“Endurance” refers to your ability to exert yourself or remain active over time. It also refers to your ability to withstand fatigue, stress or pain. Endurance training helps improve cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular endurance during any aerobic or anaerobic exercise. While most people exclusively associate swimming, running and biking with endurance training, there’s more to it than just three sports.
Muscular endurance refers to your muscles’ ability to contract repeatedly over an extended period of time and resist fatigue. For example, keeping your legs moving for the duration of a long run takes muscular endurance. Running also tests your cardiovascular endurance. Cardiovascular endurance refers to your heart, blood vessels and lungs’ ability to pump oxygen steadily for long periods of movement or work. The ability to keep your breath steady throughout a long run without needing to stop demonstrates one type of cardiovascular endurance.
Why is Endurance Training Important
The importance of endurance training goes beyond running a marathon or completing a triathlon. Endurance not only enhances your performance while working out, but also contributes to your overall health, providing you with energy, improved heart function and increased metabolism. Many team sports including soccer, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee and basketball require endurance as do activities like hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, climbing and snowboarding.