What Is the Meaning of Muscular Endurance?

In order for the body to perform optimally, all major components of the fitness program must be present. Muscular endurance is one of the five components of a well-rounded fitness program important for both athletes and recreational exercisers. Certain sports and recreational activities rely on good muscular endurance for successful performance.

  1. Definition

    • Muscular endurance is a muscle's ability to perform repeated contractions over a period of time without fatigue. Muscular endurance type activities depend on slow twitch muscle fibers for optimal performance. Slow twitch fibers are the fibers of the muscle responsible for maintaining repeated activity. Fast twitch muscle fibers, the other type of muscle fiber, are able to exert a great amount of force but only in short bursts. Athletes and recreational exercises that participate in sports such as running, cycling, rowing and tennis, need good muscular endurance. Activities of daily living such as carrying groceries, walking upstairs and even gardening also depend on muscular endurance and slow twitch fibers.

    Benefits

    • Improving muscular endurance provides benefits beyond the strengthening of muscles. A program of endurance training will improve bone mass, increase strength of connective tissue, decrease the chance of injury and help muscles heal faster after injury. A qualified fitness professional is your best resource for developing a fitness program to improve muscular endurance.

    Types

    • There are three main types of muscular endurance. Each type is a continuum of the other, working together for optimal performance. Continuous tension is a very slow or static contraction; examples include mountain climbing and tug of war. Repetitive dynamic contraction is highly repetitive movement such as running or rowing. The final type of muscular endurance is prolonged intense contractions coupled with long rest periods--such as circuit training and football.

    Physiological Benefits

    • A regular program of muscular endurance training has short term and long-term benefits. Over long periods of time, muscular endurance training leads to adaptation of skeletal muscle. A component of muscle, known as mitochondria, increases in depth and ability to store blood glucose as a result of endurance training. This increase in depth and improvement in storage capabilities, improves the muscles' ability to sustain exercise over long periods of time. Short-term benefits of endurance training include improved uptake of glucose fat burning capabilities.

    Training

    • In an endurance-training program, the goal is to increase the muscle's ability to work over a certain period of time. Gains in muscle strength and mass are secondary. A well-designed program to improve muscular endurance should emphasize full range of motion movements and all major muscle groups. Weak areas of the body should be given special attention to prevent muscular imbalances. Rep ranges that improve muscular endurance are around 10-12 repetitions. The best modes of resistance training are weight machines, free weights and body weight.