Sports Then and Now

Stamina and endurance are two terms widely and interchangeably used by most of the people without knowing what it actually means. According to the professionals, stamina refers to cardio functions whereas endurance to the muscular functions.

Therefore, stamina is said to be the ability of a person to work longer instead of harder. Endurance, on the other hand helps the person to exert while staying active for a long period of time, and have the ability to resist, withstand and recover at the same time. For this very reason, every sport requires sports specific stamina as well as endurance training. So, keeping that in mind, here are 3 exercises that will help you build stamina and endurance required to fight like a pro.

Jog, Run, & Repeat

Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Despite that, it affects the body in a wide variety of ways. Walking, for instance, is a simple, low impact exercise perfect to get more active. But, when combined with jogging or running at a slow speed can get the heart beat elevated. This can be thought as a perfect way to build stamina and endurance. However, this alone won’t do any good while preparing for a fight.

Reason being, in a fight you need to go hard at one moment, catch your breath the other and then again go back fighting hard. So, that means the heart rate won’t stay stable constantly, it will go up and down throughout the fight. Therefore, jog for a moment and then sprint as fast as possible, slow down again for 10 seconds to catch your breath and sprint again. This won’t be easy, you might as well want to give up. Instead keep pushing yourself forward. To build endurance there is no easy way, neither are there any alternatives to running only body wipes to wipe that sweat off.

Heavy Bag Training

For long, heavy bag training has instilled a sense of confidence by renewing the individual’s mental and physical strength. It has been a trusted piece of equipment that has provided astonishing results. For that very reason, it rightfully became the symbol of punching power. Though there is more to heavy bag than just power. It can be used to develop punching endurance along with speed, accuracy, and even the footwork.

Running alone only helps to build power, but throwing punches will take on a different tone working out different muscles. After all, this is what you are going to do in the fight, So, always try to keep the hands up and change the pace as you move. Hit the bag, non-stop, to that add some repetitive punches as fast as you can. Focus only on getting as many pieces as possible and breathe properly throughout. Since this exercise, is for endurance, resist throwing punches with power. Do not mix power training with endurance training, since a lot of people end up doing just that.

Sparring And Shark Tank

Sparring with a partner is a frequent training activity used in a fight based sports. It plays an integral role since it showcases the progress of a person. Unlike, fighting it is lighter to try out new things and discover the techniques that will work or not. So, if you are not sparring, you are missing out on the essence while training so hard for the fight. As it provides the chance to actually use what you have learned to mark the progress.

On a little serious note, it may help getting better, but when it comes to increasing the stamina and endurance, shark tank may seem rather appropriate. It’s when you take on one fighter along with  3-4 fighters (a minute each) without taking rest. They stay strong, but you just keep going on for 10 minutes straight, getting fatigued. At the end, even if you are able to fight 8-9 fighters for 8-9 minutes straight, going up against a single fighter won’t be a problem. So, train hard because your opponent might have trained harder.

Endurance, this is one of the most important skills to ensure you succeed no matter what sport it is. Just keep up the spirit and the willingness to achieve the best. Good luck!

Author Bio:

John Torgerson is a fitness coach with a masters degree from the University of Houston. His passion revolves around encouraging others rediscover their lifestyle and inspire them for a healthy living. His keen interest in health can be seen in his writeups that are hugely vocal about use of healthy options to keep oneself healthy on and off the ground. You can read his views on the use of tea tree oil soap, body wipes and sports specific products.