Endurance vs Stamina - What's The Difference?
Although the words 'stamina' and 'endurance' are pretty interchangeable, there are some pretty subtle differences between the two.
Keep reading below to learn more about the differences between endurance and stamina and which one you should focus on for your workout goals.
What Is Endurance?
Endurance is the body's physical ability to sustain an exercise for an extended period of time. Endurance is made up of two components, they are muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance.
Muscular endurance is the ability of your muscles to work continuously without getting tired. At the same time, cardiovascular endurance is the ability of your lungs and heart to fuel your body with oxygen.
What Is Stamina?
Stamina is the physical and mental capability to be able to sustain an activity for a prolonged period of time. When you hear people discuss stamina they often use it to refer to the feeling of feeling upbeat and energetic during an activity or workout.
Endurance Vs Stamina
When you hear people discuss stamina, they are usually referring to their ability to perform a specific activity without becoming tired. It can also be described as the opposite of fatigue, or the ability to keep your energy up for a prolonged period of time.
Stamina can mean different things for different people, for example, having good stamina for a basketball player might mean being able to get through an entire football game without losing momentum or having dips in their performance, whereas stamina for an 85-year-old might mean just having enough energy to pick up and play with their grandchildren.
Unlike endurance, stamina in itself, is not a component of physical fitness, rather it is a result of becoming fitter.
There are 5 components that physical fitness can be divided into:
- Flexibility
- Body composition
- Cardiovascular endurance
- Muscular strength
- Muscular endurance
There are two components to endurance, they are cardio endurance and muscular endurance, and both of these components of fitness can be measured impartially. For example, cardio fitness could be measured using a run test, meaning you would complete a certain length run and compare it to the benchmarkers for certain age groups.
There are a variety of tests that can be used to measure muscle endurance, for example, a maximum push-up test for the upper body, and a maximum sit-up test for core endurance.
Workouts To Increase Stamina & Endurance
By performing regular aerobic workouts you can strengthen your heart and lungs while improving your circulation. This can then help you build up your stamina and endurance.
Aerobic workouts refer to exercises that can elevate your heart rate and breathing, such as:
- Dancing
- Swimming
- Basketball
- Running
- Tennis
- Brisk walking
To Sum It Up
If you are prepared to train consistently and progress at regular intervals, you will start to see a noticeable improvement within 2-3 months time.
It is important to note that progress takes time, and by increasing the weight you lift, the distance you move, or the intensity of your workout too fast will lead to an injury or burnout. Instead, try to increase the difficulty of your workouts in smaller steps in order to minimize your risk of injury or burnout.
