Mastering Endurance Training: A Comprehensive Guide for Women
Endurance training is a crucial part of any workout regimen, and might become the center of yours if you’re training for an endurance event.
Whether you practice cardio-centered sports like running and swimming or muscular endurance-based exercises like maintaining a squat or plank for a good long while, regular endurance training offers an array of health benefits (both mental and physical, particularly for women).
If you’re interested in starting—or progressing to the next stage of—your endurance training journey, we’re right here with you. This guide contains everything you need to know, from incorporating endurance into your regular workout routine to training for a major sporting event.
So, What Is Endurance Exercise, Anyway?
Endurance training is one of the four major types of exercise (along with strength, balance, and flexibility). Also called aerobic exercise, endurance workouts can be anything that increases your breathing and heart rate (generally “cardio”-based activities).
The American Heart Association generally recommends that all adults complete two and a half hours of endurance training per week. It might be helpful to think of this as 30 minutes, five days a week—whether that’s a spin class, an arm-day circuit, or a walk with your dog.
Not only will endurance training naturally lift your mood and keep your muscles in shape, but it can also increase your levels of good cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, improve circulation, and prevent osteoporosis.
If you’re an athlete by trade or hobby (or simply passionate about fitness), you might want to pack in even more endurance training each week, or even start training for an intense endurance event like a marathon or triathlon.
In recent years, female athletes have shown up for endurance events in droves. At least 32 mothers participated in this year’s Olympic Trials Marathon, and there’s been a 50.2% increase in female participation in the New York and Chicago Marathons over the past decade. If you’re up for your next challenge, just know you’re not alone—and we’ll be cheering you on as you prep for this seriously impressive feat.
The Importance of Cross-Training
The other three types of exercise (strength, balance, and flexibility) are equally important, but it can be hard to carve out dedicated time to focus on each pillar. For a more well-rounded routine, many workouts combine types of training (like HIIT workouts that combine strength and endurance, or yoga, which combines balance, strength, and flexibility).
It’s important to cross-train with other types of exercise, even when preparing for an endurance event.
Benefits of Endurance Training for Women
When you incorporate endurance training into your daily routine, you’ll notice both physical and mental health benefits. By decreasing your blood pressure and resting heart rate, you’re ensuring your heart won’t have to work as hard to perform similar activities in the future.
But an often unsung benefit of cardio is that your brain won’t have to work as hard either. Cardio decreases your chance of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and even stroke, and improves your general memory and thinking ability.
Plus, studies show that endurance exercise helps combat anxiety, depression, and even low self-esteem, decreasing the tendency to withdraw socially.
Endurance training is beneficial for women in particular, as it helps alleviate health struggles for which women are particularly at risk. This includes:
- Preventing bone density loss (80% of Americans with osteoporosis are women)
- Replacing serotonin lost leading up to a menstrual cycle (or during menopause)
- Aiding with weight loss for women in particular, even postpartum or during menopause
- Improving sleep (women typically need 11 more minutes of sleep per night than men, but are more likely to experience insomnia)
These benefits are all the more reason to incorporate endurance training into your routine, or set a goal to compete in an upcoming endurance event.
Designing Your Endurance Workout: Essential Tips
Great endurance workouts incorporate both cardiovascular and muscular endurance and are balanced with other types of workouts across your week. It’s important to incorporate rest/active recovery days, as well as days set aside for cross-training.
When training for a marathon, experts recommend starting with six to twelve weeks of base training, beginning with one-mile runs and building up to five or six miles max before starting to incorporate longer runs.
Even once you enter the next stage of training, keep most of your runs and workouts at an easy, conversational pace in order to prevent injury (and allow your body to adapt to producing more energy, a process that occurs during low-intensity training).
A well-balanced weekly split for runners would include:
- Two “aerobic” runs (a faster run, a longer run, or hill sprints)
- Two easy runs
- Two days of cross-training
- One rest day
When possible, incorporate muscular endurance exercises into your workouts, whether that’s a quick circuit at the end of a run or a full bodyweight strength session.
Strength and Endurance: Balancing Your Exercise Routine
Only 30.2% of Americans hit their recommended weekly quota of two strength training sessions. But the benefits of doing so are worth considering—like decreased risk of falls and fractures as you age, decreased stress, stronger bones, and blood sugar control.
Strength training is what will fundamentally change your body composition to favor a more muscular physique. It also helps increase joint stability, which is necessary on long runs, not to mention beneficial in everyday life.
The aforementioned muscular endurance exercises can be incorporated into any strength routine, with or without weights.
You might choose to focus on exhausting one muscle group at a time (leg day, back and arms day, and so on) or simply opt for holistic full-body training.
It’s been proven effective to focus on progressive overload—adding more weight or reps (or both) when you can pretty easily manage your usual exercises.
Mental Strategies for Endurance Training Success
Training for endurance is both mental and physical. Half the battle on race day is maintaining that unwavering confidence that you can do it.
Studies show that mental toughness, and the thoughts filling your head as you work out, significantly affect performance.
