Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is It?BenefitsWorkouts to Improve It
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is It?
Benefits
Workouts to Improve It
Muscular endurance is the muscle’s ability to complete multiple repetitions (“reps”) of a movement against resistance for an extended period.Muscular endurance contributes to athletic performance and daily tasks like yard work and carrying groceries.
This article discusses muscular endurance—what it is, how it is beneficial, and specific workouts for improving it.
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What It Means to Have Muscular Endurance
The higher your muscle endurance is, the more activities you can do before your muscles need a break. Muscles are made up of two types of fibers—slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers—and different types of training target each group. Slow-twitch fibers are more active during sustained activity, while fast-twitch fibers produce short bursts of power.
Muscular endurance training targets the slow-twitch fibers. These fibers use oxygen to produce energy and help keep muscles going for extended periods. With training, slow-twitch fibers become even more efficient.
Benefits of Muscular Endurance
Muscular training has various benefits beyond the ability to be active for extended periods. These can include:
Workouts to Improve Muscular Endurance
When training to improve muscular endurance, you can use exercise equipment, such as dumbbells,resistance bands, strengthening machines, or a barbell. If you’re using weights, begin at a weight of approximately 60% to 80% of your one rep max—the most you can lift once.
Muscular endurance training aims to keep your muscles under tension for progressively extended periods.Circuit training—rotating through exercises without rest breaks—is an efficient way to build muscular endurance. To improve overall health, target the main muscle groups throughout your body.
You don’t have to join a gym to build muscular endurance. You can also build muscular endurance using your body weight as resistance.
To determine your baseline, perform as many repetitions as possible of each exercise or count the number of repetitions you can complete in one minute. After a few weeks, repeat this process to measure your progress.
Body-Weight Circuit Training
You can also addaerobic exercise, such as jogging in place for 30 seconds, to your circuit.
Push-Ups
Push-ups build muscular endurance in your arms, chest, and core—muscles that help stabilize your torso.Do them as follows:
Squats
Squats target muscles in your hips and legs. If you’re new to this exercise, begin with your legs hip-width apart. You can then experiment with wider and narrower stance positions to see what is most comfortable for you.
They are done in the following way:
Pike Crunches
Pike crunches target your core muscles and entail the following steps:
The Superman
This exercise targets muscles in your back and shoulders that help stabilize your spine.This exercise, done as follows, resembles Superman flying through the air:
Plank
5 Benefits of Squats, Plus Variations and Safety Tips
Summary
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Council on Exercise.7 different types of strength and their benefits.American Council on Exercise.Muscle fiber types: fast-twitch vs. slow-twitch.Michigan State University.Benefits of physical activity.American Council on Exercise.Total-body sprint/body-weight circuit to improve muscular endurance.Harvard Health Publishing.The advantages of body-weight exercise.American Council on Exercise.How to squat properly: body type breakdown & anatomy considerations.Harvard Health Publishing.Straight talk on planking.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Council on Exercise.7 different types of strength and their benefits.American Council on Exercise.Muscle fiber types: fast-twitch vs. slow-twitch.Michigan State University.Benefits of physical activity.American Council on Exercise.Total-body sprint/body-weight circuit to improve muscular endurance.Harvard Health Publishing.The advantages of body-weight exercise.American Council on Exercise.How to squat properly: body type breakdown & anatomy considerations.Harvard Health Publishing.Straight talk on planking.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Council on Exercise.7 different types of strength and their benefits.American Council on Exercise.Muscle fiber types: fast-twitch vs. slow-twitch.Michigan State University.Benefits of physical activity.American Council on Exercise.Total-body sprint/body-weight circuit to improve muscular endurance.Harvard Health Publishing.The advantages of body-weight exercise.American Council on Exercise.How to squat properly: body type breakdown & anatomy considerations.Harvard Health Publishing.Straight talk on planking.
American Council on Exercise.7 different types of strength and their benefits.
American Council on Exercise.Muscle fiber types: fast-twitch vs. slow-twitch.
Michigan State University.Benefits of physical activity.
American Council on Exercise.Total-body sprint/body-weight circuit to improve muscular endurance.
Harvard Health Publishing.The advantages of body-weight exercise.
American Council on Exercise.How to squat properly: body type breakdown & anatomy considerations.
Harvard Health Publishing.Straight talk on planking.
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