How To Test And Improve Muscular Endurance

So, you know that feeling when you’re climbing a few flights of stairs or trying to carry a bunch of grocery bags all at once, and suddenly you start huffing and puffing like you’ve just run a marathon? Yeah, we’ve all been there.

It’s not the most enjoyable experience, right? What if I told you there’s a way to tackle those moments with more finesse? That’s where muscular endurance comes into play. It’s your body’s secret weapon for handling those everyday challenges without feeling like you need an oxygen tank.

In this article, we’re diving into the world of muscular endurance – what it is, why it matters, and some ways to test it and boost it. No cheesy promises or magic potions here, just some down-to-earth advice to help you step up your endurance game. Let’s get into it!

What Is Muscular Endurance?

Muscular endurance refers to how long your muscles can sustain exercise.

But let’s break it down a bit more. Muscular endurance is your muscles’ ability to keep truckin’ without throwing in the towel too soon. You know when you do something repetitive, like lifting weights or doing squats? After a while, your muscles start to feel like they’ve had enough. Well, that’s where endurance kicks in. It’s all about how long your muscles can keep up the hard work before they start begging for a break.

Think of it this way: if strength is about how much power your muscles can dish out in a single punch, then endurance is like how many punches they can throw in a whole boxing match. It’s not about the heavy lifting but more about how well your muscles can handle the long haul – whether walking a marathon or carrying your school backpack around all day. So, in a nutshell, muscular endurance is what helps you last longer and stay strong when your muscles are put to the test.

How To Measure Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance tests are challenges for your muscles to see how many times they can do a particular move before getting super tired and needing a break.

These tests check how strong your upper, lower, and core muscles are by counting how many pushups, squats, or situps you can rock out. But, unlike muscular strength tests, they don’t typically use any weight.

You can team up with fitness experts to check out your endurance, or you can keep track by counting how many times you can do a move before your muscles are like, “Whoa, we need a rest!” It’s a great way to see where your physical fitness really stands!

Here are some tests you can do yourself. For the best results, you should not do any training for 48 hours before testing.

Lower Body: Squat Test

Let’s jump right in to test muscular endurance for your lower body. Stant with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly out. Keep your hand on your hips or chest, head neutral, and back straight.

Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then return to your starting position. Do as many as you can without stopping! Were you happy with how many you did?

Here are the averages:

Men	Very Poor	Poor	Below Average	Average	Above Average	Good	Excellent
Age: 18-25	<25	25-30	31-34	35-38	39-43	44-49	>49
26-35	<22	22-28	29-30	31-34	35-39	40-45	>45
36-45	<17	17-22	23-26	27-29	30-34	35-41	>41
46-55	<9	13-17	18-21	22-24	25-28	29-35	>35
56-65	<9	9-12	13-16	17-20	21-24	25-31	>31
65+	<7	7-10	11-14	15-18	19-21	22-28	>28
Women	Very Poor	Poor	Below Average	Average	Above Average	Good	Excellent
Age: 18-25	<18	18-24	25-28	29-32	33-36	37-43	>43
26-35	<20	13-20	21-24	25-28	29-32	33-39	>39
36-45	<7	7-14	15-18	19-22	23-26	27-33	>33
46-55	<5	5-9	10-13	14-17	18-21	22-27	>27
56-65	<3	3-6	7-9	10-12	13-17	18-24	>24
65+	<2	2-4	5-10	11-13	14-16	17-23	>23

Upper Body: Pushup Test

Let’s dive into the push-up test for upper body muscular endurance! You will try push-ups – either the regular kind or a modified version where you use your knees for support.

Here’s the interesting part: The clever folks at the Cooper Institute came up with a way to rate how well you do. They noticed that men usually have more muscle power than women. So, they thought, let’s have men do the regular push-ups, and women can do the modified ones.

Why the change? The modified way gives your upper body a break, so it’s a fair game to test your muscle endurance. Guys go for regular push-ups for the real deal on upper-body strength, and ladies rock the modified style.

But hey, if you’re looking to get stronger and tougher, it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. You can pick the push-up style that suits you best. So get ready to give those push-ups a go, and let’s see how well you hold up!

Start in the pushup or modified pushup position. Then lower your chest to the floor, and push yourself back to where you started. Do as many as you can without stopping. How many repetitions could you do?

Here are the averages:

Men – Pushups | Women – Modified Pushups

Men	Very Poor	Poor	Below Average	Average	Above Average	Excellent
Age: 18-29	<22	22-28	29-36	37-46	47-61	>61
30-39	<17	17-23	24-29	30-38	39-51	>51
40-49	<11	11-17	18-23	24-29	30-39	>39
50-59	<9	9-12	13-18	19-24	25-38	>38
60+	<6	6-9	10-17	18-22	23-27	>27
Women	Very Poor	Poor	Below Average	Average	Above Average	Excellent
Age: 18-29	<17	17-22	23-29	30-35	34-44	>44
30-39	<11	11-18	19-23	24-30	31-38	>38
40-49	<6	6-12	13-17	18-23	24-32	>32
50-59	<6	6-11	12-16	17-20	21-27	>27
60+	<2	2-4	5-11	12-14	15-19	>19

Core: Situps

This test is used to measure the strength and endurance of your core. Let’s jump right into it!

Grab a stopwatch, clock, or watch with a second hand. Lie on your back in a situp position, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lock your fingers behind your neck and have a partner hold your feet down. If you don’t have someone to hold your feet, tuck them under something that won’t fall or move.

Then perform situps, chest to knees. Do as many as you can for 60 seconds and record the number.

This test can be done using the sit-up or the plank. The primary difference is that the plank test measures how long you can hold it rather than the number of repetitions you can complete.

