When you think about muscles, and how you can improve yours, you’re likely thinking about the strength of your muscles. Your muscles need to be strong enough to protect your joints and prevent injury. However, your muscular endurance is also important to consider. 

Endurance refers to the ability to sustain your physical efforts for an extended period of time. Muscular endurance in particular means that your muscles are able to properly function and contract over the course of a physical task when there’s resistance.

When it comes to staying active and playing sports, muscular endurance allows you to keep doing a specific movement before you have to relax. A common example is doing several repetitions of a weightlifting exercise before you have to break your form. 

But what types of exercises can be used to boost your muscular endurance? Read on to find out about particular types of exercises that can increase your muscular endurance. We’ll also discuss the benefits that muscular endurance can have on your overall health and quality of life. Then you’ll learn about how licensed physical therapists at Franklin Rehabilitation can help you reach your fitness goals, including increased muscular endurance.

Exercises that can help improve your muscular endurance

Muscular endurance essentially means asking yourself, “How long can I keep exercising?” The only way to improve that measurement is, ironically enough, through exercising. With the right exercises, you can boost your muscular endurance to continue working toward your health and fitness goals. It’s all about continuing to push yourself and challenging what you believe your body is capable of.

If you’re trying to boost your muscular endurance, a physical therapist can guide you through the types of exercises that can help you increase this ability in a safe and effective way. Here are types of exercises that are often recommended by physical therapists to boost muscular endurance:

• Planks — When you’re trying to improve your core muscle strength, planks are typically one of the first exercises that you’ll turn to. The average plank time is between one and two minutes. If you’re performing a plank for the average amount of time on a regular basis, you’ll increase the strength in your core. Planks benefit your glutes, lower back and quads as well. And maintaining this isometric position for a bit longer each time will improve your muscular endurance and maximize your results.
• Pushups — One of the most basic and effective exercises is a pushup. When done with proper form, this classic exercise is a resistance training exercise that can boost the strength of your triceps, chest and shoulders. Pushups also work to burn calories and improve your posture, and they’re often used as a way to test muscular endurance. They engage a variety of muscles while pushing the demand of the heart’s respiratory rate. 
• Squats — When it comes to strengthening your core and leg muscles at the same time, squats are often the go-to choice. Variations of squats can help your body in different ways. For example, you can add dumbbells to increase muscle strength, or try single-leg squats for balance. Squats help to improve muscular endurance by working multiple muscle groups at the same time. That makes it a bit easier to push yourself a bit more and complete more repetitions. They can also come in handy for everyday function tasks that require squatting, such as carrying heavy boxes.
• Lunges — All lunges are beneficial in some manner, and walking lunges are especially helpful for people trying to boost their muscular endurance. Instead of making your legs tired very quickly, you’re gradually fatiguing multiple muscle groups. That makes it easier to push them further with time. Lunges also work to improve your functional strength, which comes into play when you’re doing everyday tasks, such as walking up stairs.
• Kettlebell swings — When people think of weights, they often think of dumbbells or barbells. But the benefits of kettlebells shouldn’t be underestimated. There’s a variety of kettlebell exercises that people often incorporate into their strength training. Kettlebell swings are especially beneficial for muscular endurance. Since you’re using one weight that tends to be lighter than what you would lift for dumbbells, it allows you to do more repetitions and engage hundreds of muscles for a long period of time.

Why does muscular endurance matter in your everyday life?

We’ve already discussed how muscular endurance is essential for people who work out on a regular basis. By improving your muscular endurance, you can exercise longer and harder. But how does it actually benefit your everyday life? 

Muscular endurance plays a larger role in your health and wellness than you may think. Here are a few benefits you can gain from performing exercises that improve your muscular endurance:

• Improved posture — By helping your body adjust to unexpected weight for longer periods of time, you can improve your stability and have an increased awareness of your posture. Good posture plays a role in reduced muscle pain and risk of injury.
• Increased aerobic capacity — Being able to use the maximum amount of oxygen in your body during exercise is referred to as your aerobic capacity. Your muscular endurance can help you use your muscle groups for a longer period of time as they are supplied with oxygen.
• Reduced risk for heart disease — The risk of developing a type of heart disease, such as coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure, can be decreased with muscular endurance. It can strengthen your heart function while lowering your blood pressure.
• Reduced anxiety — Exercise is positive for your physical and mental health. Not only is exercise a healthy coping mechanism for anxiety, but it can also improve your mood by releasing endorphins. With muscular endurance, you’re able to regularly reduce your stress, which can also lead to better sleep.
• Improved muscle recovery — One of the best feelings is knowing that you just pushed your body as hard as you could. But it’s also important that your muscles get the rest they need for reduced soreness. With muscular endurance, you can boost your muscle’s ability to properly rest. That way, they can return with as much strength as possible.

Franklin Rehabilitation can help boost your muscular endurance with the right exercises

Physical therapy does more than reduce pain from a medical condition or help you recover from an injury. It can help you improve the overall quality of your muscles for the best function possible. It can help increase your strength, flexibility, coordination and muscular endurance to help you achieve your fitness goals. 

Muscular endurance is something that’s built up with time, patience and effort. At Franklin Rehabilitation, we’ll be with you every step of the way. We’ll start off by evaluating your muscular strength and endurance, as well as your overall function and mobility. Then we’ll discuss any symptoms you may be experiencing that are interfering with your muscular endurance along with your medical history and fitness goals.

We’ll combine the insight from your initial evaluation with our own expertise to design a personalized exercise program just for you. It will likely include some of the exercises that we discussed above, such as lunges and squats. We’ll also add in other safe and effective strengthening exercises.

Not only will you have improved muscular endurance as you go throughout your sessions with us, but you’ll also see an overall improvement in your functioning during your daily activities and your active hobbies.

Call us or request an appointment today to learn muscular endurance exercises from Franklin Rehabilitation’s physical therapists.