6 Best Muscular Endurance Exercises for Beginners

Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to exert force consistently and repeatedly over a period of time. This trait, also known as stamina, is essential for sports and athletes.

However, it's not just athletes who benefit from increased muscular endurance. Climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or performing any type of physical labor necessitates prolonged muscular performance.

If that isn't motivating enough for you, get this: the ability to maintain muscle strength in functional or athletic activities over time is essential for enjoying life and leisure. If you lack muscular endurance, you might not be able to enjoy a day of skiing or cycling with your family, for instance.

Muscular Endurance Exercises for Beginners

Here's a look at six workouts:

1) Plank

This is perhaps one of the best exercises out there if you are looking to improve your muscular endurance. This exercise strengthens all major body muscles, from the arms to the core and legs, with a particular emphasis on your core.

Here's how to do this exercise:

Begin in a four-point kneeling position, with your forearms on the ground.
Maintaining a neutral spine, step back one leg at a time till your head and heels form a straight line.
Engage your abdominal muscles to provide support for your lower back, and imagine lifting your chest away from your elbows without curving your back.
Hold for as long as you can (aim for intervals between 30 and 45 seconds), and release to complete one repetition.

2) Squat

The squat, one of the purest tests of strength, engages nearly every muscle in your legs and core.

The squat activates the glutes, quads, and core muscles. You can move on to more advanced variations by adding weight, holding dumbbells or a bar in front of your shoulders (front squat), resting a barbell on your back (back squat), or holding a weight in front of your chest (goblet squat) once you have mastered the bodyweight version.

Here's how to do this exercise:

Position your feet slightly wider than the breadth of your hips.
Lower your hips into a squat while bending your knees and maintaining a flat back.
Continue until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
To return to the beginning, press the floor with your heels. That is one repetition.
Keep your heels flat and your knees in line with your second toe to prevent them from caving in.

3) Glute Bridge

Glute bridges target the glutes, one of the major muscles in the lower body. In addition, they contribute to the development of leg strength and core stability.

Here's how to do this exercise:

Lay down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat and hip-width apart on the floor. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, place the weights directly beneath the hip bones. This represents the initial position.
Squeeze your glutes and abs, and press through your heels to elevate your hips a few inches off the ground till your shoulders and knees form a straight line.
Return to the starting position by carefully lowering the hips after a brief pause to complete one repetition.

4) Burpee

Burpees are a fabulous calorie-burning, vigorous cardio exercise. It increases circulation, and reduces blood pressure, cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Burpees strengthen the heart and increase endurance.

Here's how to do this exercise:

Start off from a squat. Lower your hands to the floor in front of you, and kick your feet back to achieve a push-up position on your hands and toes.
Perform a push-up and a frog kick by hopping your feet back to the starting position.
Quickly launch yourself into the air jumping as high as you can, and return to the starting position to complete one rep.
Perform three sets of 10-15 reps each.

5) Walking Lunge

Lunges work out all the major lower body muscle groups, including the thighs, glutes, and hips. Walking lunges are excellent for enhancing muscular endurance, as they give you a better burn than static lunges.

Here's how to do this exercise:

While standing, maintain an upright, shoulder-width stance.
Take a large step forward with your right leg and squat till your back knee either touches the ground or comes close to it.
Push down with your leading foot, and stand up. Repeat the same action with your left leg.
Perform two or four sets of 30 lunges (15 on each leg, per set).

6) Jumping Jack

This activity has numerous benefits, including enhancing bone health, cardiovascular endurance, fat burning, stress reduction, and muscle strengthening.

It's a strenuous cardiovascular workout that will help you increase stamina and endurance. Simply increasing the number of repetitions will enhance its effectiveness.

Here's how to do this exercise:

Bend your knees slightly and leap into the air.
Spread your knees about shoulder-width apart, and raise your arms above your head as you jump back to the starting position.
Perform the maximum number of repetitions feasible.

Include these exercises in your workout routine, and perform them regularly to increase your stamina.