Learning how to improve stamina and endurance can seem intimidating—especially if you’re new to fitness.
But whether you’re considering joining a gym for the first time or you’ve been running on the treadmill three times a week for years, there are realistic, achievable goals that can elevate your fitness journey.
That’s why we’re devoting a whole guide to increase stamina and endurance. We’ll explore various physical activities that can effectively increase stamina and build endurance. We’ll explore practical strategies, highlight their differences, share workout options for both goals, and help you overcome common roadblocks—no matter your experience level.
Stamina vs. Endurance: Clarifying the Difference
Before you can learn how to improve stamina and endurance, you have to understand the difference between these two metrics.
They’re similar, but distinct:
- Stamina is your ability to sustain a rigorous mental or physical effort, boosting your overall fitness. If you can keep your energy level up and perform at your best for longer periods, you have good stamina.
- Endurance is your ability to perform repetitive actions over time. If you can repeat the same movement over and over without faltering on form or feeling weak, you have high endurance.
Let’s use a few examples to demonstrate the difference:
- If you can run multiple sprints during a training session while maintaining consistent speed, you have high stamina. If you can run over a long distance without risking injury or losing motivation, you have high endurance.
- If you can complete three heavy deadlifts in a row with good form and control, that’s stamina. If you can run through back-to-back sets of the same exercise with limited breaks, that’s endurance.
- If you can give your all from the first minute of a yoga class to the last, stamina might be one of your strengths. If you can hold the tree pose for an hour without flinching, your endurance is a force to be reckoned with.
While they’re different, they’re both essential to fitness—no matter your experience level. Combining training methods can enhance physical endurance and increase stamina, helping you achieve your fitness goals.
What Builds Stamina? 3 Options
If you’re looking to get a gym membership with the purpose of building stamina, you’re in luck: There are plenty of things you can do in the gym to enhance your overall performance and learn to withstand intense workouts. Incorporate a mix of aerobic exercises like running and cycling into your routine to increase your cardiovascular endurance.
High-Intensity Strength Training
To increase stamina and endurance, one of the most effective approaches is high-intensity strength training.
What makes a workout “high-intensity?” Typically, these routines follow a cycle of:
- A short burst of intense work
- A brief rest period
- Another short burst…
…and repeat.
You can use this structure with cardio (as in HIIT classes) or adapt it for strength-focused training to build stamina.
For example, here’s a high-intensity leg workout that supports stamina and endurance growth:
- Five reps of heavy back squats → 30 seconds rest → repeat
- Three reps of heavy deadlifts → 30 seconds rest → repeat
- Five reps of heavy glute bridges → 30 seconds rest → repeat
Each set is heavy, with short rests in between. This style of training improves your ability to tolerate intensity and recover quickly—exactly what you need if you’re learning how to increase stamina and endurance.
Compound Lifts
You’ll notice that, in the example workout above, we only listed compound lifts.
That’s by design: By engaging multiple muscle groups at the same time, you can increase intensity tolerance on a broader level. Other benefits of compound lifts include:
- Increased heart rate – Asking multiple muscle groups to work hard at the same time is a surefire way to boost your heart rate.
- Coordination and mobility training – Compound lifts demand perfect form: You have to find a way to stay stable (i.e., build coordination) while you complete a full range of motion (i.e., train mobility).
- Heavier lifts – Since you’re relying on multiple muscle groups during one exercise, you can lift heavier than you might if you were only working one muscle group.
All of these benefits also support stamina-building: They’ll increase your ability to endure intense workouts and improve cardiovascular endurance.
Supersets
Supersets can help increase your overall energy capacity and enhance endurance.
But what is a superset, exactly? During a superset, you complete multiple exercises in a row with limited (or zero) rest in between each one.
There are two different ways to structure supersets: You can pair alternating muscle groups (antagonist supersets) or work the same muscle group repeatedly (agonist supersets). Your choice will depend on your specific goals and workout preferences. Incorporating interval training can be an effective approach to increasing stamina and improving both mental and physical endurance.
Here are some examples of antagonist supersets:
- Eight reps of barbell back squats, then twelve reps of cyclist goblet squats
- Ten walking lunges, then ten pushups
- Four wall handstands with a ten-second hold, then four wall sits with a ten-second hold
The most important thing to remember while building a superset is keeping your rest periods short—that’s the key to building stamina.
Approaches to Increase Endurance
If you started a gym trial with a primary goal of improving endurance, we have two recommendations for workout approaches that can help you get there.
Steady-State Cardio
During endurance training, you should be focused on performing repeated movements while maintaining good form for as long as possible.
That’s cardio, baby.
Classic steady-state cardio exercises really shine here—things like:
- Walking, jogging, or running
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Using the stair stepper or elliptical
But steady-state is the operative phrase. To build endurance, you want to maintain low to moderate intensity for an extended period. While you should still warm up and gradually increase intensity until you reach your sustaining pace, try to stay consistent: walk, swim, or cycle at the same pace for ten-plus minutes (or more).
