What Exercises Can You Do to Improve Muscular Endurance in the Abdomen?

Muscular endurance is not only a necessity for a marathon runner or a triathlete but also for the average Joe. Your abdomen works continuously throughout the day to support and stabilize your back and torso. If you lack the endurance necessary to make it through the day, your abs will fatigue, resulting in poor posture and back pain. Perform several different types of exercises to improve muscular endurance in your abdomen.

  1. Muscular Endurance 101

    • Muscular endurance is the ability of your muscles to sustain repeated muscle actions or a single static action. The authors of the book "Physiology of Sport and Exercise" state that your muscular endurance is increased through gains in muscular strength and through changes in local metabolic pathways and circulatory function. To put it simply, your muscles get stronger and more efficient at delivering oxygen-rich blood, using energy sources and removing waste, allowing them to work for longer periods of time before fatigue sets in.

    Isometric Exercises

    • Isometric exercises use a single static action to strengthen and improve muscular endurance in your abdomen. During an isometric abdominal exercise, you simply hold a contraction over a predetermined period of time. Planks are a popular isometric abdominal exercise and are quite effective for improving endurance. The front plank targets your rectus abdominis, while the side plank works your obliques. When performing planks, begin by holding the position for at least 30 seconds, gradually increasing your time as your endurance improves.

    Calisthenics

    • Calisthenics aren't just for gym class -- they can also do wonders to improve abdominal endurance. Situps, crunches, leg levers, V-ups and flutter kicks are all examples of exercises that will challenge your abs. These types of exercises use your own body weight as resistance and require a higher number of reps to adequately tax your muscles. Begin with two to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, gradually increasing the number as your endurance improves.

    Resistance Exercises

    • The idea of weighted abdominal exercises may seem a little scary if you're worried about bulking up, but rest assured, they will merely help sculpt and strengthen your midsection. Medicine balls, dumbbells and cables can all be used to add resistance to your abdominal exercises. Seated twists, weighted situps, Saxon side bends and medicine ball throws are exercises that will improve abdominal endurance by strengthening the muscles. To improve muscular endurance, the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends performing two to three sets of at least 12 repetitions using light resistance.

    Considerations

    • Numerous types of exercises will help improve muscular endurance in your abdomen. For optimum results, use a variety of exercises in each workout to improve abdominal endurance. Allow at least 48 hours of rest between workouts to give your muscles adequate time to recover. If you're new to exercise, begin with fewer repetitions to prevent muscle soreness. Seasoned exercisers may have to perform higher repetitions to sufficiently challenge the abs. Consult your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.