Muscular Endurance

1. Muscular Endurance Muscular endurance is the ability of muscles to work continuously. To improve your muscular endurance you need to work muscle groups for long intervals at a relatively low level of intensity. A cyclist works the leg muscles continuously while a rower uses mainly the arms and shoulders. Both are examples of muscular endurance.

2. The Effects of Increased Muscular Endurance on the Body Improved muscular endurance should ensure that you have better muscle tone and posture. This often means that you are able to complete skills more effectively (improved control and fluency), especially when you get tired.

3. Sit Up Test Protocol • Subject lies on their back, knees bent, feet hip width apart with arms straight and by their sides, fingers straight. • Place rod on ground approximately 8cm away from the longest finger tip of each hand. • Lift shoulders and chest off the ground, keeping arms straight and on the ground to touch the rod for each curl-up. • Return to start position between each repetition. • Test score is the number of recorded touches of the rod in • 30 seconds.

4. Training to Improve your Muscular Endurance Overloading muscles in training will provide more oxygen for muscle groups, over time, your ability for muscles to cope with greater work will improve. Can you think of different methods of improving your muscular endurance?

5. Circuit Training Includes • Fixed circuit of set tasks • Multi station circuit. Stations include specific or general exercises (e.g.. bench jumps, sit-ups, press-ups) • Planned circuit focussing on specific fitness development Benefits • Develops both general and specific fitness • Progressive overload can be achieved by decreasing rest intervals or by increasing repetitions of exercises.

6. Muscular Endurance Weight Training • Low weights, High repetitions. Benefits • Develops both general and specific muscles • Develops muscular endurance. • Progressive overload can be achieved through increasing the weight or the number of repetitions.

7. Progressively Overload Muscular Endurance Training F.I.D. (F)REQUENCY – How often • Increase the amount of times in a week you train e.g.. from 2 to 3.

8. Progressively Overload Muscular Endurance Training F.I.D. (I)ntensity - How hard you work • Lift 70% of 1RM instead of 65%. • 20 repetitions instead 15. • Increase the from 3 to 4 sets at a time.

9. Progressively Overload Strength Training F.I.D. (D)uration - How long you work for • Increase the amount of time a training session last thus increasing the amount of work you do in a training session e.g.. 60 mins to 75 mins.

10. Monitoring the Effectiveness of Muscular Endurance Training • It is important to monitor training: • To avoid over-training • To see if your training is working • One way to see if your training is working is to re-test yourself (Sit-Up Test) after so many weeks of training. • Another way to see if your training is improving is if your performance during your activity is improving.

11. The Effects of Increased Muscular Endurance on the Body There are many performance benefits of muscular endurance. Some of these benefits will be specific to different activities, but in general improved muscular endurance should ensure that you have better muscle tone and posture. This often means that you are able to complete skills more effectively (improved control and fluency) when you begin to get tired.