Endurance versus Stamina - is there a difference for runners?
Novel runners often interchangeably use the words “stamina and endurance” when referring to the amount of time they are able to run without stopping. For example, you might hear a friend say “my stamina has improved because I can now run 5 kms and before I could only run 4 kms.” In this context, your friend is actually referring to an improvement in their endurance not stamina. Below we explain the difference between endurance and stamina and how to incorporate both in to your training at Chisel N Stride.
Cardiovascular Endurance
Cardiovascular endurance is the amount of time a muscle can perform a certain action with repitition over a period of time which in turns depends on the body's ability to deliver oxygen to muscles. By improving your endurance, you are improving how well your heart, lungs, and muscles work together to keep your body active over an extended period. Cardiovascular endurance is not only important for workout purposes but also to improve your day to day life. As you improve your endurance, you will find you get feel less fatigued doing your day to day tasks. In the context of running, here are 3 ways to improve your endurance:
Keep your running speed consistent but focus on increasing your distance covered each week;
Focus on increasing your running frequency per week;
Complement your running with other sports such as swimming or cycling for an equal duration of time.
Stamina
Stamina is the amount of time a muscle group can perform at or near maximum capacity. In the context of running, think of sprinting 100 meters at your maximum possible speed. Having good stamina is important if you play sports such as basketball, tennis, football, swimming or cricket where you require short bursts of energy to perform. Here are a couple of tips to improve your stamina when it comes to running:
include interval training - e.g. focus on frequent short distance or time based sprints in your workout; and
do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) which focuses on plyometric movements for short bursts of time.
To be an effective runner, combine both endurance and stamina training
Endurance and stamina training go hand in hand if you want to become an effective runner. Take for example running a 5 kilometer race. To complete your race, you will initially focus on endurance training by enduring you are able to run 5 kms. Once you can do this, you want to focus on completing the 5 kms in a particular time. At this point, you will rely more on stamina to ensure that towards the end of the race, you rely on your stamina to go as fast as you can over the last two hundred meters to the finish line. Accordingly, we recommend combining endurance and stamina training on a weekly basis if you want to improve your running time for a for long distances.
Below we outline the Stride Zone classes which focus on either or both modes of training
Chisel N Hike - endurance
Chisel N Hike & Stride / Chisel N Stride - endurance and stamina
Endurance 45 - endurance
Shred 45 - stamina