How Can I Get Better Stamina?

Building stamina takes a complete exercise and diet plan whether you want to become a distance runner or improve your overall athletic performance. If you find that you perform well at the start of events and your performance tends to flag in the second half, improving your stamina will help you perform at peak efficiency throughout your event.

  1. Cardio

    • One of the best ways to increase your stamina is to do cardio training. This will get your heart rate up, and it will also rev up your metabolism. One of the best cardio workouts is interval training. Go to your local high school or college track, and mark off distances of 100, 90, 80 and 70 yards. Sprint these distances in descending order, giving yourself no more than 20 seconds between sprints. After you complete all four, take a two-minute break and then repeat the set. Do at least one more double set before you leave the track. Do this four times per week to improve stamina.

    Strength training

    • Many people don't think about strength training or weight training when trying to increase stamina. However, it is part of a multifaceted approach to get in better condition and therefore increase stamina. Weight training will add muscle and cut fat, which will enable you to perform at a higher level for longer periods of time.

      If you have access to circuit training systems such as Nautilus or Bowflex at a gym, you can work out your arms, shoulders, back, chest, abs, buttocks, hamstrings and calf muscles. If you don't have access to this equipment, do as many push-ups as you can for a 30-second period. Add in the maximum number of squat thrusts, pull-ups and crunches in a 30-second period as well.

    Dietary changes

    • To improve your stamina, cut out fast foods, fried foods and junk foods from your diet. Substitute white-meat chicken and fish for red meat as the main protein in your diet. Eat two portions of fresh vegetables and at least one portion of fresh fruit every day. Complex carbohydrates such as whole-grain bread, oats and brown rice will help you stay strong and keep fatigue from setting in.