Stamina workouts are important for the success of any sports team. In a clash of equal skills, often the victory goes to the team with the better endurance training. Coaches who know how to increase stamina in team members give their teams the ability to sustain physical performance for longer periods of time--an ability that’s important for everyone from baseball players to marathon runners.
How to Increase Stamina with Aerobics
Endurance training has to improve heart, muscle, and lung function. Doing so requires a variety of stamina workouts to develop both strength and muscle stamina.
Aerobic exercise is the traditional go-to for endurance training, and with good reason. Jogging, cycling, swimming, and sprinting all improve stamina. For best results, team members should train aerobically five days a week, starting with thirty minutes of exercise and increasing the time spent by five to ten minutes every week. During the summer, aerobic training often takes place outside in bright sunlight. Protect your team’s eyes with customized Under Armour Adjustable Visors.
High Intensity Interval Training
While aerobic exercise is an excellent form of endurance training, there’s no denying it takes up a significant amount of time and it can be difficult to monitor who’s training regularly--especially when coaching children. High-intensity interval training offers more time-efficient stamina workouts.
High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, improves V02max, or a person’s maximal aerobic capacity. Some studies indicate HIIT may be a better endurance training option than steady state cardiovascular exercise.
HIIT stamina workouts are characterized by dynamic exercises punctuated by short breaks. An example is the Tabata protocol, where an exercise such as push ups, burpees, or sprinting is performed as fast as possible for twenty seconds, followed by a ten-second rest, and repeated for eight rounds. HIIT sessions should be limited to two or three sessions a week to avoid injuries.
HIIT endurance training really gets the sweat pouring. Help your team train in comfort with moisture-wicking t-shirts like the SPORT-TEK PosiCharge Competitor Tee for men and women or Under Armour’s Locker T-Shirt and Champion’s Cotton Gym Shorts.
Strength Training
Aerobic exercise is only one aspect of endurance training. Strength training should also be part of your stamina workouts. If you're still weight training using the traditional eight to twelve sets, however, you may want to consider this advice from the American College of Sports Medicine. Researchers at the college recommend performing two to four sets of ten to twenty-five reps, using a total weight of forty to sixty percent of the individual’s one-rep maximum. Rests between sets should be limited to less than sixty seconds.
Traditionally, athletes have trained for cardio and strength on different days. For endurance training, it may be beneficial to combine the two. Such training might include jumping rope or sprinting for a minute, a set on the overhead press, situps and pushups, and repeat.
Working Multiple Muscles
When designing stamina workouts, look for compound movements that work more than one joint. Squats, pullups, push ups and step ups work multiple muscles, increasing endurance.
Mix It Up
Coaches who know how to increase stamina recognize how quickly the human body adapts to exercise. Most people’s body’s grow accustomed to a workout after two weeks. Switch up your exercises and drills regularly to keep your team’s muscles moving in different ways. Doing so also helps keep team members mentally alert, as they can’t rely completely on muscle memory.
Want to reward your team for hitting the gym and committing to their endurance training? Gift them a Nike Medium Duffel Bag embroidered with their name and team logo!