Here are the averages for men and women:

Men	Very Poor	Poor	Below Average	Average	Above Average	Excellent
Age: >20	<36	36-40	41-46	47-50	51-61	>61
20-29	<33	33-37	38-41	42-46	47-54	>54
30-39	<30	30-34	35-38	39-42	43-50	>50
40-49	<24	24-28	29-33	34-38	39-46	>46
50-59	<19	19-23	24-27	28-34	35-42	>42
60+	<15	15-18	19-21	22-29	30-38	>38
Women	Very Poor	Poor	Below Average	Average	Above Average	Excellent
Age: >20	<28	28-31	32-35	36-45	46-54	>54
20-29	<24	24-31	32-37	38-43	44-50	>50
30-39	<20	20-24	25-28	29-34	35-41	>41
40-49	<14	14-19	20-23	24-28	29-37	>37
50-59	<10	10-13	14-19	20-23	24-29	>29
60+	<3	3-5	6-10	11-16	17-27	>27

Types of Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance comes in different flavors. Here are the main types and some examples of each:

1. Static Endurance: This is like holding a pose for a while. Think about when you must keep a plank position or stay in a squat.
2. Dynamic Endurance: This is about doing a movement repeatedly without tiring out. Imagine doing jumping jacks, push-ups, or even pedaling a bike for a long time.
3. Isometric Endurance: Fancy word, right? It means pushing or pulling against something that doesn’t move, like pushing against a wall or pulling on a resistance band without changing its position.
4. Explosive Endurance: This is like doing quick and powerful moves repeatedly. Think of things like jumping as high as you can multiple times or doing rapid sprints.
5. Cardiovascular Endurance: Yep, your heart also gets in on the endurance fun. It’s about keeping your heart and lungs strong during running, swimming, or dancing.
6. Muscular Endurance with Weights: Not just bodyweight stuff – this is about doing exercises with weights or resistance, like lifting dumbbells or using weight machines, repeatedly without tiring out.
7. Sport-Specific Endurance: This one’s all about the moves you need for your favorite sports, like a soccer player dribbling the ball or a basketball player shooting hoops repeatedly without losing steam.

Remember, each type is a different challenge for your muscles. So, whether you’re holding a challenging pose, doing a bunch of jumps, or lifting weights, you’re building up those endurance muscles differently.

Why Muscular Endurance Matters

Muscle endurance matters because it’s like having a superpower for everyday tasks and activities. Imagine if your muscles were like a battery that never ran out of juice – you’d be able to tackle all sorts of things without feeling worn out too quickly. Here’s why muscle endurance is pretty incredible:

1. Staying Power: It helps you last longer during activities. Good muscle endurance means you can keep going without getting tired too fast.
2. Everyday Ease: Think about all the times you have to lift, carry, or move stuff around. Solid muscle endurance means you can do these things without straining or feeling like you’re about to collapse.
3. Better Posture: Strong muscles that can hold up over time help maintain good posture. So you won’t end up slouching or feeling achy after sitting or standing for a while.
4. Less Risk of Injury: Muscles that can handle the long haul are less likely to give out suddenly, which means you’re less likely to get hurt during physical activities.
5. Improved Performance: Whether you’re into sports, dance, or any physical hobby, having good muscle endurance can make you better at what you love to do.
6. Healthier Heart and Lungs: Some forms of muscular endurance, like cardiovascular endurance (remember that heart and lung stuff?), also keep your ticker and lungs in top shape.

So, muscle endurance isn’t just about looking strong – it’s about having the energy to enjoy life, do what you love, and handle whatever challenges come your way without feeling like you’re running on empty. It’s like having your muscles say, “Hey, we got this!”

How To Improve Muscle Endurance

Boosting your muscular endurance is like giving your muscles a little workout makeover. Here’s the scoop on how to level up:

1. Repeat and Build: Do exercises in sets with lots of reps. If you’re doing squats, aim for 12-15 squats in a row, take a short break, then do another set. Over time, increase the reps or sets to push your endurance higher.
2. Lighter Weights, More Reps: If you’re lifting weights, do more reps for a lighter load.
3. Mix It Up: Switch between different exercises that work for the same muscle group. For example, alternate between push-ups and bench presses for your chest muscles.
4. Slow and Steady: Focus on a controlled pace when exercising. This helps your muscles work harder for longer.
5. Breathe Right: Proper breathing is key. Inhale during the easy part of an exercise and exhale during the more challenging part. Good breathing keeps your muscles fueled up.
6. Rest Strategically: Take short breaks between sets to catch your breath, but not too long. This helps your muscles recover without losing the endurance challenge.
7. Stay Consistent: Just like practicing a musical instrument, regular workouts are the ticket to improvement. Aim for a few days a week to keep those muscles in shape.
8. Healthy Habits: Eating well, getting enough sleep, and staying hydrated all play a role in building endurance. A well-fueled body is a strong body.
9. Stretch It Out: Flexibility matters too. Stretch before and after your workouts to keep your muscles long and limber.
10. Have Fun: Choose activities you enjoy. Having fun will make it easier to stick with your endurance-building routine.

Remember, it’s not a race to see who can do the most reps – it’s about gradually challenging yourself and giving your muscles a chance to grow stronger over time. So, get out there, mix up your moves, and watch your endurance soar!

Ready to take your fitness game to the next level? Our workout plans are designed with one goal in mind: to make you leaner, faster, and stronger. Say goodbye to those moments of huffing and puffing – our plans will have you tackling everyday challenges with ease. From dynamic exercises that test your limits to strategic rest intervals that keep you pushing forward, our routines are all about building lasting strength.