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Muscular endurance is very important for people playing sports and who have to sustain an activity
for long periods of time. Muscular endurance is determined by how well your slow twitch muscle fibers are developed. In case
your wondering what slow twitch muscle fibers are, I will explain. There are generally two types of muscle fibers in your
body, slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch muscle fibers cannot exert as much force as fast twitch, but can sustain an
effort over a much greater period of time. Fast twitch muscle fibers can exert a great amount of force but for a very limited
amount of time. Therefore, slow twitch equals endurance, while fast twitch equals strength.
It is important to pay attention to muscular endurance if you play any sort of sports, or are involved
in any sort of physical activity thats lasts for quite a while. For example, such sports as hockey, football, tennis, etc.
Another acitivity that is very dependant on muscular endurance is cross country running, in fact it is probably the best
example of muscular endurance, as it involves very little muscular strength or flexibilty.
If you are looking to improve muscular endurance, the best way would be to involve yourself in just
about any cardivascular activity, such as running, biking, and playing sports. Even walking will help you stay healthy
and condition your leg muscles, to a point. If you are looking to improve the endurance of your upper body, bodyweight
exercises such as chin-ups, push-ups, triceps dips, etc., will improve this, and your strength as well.
Suggested Beginner's Muscular Endurance Program
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Treadmill 15-20min-light jog to run
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Rowing Machine 15-20min-quick pace
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Pushups-3 sets of max # of reps
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Cardio Bike 15-20min- medium to fast pace
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Chin-ups 3 sets of max # of reps
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Step Machine 15-20min- quick pace
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Treadmill 15-20min- light jog to run
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Skipping Rope 10-15min- fast pace
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Tricep Dips 3 sets of max # of reps
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***This program is meant to be spread out over a period of a week. It is also to be noted that this same program can
be used as a aerobic program to improve cardiovascular endurance and performance.
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