Muscular endurance “refers to the ability of a given muscle to exert force, consistently and repetitively” according to Healthline. Whether you’re working out or doing your everyday activities like cleaning the house or playing with your kids or grandkids, your body needs muscular endurance. Physical therapist Corinne Croce told Shape when you have a lot of muscular endurance, “fatigue will not set in as fast and you will be able to withstand more while using less energy.” If you are seeking to improve your muscular endurance, the following tips can help.

Exercise

Wes Hal, a personal trainer at Pittsburgh Fitness Project, recommends resistance training as a simple way to help increase muscular endurance. He recommends focusing on higher rep ranges (anywhere between 12-30 reps). If you’re not sure of which weight to use or how many reps to do, choose a weight or rep range that makes the last 2-3 reps challenging. If you are not challenged by the last few reps, your weight is too light and you won’t see as many benefits. Choose exercises like squats, step-ups, hip bridges and push-ups. Training these movements will allow you to work on the muscular endurance of multiple muscles at one time giving you more bang for your buck. As an added bonus, resistance training can be done at home. Of course, it is always important to check with your doctor before starting any new fitness activity.

Nutrition

When trying to improve muscular endurance, turn to the kitchen. “Inadequate nutrition can increase fatigue, reduce your performance and can result in suboptimal gains from training sessions,” says McKenzie Flinchum, RD, CPT, owner of Flexible Dietetics.  Getting good carbohydrates, proteins and fats – along with hitting your daily caloric needs – is beneficial to the body. Soon after exercise, the body is most effective at replacing carbohydrates and promoting muscle repair and growth, so McKenzie recommends consuming both carbohydrates and protein post-workout to maximize recovery.

Supplementation

Supplements that increase nitric oxide in the body are very popular due to health and performance benefits. A line of supplements called CocoaVia™ contains cocoa flavanols, the powerful plant-based nutrient found in natural cocoa beans. Scientific studies have shown that these cocoa flavanols help your body naturally increase its production of nitric oxide. While some flavanols can be found in ordinary chocolate, many are destroyed in the process of making it, eliminating the health benefits. CocoaVia™ has 450 mg of cocoa flavanols in every serving (5-20 calories). For comparison, to get 450 mg of cocoa flavanols in the leading dark chocolate on the market, you would need to eat eightservings sizes, which equals roughly 1,200 calories. This is why is it beneficial to use supplementation to get your daily dose of cocoa flavanols!

By incorporating the right exercise, nutrition, and supplementation, you could start seeing an increase in muscle endurance and will welcome that extra energy and lack of fatigue.

© 2020 Silver Disobedience Inc.  (SP)