What Is Stamina?

You’ve likely heard it before: In order to perform your best, no matter your workout of choice, you need stamina.

But, for all the hype, the science behind how to improve stamina can seem elusive or questionable. Here’s what you need to know about stamina, plus exercises to max out your performance potential.

Stamina can be physical or mental, but it’s a term that’s typically used to describe “the ability to sustain prolonged physical activity,” said Tony Gentilcore, C.S.C.S., author of the weight-training programming guide, “Pick Things Up.” He added that stamina can also be described as the “ability to do a task without tiring easily.”

Stamina often goes by another word, though. “In the fitness realm, stamina is often used interchangeably with the term ‘endurance,’” said Hannah Dove, D.P.T., C.S.C.S.

Stamina is “very activity specific,” said Albert Matheny, R.D., C.S.C.S. For example, a long-distance runner may not be the best at doing HIIT workouts, given that each workout uses different forms of power.

(Related: What Is a HIIT Workout, Anyway?)

But stamina is also “task dependent,” Gentilcore said. “The amount of stamina — or work capacity — required to run a marathon is going to be different compared to performing ‘X’ number of squats every minute on the minute for ‘X’ minutes,” he said.

In order to figure out your stamina, Gentilcore recommended identifying the sport where you want to see improvements in stamina and progressing from there. There are a few ways to do this.

Gentilcore offered up an example he uses with his own clients to help them improve stamina overall: He’ll have them perform a farmer’s walk, where they walk holding either 50 to 60 pounds in each hand (for men) or 25 to 35 pounds in each hand (for women). He asks them to walk for as long as they can before their grip falters or they become too tired to continue.

“We record that time,” Gentilcore said. “We then strength train for several weeks, which will include more loaded carries. We reassess — 99 out of 100 times, they will improve their time. Hence, their stamina.”

Even doing a particular bodyweight exercise, like push-ups, until you can’t do them any more can determine your stamina, Matheny said.

If you want to get technical — and you have access to a doctor with the right equipment — you can assess your stamina with something called a VO2 max test, Dove said. This test is considered the “gold standard” for determining endurance and stamina, she said. The person being analyzed will put on a face mask so the health professional can measure the volume and gas concentrations of air they take in and out, according to the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

The athlete will then exercise on a treadmill or bike at an intensity that increases every few minutes, with the goal of having them reach their maximum effort. The outcome of this test, Dove said, is to help figure out what maximum oxygen uptake the body can use while you’re giving your best.

(Related: The 5 Benefits (and Drawbacks) Of Running on a Treadmill, According to Experts)

It’s not uncommon to have high stamina in one thing, like push-ups, and find that you can’t go as long or as intensely in other exercises, like long-distance running, Matheny said.

It all comes down to what, exactly, you’re trying to achieve, Gentilcore said. “Some tasks require more endurance. Some require more power and strength,” he said.

Genetic makeup plays a role, too, he said — someone with more slow-twitch muscle fibers will “likely do very well with endurance-related tasks,” while a person with fast-twitch muscle fibers “will likely do well with fast, explosive-based movements."

Slow-twitch muscles are also known as type I muscle fibers — they are smaller in size and support those who do long-distance events, such as marathon running and long cycling races for example. Fast-twitch muscles are known as type II muscle fibers, which are much larger in size and support powerful movements — like weightlifting and HIIT workouts — as well as bursts of speed (think: sprinting).

But practice and experience plays a role too. “If someone is not accustomed to running longer distances, then they won't do well with them — at first,” Gentilcore said. Instead, you need to train different muscles to perform in the area you want. So, if you want to run longer distances, you need to go for shorter runs, building up your endurance and muscles to be able to handle longer stretches over time.

Experts said there aren’t blanket workouts that will improve your stamina across all types of exercise. “Specificity matters,” Gentilcore said. “If someone wants to get better at running a mile, they need to run more miles. If someone wants to get better at squatting, they need to squat more. Do more of the thing you're trying to improve.”

However, you can generally break exercises into two groups, Dove said: anaerobic and aerobic. Anaerobic exercises are ones that are shorter and more intense, like sprinting, per the National Library of Medicine. Aerobic exercises are slower and more prolonged, like walking or jogging.

If you want to improve your stamina for an aerobic exercise, like running a 5K race, consider increasing your mileage gradually, while also doing other forms of aerobic activity, such as swimming laps, Matheny said. This way you build your aerobic base while reducing the risk of developing an overuse injury.

The same is true for anaerobic exercises — using a vertical climber at a fast speed, for example, could help improve your jump rope stamina. “Training muscles in different ways and different types of stress” can help improve stamina, he said.

If you want to improve your stamina in a particular exercise, Gentilcore recommended simply doing what you can to push yourself more. That can include doing more reps or exercising for longer than usual, slowly increasing your reps or time until you reach your goal. Of course, working with a certified personal trainer, or strength and conditioning coach, would be a great way to identify any limitations from the get-go.

“Another way to do it is to shorten rest periods so you do the same amount of work in a shorter amount of time,” he said.

Keep on pushing yourself to do more (within reason), experts have said, and your stamina will follow.

Words by Korin Miller