What Is Endurance Training?

There are 4 primary types of exercise: strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance. In order to have a balanced, healthy body, we need to have a fitness routine that incorporates them all.

Here, we’re going to focus on endurance training. Don’t be afraid—while this type of exercise is often associated with marathon runners and triathletes, it really doesn’t have to be as serious as you think. 

Endurance training is important not only for high-performance athletes, it’s important for everyone. 

So, What Is Endurance Training?

Endurance training is a form of exercising that is done to—you guessed it—increase endurance. Endurance is the ability of any organism to exert itself and maintain that exertion for long periods of time.

Endurance exercises are generally characterized by their ability to increase your heart and breathing rates. And, as with most things, it gets a little easier with time. We recommend starting small and working your way up, but we will get to that a little later.

Why Is Endurance Training Important?

At the core of endurance is the idea that the more we can sustain a level of exertion, the stronger we get over time. With endurance training, we’re able to resist future stress or injury on the body parts that we train. Not to mention, it supports recovery time for those instances where we may push a little too far and face an injury.

According to the American Heart Association, endurance training keeps your heart, lungs, and circulatory systems healthy. And while we can certainly do endurance training with weights, it is more commonly associated with “aerobic” fitness. 

This type of workout can actually increase longevity. Endurance training can reduce your likelihood of developing illnesses like diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, and it’s never too late to start training for your health. 

How Much Endurance Training Should I Do?

Your fitness journey is personal, so the amount of training that’s right for you might not be right for someone else. If you’ve been running marathons your whole life, you probably enjoy running enough to make endurance training a significant part of your routine. If you’ve never tried endurance training, something as simple as a 10-minute walk is a fantastic way to get started. 

The American Heart Association recommends 2.5 hrs of moderate – vigorous activity per week. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, you should get 2.5-5 hours of moderate – intense activity per week. According to a Harvard study, walking three miles a week could result in a 10% reduction risk of heart disease—that’s pretty amazing for something that could also help you ground yourself in the present, connect with your neighborhood, and provide a little self-care.

It’s important for you to work your way toward 2.5-5 hours of weekly exercise, but don’t be discouraged if all you can do at first is 10 minutes at a time a few days a week. Make sure you’re working toward a bigger goal and your body will thank you for it. Pretty soon, your 10 minutes of endurance exercise will turn into a full 45 minute workout, you just have to believe in yourself and take the steps to build up your cardiovascular endurance strength.

What kind of endurance exercises can I do? 

When we say “endurance training,” what workout do you think of first?

Here’s a guess: is it running?

Luckily for those who aren’t runners—which is perfectly okay, as running can be very tough on the body and it’s not for everyone—there are a myriad of ways to work your endurance. 

Examples of physical activities that are considered endurance workouts that aren’t running include: 

• Walking
• Jogging 
• Swimming 
• Cycling
• Dancing
• Hiking
• Climbing stairs
• Doing burpees in front of the TV
• Trying to match the energy of a toddler at the park
• Rowing
• Elliptical training
• Jump rope
• Boxing
• Muay Thai
• Surfing
• Tennis
• and much, much more

The best thing about endurance exercise training is that it’s about getting your heart rate up more than anything else and there’s a world of activities that can support you in your effort to get healthier. So find what works for you and have fun! 

If you would like to try endurance training, we have equipment and space at all of our locations to get you healthier than ever before. You can also try endurance training workouts on our virtual fitness platform, iChuze Fitness, where we have exercises to help you with your body, mind, and heart. Download your 7-day pass today!

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