If you’re a newcomer to fitness, you can take a gradual approach to building your endurance. Your ideal endurance-building plan might look something like this:
- Week 1: Walking at 3.0 mph for 10 minutes
- Week 2: Walking at 3.0 mph for 15 minutes
- Week 3: Walking at 3.0 mph for 20 minutes
- Week 4: Walking at 3.2 mph for 15 minutes
- Week 5: Walking at 3.2 mph for 20 minutes
- Week 6: Jogging at 3.5 mph for 10 minutes
- Week 7: Jogging at 3.5 mph for 15 minutes
- Week 8: Jogging at 3.5 mph for 20 minutes
- Week 9: Running at 4.0 mph for 10 minutes
- Week 10: Running at 4.0 mph for 12 minutes
- Week 11: Running at 4.0 mph for 15 minutes
Notice that, every time you increase your speed, you decrease your overall time: In the early days of endurance-building, you need to give your body time to adjust to a new intensity level. (And, while it might not seem like it, there’s a huge difference between walking 3.2 mph and jogging 3.5 mph—we’ve all been there.)
Low-Intensity, High-Rep Strength Training
If you’re not a fan of conventional cardio, you can get the same endurance-building benefits from weight training.
But, while you might focus on heavy compound lifts for stamina-building, endurance-building requires the opposite approach:
- Focus on one muscle group – Use isolation lifts instead of compound lifts to focus on longevity instead of intensity. Some examples include bicep curls, tricep extensions, single-leg deadlifts, and calf raises.
- Lift lighter – Since you’ll be focused on one muscle group and performing lots of reps, lift lighter to prevent injuries and work at a lower intensity.
- Perform lots of reps in one set – Building endurance is all about extending the time that you can safely perform an exercise. If you’re taking a weight-training approach, that means you’ll be doing lots of reps.
Additional Tips and Tricks for Boosting Stamina and Endurance
Learning how to increase stamina and endurance takes consistent, long-term effort. To keep progressing safely and effectively, remember to:
- Progress gradually – Increase workout intensity step by step. Don’t jump straight into long-distance runs or Olympic-style lifts.
- Stay fueled and hydrated – Nutrition and hydration are critical for both stamina and endurance workouts.
- Prioritize recovery – Schedule rest days or active recovery to give your muscles time to repair and adapt.
Plateaus are common, but here are a few tips to break through them: - Switch up your workout order or try new exercises for a “reset.”
- Alternate between stamina-focused and endurance-focused training to challenge your body differently.
Tap into your gym community—join a class, train with a partner, or ask a coach for new strategies.
These habits not only help you avoid stagnation but also make your journey toward building stamina and endurance more sustainable.
Mistakes to Avoid on Your Journey (And Solutions)
Whether you’re a newcomer or a gym veteran, mistakes are possible. Here are a few common snafus (with solutions you can use to right the ship):
- Neglecting rest days – This is a recipe for injury, burnout, or both. Instead of skipping rest days, incorporate active recovery: performing ultra-low intensity exercises on rest days (this is a great time to work in flexibility training).
- Failure to adjust – If you’re plateauing or not progressing, it’s time to adjust your workout. Try incorporating heart rate zone monitoring: setting new BPM goals and keeping track of them.
- Overtraining – This isn’t the same as skipping rest days—it’s trying to do too much, too fast. Set realistic milestones that make sense for your fitness level, schedule, and abilities: check out our guide to workout goals to learn more.
Boost Fitness in a Supportive Atmosphere
Whether you want to lean into stamina training or develop better endurance, your workout plan needs to be personalized: Pay attention to your preferences, listen to your body, and stay consistent. You’ll be crushing your goals in no time.
But there’s another way to set yourself up for success: finding a friendly, supportive gym community. A fitness family can hold you accountable, help you leap over plateaus, and just make working out more fun.
Enter Chuze Fitness: the gym that’s beyond friendly, beyond spotless, and beyond well-equipped. Everybody deserves an awesome gym, and that’s us. Find a Chuze Fitness location near you with our store locator and get started today.
Sources:
- Brooks. Stamina vs. Endurance: What’s the Difference?. https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/blog/advice-tips/stamina-vs-endurance.html
- University of California Davis. High-Intensity Workouts Can Help You Get Fit Fast, But Preparation Is Key. https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/high-intensity-workouts-can-help-you-get-fit-fast-but-preparation-is-key/2022/09
- Men’s Health. The 20 Best Leg Exercises of All Time. https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a29459907/best-leg-exercises/
- Women’s Health. Compound Exercises: The 9 Best Exercises for Strength and Muscle Growth. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/fitness/strength-training/a36967958/compound-exercises/
- Men’s Health. What Is a Superset? Here’s How to Gain More Muscle in Less Time. https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/train-smarter/a61173020/supersets/
- NASM. What Is Steady-State Cardio?. https://blog.nasm.org/what-is-steady-state-cardio
- GoodRx. Should You Add Isolation Exercises to Your Strength-Training Routine?. https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/movement-exercise/isolation-exercises
- Brooks. Why Active Recovery Is Essential to Any Workout Routine. https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_gb/blog/training-workouts/what-is-active-recovery.html
Reviewed By:
Ani is the Vice President of Fitness at Chuze Fitness and oversees the group fitness and team training departments. She’s had a 25+ year career in club management, personal training, group exercise and instructor training. Ani lives with her husband and son in San Diego, CA and loves hot yoga, snowboarding and all things wellness.
