a fast 5K pace or riding sprints in the velodrome.įocusing on muscular endurance too much can also make you more vulnerable to injury because you train endurance at the expense of strength and power. When you've developed muscular endurance at the expense of power and strength, you may not perform as well at certain sports. For total fitness and all-around conditioning, you need to create a balance between all three pathways. Your body uses the phosphagen system during high-powered activities, while it taps into the glycolytic system during moderate-powered activities. Muscular endurance uses the oxidative pathway and neglects the glycolytic and phosphagen pathway. Three metabolic pathways provide energy to the working muscles during physical activity. During running workouts, muscular endurance reduces your ability to run intervals faster than an athlete with muscular strength. When you have an abundance of slow-twitch muscle fibers and muscular endurance, the speed of the muscle contractions becomes slower, which ultimately decreases your maximum speed potential.įor example, world-class sprinters have primarily fast-twitch muscle fibers, while world-class marathoners have primarily slow-twitch muscle fibers. Speed is commonly defined as the ability to minimize the time between repeated movements. Although you can do an exercise for multiple reps, you may not have as high of a one-repetition maximum as someone who has more fast twitch fibers and well developed muscular strength. When you've developed high levels of muscular endurance, you may sacrifice some strength.
