Jul 14, 2009

Improving Strength and Endurance with Targeted Workouts

By Ray T. Hardy

Muscular endurance can only be improved through strength and endurance programs complemented with a sound nutrition plan. You need to add strength and cardiovascular workouts into your routine consistently for several weeks to increase muscle size and mass. The best way to increase strength quickly is to mix different sports into your training routine. Focus on improving your form on each sport and you can expect muscle gains quickly while maintaining a high level of motivation due to the variety of your activities.

It is best for bodybuilders to execute many repetitions against a resistance for an extended period to increase muscular endurance, according to the authors of the book "Periodization Training for Sports", Tudor Bompa and Michael Carrera. If your objective is to increase strength and stamina, it would be better to do explosive movements that involve some of your core muscle groups to work your muscles to their limit. The authors also advise athletes to improve these key fitness areas when training: agility, aerobic endurance, flexibility and body coordination.

Increasing agility is important for bodybuilders because it increases range of motion in all of the core muscle groups and joints, and also helps the athlete build endurance in cardiovascular exercises. Exercises and routines that can increase agility include gymnastics, football, figure skating and soccer. All of these sports and activities require using a combination of speed, flexibility and power at irregular intervals, which challenges the body and conditions the heart and lungs for optimal performance.

Increasing endurance is accomplished with exercises that require sustaining movement at a relatively high intensity. Endurance exercises include sprinting, cycling, kickboxing and rowing; these exercises also condition the heart and lungs, but require exerting a significant amount of power at regular intervals. These types of exercises can help to increase endurance in a very short period of time, and may also complement a standard weight training routine.

Increasing flexibility can be difficult for most bodybuilders who are usually very focused on lifting. Flexibility training programs typically involve intensive stretching routines and activities that require using both large and small muscle groups in short bursts. The goal of flexibility training is to extend core muscle groups through their full range of motion; this can help any bodybuilder improve muscle strength over time, because it allows for easier energy flow throughout the entire body during the workout session.

Like flexibility, most bodybuilders find it hard to develop coordination. Most bodybuilders can easily coordinate their body movements during a lifting routine but cannot display the same level of coordination in other activities such as aerobic workouts and simple dance routines. Coordination helps in improving flexibility, agility and strength. A bodybuilder with good coordination can easily perform different activities to achieve training goals faster.

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