Strength - Endurance Training
How much can you lift?
How much you can lift is not important in every day life.
If you are looking to build strength most people follow the heavy weights for low reps with a significant amount of rest between sets. This is great if but there is a slight problem with this type of training. Most people who focus on this type of training shouldn't be. They should be focusing on strength-endurance training. If you focus on strictly strength routines it won't hold up in the real work when you are doing real life activities. Sure you may look good but would you rather be able to lift a heavy object once or be able to do it multiple times?
Think about your daily activities for a moment....
Keep thinking...
Do you play sports with your kids are you constantly running around with them? Do you pick them up and hold them? Do you play any sports? Do you hike? Do you bike? Do you run? Let's take tennis for instance (since I am a tennis player). A point may last anywhere from 5 seconds - 1 min or even longer. Unless you plan to hit a winner every shot (trust me it's not easy...I've tried and in my younger stupid competition days. Thought I could and went for it every time) you need to be able to exert power/strength at any time.
Apply these same ideas to anything you might do in daily life, be it the examples I gave before, or activities as simple as bringing in the groceries, re-arranging your living room, or carrying a heavy backpack. Unless you can complete your activity in around 10-20 seconds, you will be dependent on strength-endurance more than you will brute (limit) strength.
Strength-endurance is the ability to be strong over an extended period of time.
So How DO We Increase Strength-Endurance?
To increase strength-endurance, you need a program that accomplishes three things: uses weight, requires shortening rest periods and utilizes volume.
Heavy Weight
If you want to get strong, you're going to have to challenge yourself.
Shortened Rest Periods
We are training our body to recover faster and be able to exert maximum strength over a longer period of time.
Volume
You need to do more reps with load (weights). If you're not doing a fair amount of reps overall, you won't be increase any kind of endurance - strength or otherwise. It is doing a large volume of work (coupled with shortened rest periods) that will give you endurance. When that is coupled with heavy weights, then you have strength-endurance. Think of it like an equation:
Strength-Endurance = Weights + Short Rest + Volume
Let's relate to the tools & classes at Studio ME...
We have a huge variety of classes to help you build "strength-endurance".
Let's go through each of our tool and list the benefits. Remember a well rounded program (including recovery classes) will help you move better, feel better and live better.
Rowing - Works 9 major muscle groups and 84% of your muscle mass in each stroke! It is low impact, offers a full body workout, good for the heart, can help increase flexibility and joint mobility, and can burn a shit ton of calories. I am not saying you should row every day but rowing is MUST in your routine and not just sprinting. You need too focus on the long stroke utilizing your power house -the legs! This will help increase your endurance. Classes we have that utilize the rowing machines are Row & Flow, Row & Roll, HIIT Row, Total Body Row.
Kettlebells- One my favorite tools. Training will kettlebells uses fundamental movement patterns making everyday activities easier and injury less likely. Your body has to work as a unit. Can help reverse damage from sitting all day. Great rehabilitate tool in that it strengthens joints, improves flexibility and mobility. Can burn some serious calories! Creates strong and lean bodies. We offer two types of true kettlebell classes we offer Kettlebell Circuit and Kettlebell Extreme. Circuit will be heavier weights and your hardstyle training whereas Kettlebell Extreme will be lighter weights, more reps and using the music to get you through class. Think of a body pump class with kettlebells. We also have strength circuit which utilizes kettlebells but doesn't incorporate your standard moves of swings, get-ups, cleans etc. You'll run through a circuit of strength exercises such as deadlifts, squats, lunges, pull ups to make a total body routine.
TRX- Utilizes body weight to sculpt the body. You can change resistance by changing the angle of your body and everyone can do TRX and succeed. Every move you do on the trainer utilizes the core and let's face it as adults we don't use our core much and weak core results in some serious pain as we age. Strong core = foundation to move better, feel better and live better. We have two types of classes that should be included in your routines TRX Sculpt and TRX Barre. TRX Sculpt will challenge you to use more body weight throughout the routine and really hit that core! TRX Barre is endurance training at its finest. It brings you to failure. I don't recommend taking it every day (we offer it twice a week) but once is awhile is great to add to your training.
Foam rolling & yoga- Recovery is so important in your continued performance. How do you recover? Is it just taking a day off? If so, think about adding some foam rolling. We use standard rollers, Rollga's, and Yoga Tune Up Balls to help you recover and be able to continue to perform at your highest level and reduce the change of injury. Calm the body, reduce cortisol levels, increases blood flow to your muscles and create better mobility. Make sure to add to your route some of our foam rolling classes, restorative yoga and watch for workshops to learn how to recover at home.
What should the balance be?
Everyone is different and responds different to exercise. We can help you determine which classes will best for you based on your goals. We can say make sure you have a balance of strength and cardio training and are including recovery as well. You can also check out my blog posts about body types and how they tend to respond to exercise.
Endomorph, Ectomorph or Mesomorph?