7 Exercises to Boost Your Overall Stamina

In the past few years, there has been an increasing focus on overall health and wellness. This increase in awareness has prompted people to make changes to their lives that will help them be healthier and live longer. Many of these changes involve exercise—especially high-intensity workouts that require large amounts of stamina. However, if you do not currently have high levels of stamina, there are exercises you can do to get closer to your goals without overtaxing your body or risking injury. Here are seven exercises that will boost your overall stamina while helping you reach your fitness goals.

1) Pushups

Pushups are a simple exercise that anyone can do. In addition to increasing muscle tone, these exercises help your arms, chest and shoulders get stronger. To properly execute a pushup, lie on your stomach with your arms extended in front of you. Bend at your elbows so that only your palms and toes touch the ground and slowly raise yourself up until your arms are fully extended. You should feel a good burn in your triceps (the muscles on the back of your upper arm) as well as in other muscles throughout you body. Pushups can be modified by using an elevated surface or resting knees or feet on a surface instead of flat-footed on the floor.

2) Walking

If you’re just getting started with exercising, walking is a simple way to improve your overall stamina. A 30-minute walk can help increase your blood flow, oxygen consumption and energy levels. You’ll also start burning calories and see results from an activity that you can easily fit into your schedule (and not feel like you’re killing yourself). You don’t need much of a plan for walking – just put on some comfortable shoes and get out there! Walking is great for beginners or people who may be trying to recover from an injury or illness. If you find that it's too difficult, try using a treadmill or increasing distance and speed gradually. Do at least 10 minutes of warm-up stretching before engaging in any sort of physical activity if possible.

3) Squats

According to a study conducted by scientists at Laval University in Quebec, women who squatted twice a week for three months increased their aerobic capacity, leg strength and performance on an endurance test. To do squats, stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart (or about 5 inches), hold a barbell across your upper back and lower your body until your thighs are almost parallel with the floor. Then, press yourself back up. Beginners can start by doing just one set of 10 reps per session; as you get stronger and more fit over time, increase it to two sets of 15 reps. After every set, hold on to something sturdy for balance if necessary.

4) Lunges

Lunges can help you boost your overall stamina in a number of ways. If you do lunges with dumbbells, it’ll target your core while also helping you tone and shape. Dumbbell Lunges will also give you some added upper-body strength. Lunges are excellent for boosting stamina in general and if you have them as part of a routine, they’ll definitely help build your stamina!

5) Burpees

The burpee is an extremely effective full-body exercise that works your arms, shoulders, chest, abs and legs. This plyometric exercise involves squatting down quickly while bending forward and reaching for your toes. Then you jump back into a standing position as fast as possible by pushing off with your feet. To do a single burpee, you will start in standing position. Drop down so that your hands touch the floor beneath you and place both hands on either side of one foot. Push yourself back up as quickly as possible. Jump as high in the air as possible with both feet and land softly. Repeat for 20 repetitions.

6) Treadmill Sprints

If you’re looking for a single exercise that can provide a serious boost in overall stamina, look no further than treadmill sprints. These are not for everyone and should be performed with supervision from a coach or personal trainer, but they’re great if you’re looking for an efficient way to build stamina. You can perform these by running on a treadmill as fast as possible for 30 seconds straight, followed by walking for 2 minutes. The key is to keep your heart rate up during rest periods between intervals. This will help you develop muscular endurance and cardio fitness—and it might be just what you need if you want to ramp up your game at school or work!

7) Jumping Rope

It’s time we dispel with a common myth: The jump rope is not an excellent fat-burning tool. It is, however, an excellent conditioning tool that can help increase overall stamina in both mind and body. Why? Because jump roping is considered high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which has been shown to be one of the most effective types of cardio for burning calories and boosting endurance.