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  • Writer's pictureMarc Ouellette

What Is Endurance Fitness?


The capacity to maintain the needed intensity for a particular sport or activity is called endurance fitness.

There are four basic kinds of endurance: aerobic, anaerobic, speed and strength. Aerobic endurance is built up through interval and constant running.

While at work, the body is supplying the oxygen and energy needed to meet the necessary demands to perform an activity. Water and carbon dioxide are released through exhaling and sweating.

When a person’s body needs to use stored energy because the need for oxygen and energy is lacking, the body is building up anaerobic endurance.

During anaerobic activities, the muscles are deprived of oxygen and go into “oxygen debt”. At this point, the body begins to build up lactic acid in the muscles. When the lactic acid is eliminated and the “oxygen debt is replaced, then the body can continue its physical activity.

Speed endurance involves improving the dexterity of the muscles contracting. In order to build speed endurance, you can use timed trials and competition. In addition, there are several types of repetition exercises one can do to increase speed.

They include increasing the intensity of distances covered, completing a large number of sets and completing a small number of repetitions with each set.

The ability for the muscles to perform a certain amount of strength over a long period of time without getting tired is strength endurance.

Weight training, circuit training and hill running are a few examples of activities used to help build strength endurance. Fitness endurance is beneficial to everyone. The more endurance a person has, the more energy a person will have to accomplish their daily activities. One benefit is improving the function of the muscles.

We have several types of muscles. Skeletal muscles are responsible for movement and maintaining good posture. The cardiac muscle, the heart, delivers blood to the rest of the body. Smooth muscles are responsible for bodily functions like breathing and digesting.

Another benefit of endurance fitness is increasing muscle strength and muscle endurance at the same time. Weight training exercises done over time will not only build strength in the muscles but will increase the amount of time the muscle can perform a specific activity.

Another benefit of endurance training is building and maintaining muscle power. Muscle power is the amount of force and the speed a muscle can perform an activity.

As we age, we lose muscle power. With endurance fitness, we can retain muscle strength and balance. In addition, endurance fitness improves balance and coordination which helps reduce the chance of injuries. Endurance fitness improves your metabolism and cardio respiratory system, decreases stress, reduces the risk of disease, builds strength and helps keep the mind sharp.

Marc Ouellette is a Certified In-Home Personal Trainer, Certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition and Owner of Personal Training Alliance.

I help busy men and women get thin, burn fat, add lean muscle and help them become more energetic and confident.

I'm offering you a Free In-Home Fitness and Nutrition Consultation to see if we can work together so I can help you reach all your health and fitness goals.

"Serving Fairfield County and New Haven County and I Come Right To You, Or You Can Come To Me!"

Simply contact me here at, marc@personaltrainingalliance.info for more information about my services.

To your health, Marc

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