The Best Way to Build Stamina

Building stamina is a matter of sticking to a consistent workout schedule. Take a look at your current state of fitness and where you want to be. Plan out a methodical workout that slowly increases your stamina to the desired level. Before beginning any workout, consult a doctor to ensure you are healthy enough to proceed.

  1. Evaluate

    • Before you can build your stamina at any given activity, you should evaluate where you're at and decide where you are going. For example, if you want to run a 5k race but can only walk around the block at night with your dog, it will be hard to say how much work you will have to do. Test yourself. Go to the local high school track or hop on a treadmill and see what you can do comfortably. If running a mile nearly kills you, it may take some time to work up to the 5k. Though after testing yourelf, you'll have a starting point to build from. Plan to increase your ability by about 10 percent a month; this allows your body to adjust and build stamina without stressing it to the point of injury.

    Build

    • Once you have determined your baseline and what you would like to achieve, you can build and implement a plan. Set up a realistic plan---if you plan to run your hardest every day, your plan will not be successful. You will not only overwork your body but might also resent the workouts. Instead, pace yourself and mix up the workouts.
      If you are trying for that 5k race, for example, plan a long run at low speed, a couple mid-distance runs at mid speed, short sprint workouts and at least two rest days. This type of plan will build your stamina by increasing your speed with the sprints and then increasing your distance with the long run. This combination of speed work and distance work will make the mid-level runs faster and easier. As your stamina program progresses, increase the length of all of the runs and increase the intensity of the sprints until you reach your goals. For other sports, like bike racing, follow a similar program.
      If you have trouble doing the same activity every day, replace some of the runs or bike rides with another sport. This is called cross training, and by varying the workout, this type of training can help keep the individual interested. You can replace a sprint workout with a game of basketball, as it is a similar workout but can be more entertaining than running alone. On your long run day, go for an extra long hike with friends; this can give you the same endurance workout but might be a nice mental break.