The best way to build mental toughness is through self-regulation. You can self-regulate by simply challenging yourself to prove your own ability during training, by opting for a longer route or a steeper hill.
Recovery Techniques for Endurance Athletes
Endurance workouts can be intense, so it’s crucial to balance your routine with at least one day of rest each week.
A rest day can be truly that—laying on the couch, perhaps with a few minutes of stretching or foam rolling sprinkled in. But if you prefer (and have the energy for) an active recovery day, an easy walk or yoga session can give you that endorphin boost while still allowing your muscles to recover.
Any type of intense exercise creates micro-tears in your muscle fibers, and taking time off allows those tears to repair, decreasing soreness and reducing your chance of injury.
Your muscles need at least 24-48 hours to bounce back, so while experienced runners might find one rest day is more than enough, it might be wise to start with two or three until you’ve built up your endurance and recovery speed.
Endurance Training Programs: Tailoring to Your Needs
Endurance exercises are rarely one size fits all. In the course of your training, you might need to modify certain exercises to fit your needs.
For instance, if you haven’t yet reached your desired fitness level (or are pregnant, postpartum, or facing a physical obstacle or injury), try to intersperse walking with running. You can start with walking for double the amount of time you run, then slowly decrease to equal amounts of time, then half, and so on.
You can also modify muscular endurance exercises. For instance, try doing push-ups on your knees until you feel comfortable doing one on your toes, or try lower-impact versions of high-intensity exercises, such as bodyweight squats instead of jump squats. Alternates are not “less than”! They are there to help you safely progress and avoid burn out.
With the Moves App, customizing your workout comes easily. It takes the guesswork out of modifying your workouts by providing alternatives for each exercise. No dumbbells at home? No problem–there’s an exercise alternate built into the workout for you. Is your gym missing a piece of equipment needed for today’s Moves session? The app will supply an equally challenging alternative using what’s available to you.
Endurance Training at Your Fingertips
Ready to start your endurance training journey? Preparing for an endurance event doesn’t have to be complicated—the Moves app can be your roadmap. When you subscribe, you’ll have access to a variety of specialized programs (some tailor-made for pregnancy and postpartum training) and can instantly plug into our Moves community.
When it comes to endurance-specific workouts, the Endurance Moves program will be right up your alley. Each workout in this 16-week program ranges from 15 to 45 minutes long, the perfect amount of time to complement your busy schedule and allotted workout time for the day.
In addition, all 64 exercises in the program allow you to improve your cross-training abilities while still maintaining a focus on endurance, with workouts targeting various muscle groups and offered in a variety of formats, including:
- Lower body
- Upper body + core
- Full body
- Mobility
- Self-prescribed cardio
With insight from a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Strength and Condition Specialist, Endurance Moves was carefully designed to combine all four essential workout pillars: strength, mobility, balance, and agility. Plus, it’s made to complement your personal cardio routine, whether you’re prepping for a marathon or can’t go without your cycling sessions.
Community and Support: Training with Others
Endurance athletes might often compete in individual sports, but that doesn’t mean they’re not team players. Joining a local run club or training group can help you find like-minded individuals who can share in your endurance journey.
Working out in a group doesn’t just feel more fun—it’s scientifically proven. One study found that runners in groups spend 78% more time running. Joining a local community as you train for your sport of choice helps combine your workout with social time, and takes away your excuse to opt for the treadmill as opposed to running out in the fresh air and sunshine.
It’s easier than ever to find local community in our digital world. Many run clubs have exploded on TikTok, and plenty host Facebook and Instagram pages. Google a list of clubs in your city, look for flyers in your gym or apartment building, or if all else fails, start a group with a few like-minded friends.
Plus, exercising with others adds a level of friendly competition, and can help build mental toughness as you face challenges together and cheer each other on.
If you’re looking to connect virtually, you’ll have a built-in group right here. The Moves community includes 34,000+ like-minded members here to cheer you on through each workout, and share in your success stories through our exclusive Facebook group.
Ready, Set, Get Started with MOVES
Whether you’re new to endurance training or looking for ways to add a layer of challenging exercises to your current routine, training for endurance has the potential to take your physical and mental resilience to the next level. And with the Moves app in your pocket, you’ll have all the tools for success in your endurance training journey—and beyond!
Our founder and head trainer Madeline says the customizable, mobility-based warm-ups and cool-downs are her favorite part, adding: “You’re never going to be tempted to skip these key components because they’re programmed for you with no thought required, just go—safely!”
According to participants, the mental health benefits shine through as well. One avid Moves user says, “I just ran my first ever half marathon and used the Endurance Moves program during my training. It was super easy to fit lifting and cardio into my workout routine and helped keep my body strong for the race. I’ve also done the weekly moves and beginner moves programs. Love this app!”
If you’re ready to join thousands of women with a passion for endurance training and break a few records of your own, this is your sign. When you start training today, your first week is free. The Moves community will be cheering you on from the sidelines (and running with you too).
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