Muscular Endurance Exercises: What They Are and How To Do Them

Muscle groups worked: Core muscles, upper body, lower body

Why do it: The plank exercise is one of the best isometric exercises, providing muscle activation throughout your entire body. Gradually increasing the duration is effective for training your muscles to withstand fatigue longer and longer.

How to do it:

1. Start on all fours on the floor.
2. Step both feet back, entering the high plank position.
3. Drop to your forearms, keeping your core tight, back flat, and neck neutral.
4. Hold for the desired duration.

RELATED: 13 Plank Exercises and Variations

Muscle groups worked: Glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, adductors, hip flexors

Why do it: “Heavy loaded squats are incredible for building lower-body strength and explosive power,” says Caine Wilkes, OLY, USAW-L1, “but setting the barbell aside in exchange for bodyweight squats will work wonders for your slow-twitch muscle fibers, especially when using higher rep schemes.”

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your chest tall, and your eyes forward.
2. Push your hips back and bend your knees as though you’re about to sit in a chair.
3. Continue until your thighs are nearly parallel with the floor.
4. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.

RELATED: What Muscles Do Squats Work?

Muscle groups worked: Glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves

Why do it: Lunges are a comparable (arguably better) bodyweight exercise for building endurance in your lower body. You’ll target all of the major muscle groups in your legs while conditioning the body to handle more and more physical activity over time.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Take a big step forward with one leg.
3. Lean into your front leg, bending your knee to form a 90-degree angle. Allow your back knee to bend simultaneously, also forming a 90-degree angle as it lightly taps the floor.
4. Drive through the front heel and step back to the starting position.
5. Repeat the movement with your other leg.
6. Alternate sides for each repetition until the set is complete.

RELATED: Lunges Exercise

Muscle groups worked: Upper body, lower body, core

Why do it: The farmer’s walk replicates the daily tasks of carrying heavy loads throughout the farmstead, helping you build muscular strength, size, and (of course) endurance.

How to do it:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells and place them down on either side of your body.
2. Reach down, grip the handles, and deadlift the weights to your sides as though holding a suitcase in each hand. Keep your chest tall, shoulders down and back, and core tight.
3. Begin to walk by taking small steps in a straight line.
4. Walk for the desired distance or duration, then rest.

RELATED: Farmer’s Carry

Muscle groups worked: Chest, delts, triceps, biceps, traps, lats, core

Why do it: “Bodyweight exercises done in higher quantities help condition the body to withstand fatigue for greater periods of time as you progress,” explains Caine. “Push-ups are no exception. Performing a high number of reps of push-ups helps build upper-body muscle endurance.”

How to do it:

1. Place your hands on the floor with your wrists stacked directly beneath your shoulders.
2. Step both feet back so that your body forms a straight line from your head to heels.
3. Lower your body towards the floor by bending your elbows.
4. Continue until your chest lightly taps the floor, then pause.
5. Push your body back to the starting position.

RELATED: What Muscles Do Push-Ups Work? 

Muscle groups worked: Biceps, forearms

Why do it: Biceps curls are versatile as they can be performed with a barbell, dumbbells, cable attachment, or resistance band. They also help improve pulling power, which will let you perform tasks that involve pulling for greater periods of time as you progress.

How to do it:

1. For a barbell biceps curl, load a barbell to the desired weight.
2. Grip the bar with an underhand grip and hold it in front of the body.
3. Curl the bar toward your shoulders while keeping your elbows stationary.
4. Squeeze your biceps at the peak position.
5. Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.

RELATED: Best Biceps Workout

Muscle groups worked: Glutes, hamstrings, quads, lats, traps, calves, erector spinae, core

Why do it: The deadlift develops strength and power throughout the entire body, but studies show² there is ample muscle activation in the spinal erectors of the lower back. So, a strength training program using deadlifts helps contribute to posture and muscle endurance against the effects of fatigue and gravity.

How to do it:

1. Load a barbell to the desired weight and place it at your feet.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, back straight, core braced, and chest tall.
3. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and bring your torso forward so you can reach down and grip the bar using a double overhand or mixed grip.
4. Drive through your heels and extend your knees to stand while gripping the bar.
5. Continue until your hips are at full extension.
6. Squeeze your glutes and back muscles at the top of the movement.
7. Slowly return the bar to the floor by reversing the movement.
8. Reset and repeat for reps.

RELATED: 13 Deadlift Benefits

Muscle groups worked: Hamstrings, glutes, hips, quads, lats, delts, biceps, triceps, forearms, core

Why do it: Kettlebell swings target muscles throughout your entire body, and according to the International Journal of Exercise Science³, kettlebell swings produce a greater aerobic response compared to standard resistance training, meaning you’ll improve both your muscular and cardiovascular endurance.

How to do it:

1. Grab a kettlebell by its handle and hold it with both hands in front of your body.
2. Bend your knees, lean forward, and swing the kettlebell upward by thrusting your hips.
3. For Russian kettlebell swings, swing the kettlebell to around chest height. For the American version, swing it fully overhead.
4. The kettlebell will float in the peak position before swinging back down. Guide it as it swings back down so that it arcs through your legs and behind you.
5. Thrust your hips forward again to cycle into the next rep.
6. Repeat as needed.

Muscle groups worked: Chest, shoulders, triceps

Why do it: “Just as biceps curls help you improve your muscular endurance during pulling movements, the bench press can help you build pushing and pressing strength. So, you won’t fatigue as easily when pushing heavy objects around in sports or everyday life,” says Caine.

How to do it:

1. Rack a barbell and load it to the desired weight.
2. Place a flat weight bench beneath the bar and lie down.
3. Reach up and grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width.
4. Take a deep breath, then exhale as you unrack the bar and position it directly over your chest. Keep your upper back pinned to the bench, core tight, and feet flat on the floor.
5. Bend your elbows, keeping them tucked into your torso, to lower the bar.
6. Continue until the bar lightly touches the top of your chest.
7. Pause, then press the bar back to the starting position.
8. Squeeze your pecs at the top, reset, and cycle into the next rep.

RELATED: What Muscles Does the Bench Press Work?

Muscle groups worked: Delts, triceps, traps, chest

Why do it: Most of us aren’t reaching overhead often in everyday life, which means you may not develop endurance with overhead movements unless you’re weight training. The shoulder press strengthens this motion so you won’t tire as quickly while dusting high shelves, mounting art or pictures to a wall, or even changing a few light bulbs. There are many shoulder press variations, but we’re recommending the dumbbell shoulder press because of its ability to help build unilateral strength and balance

How to do it:

1. From a standing or seated position, select a pair of dumbbells and hold them at roughly shoulder height with your elbows fully flexed, back straight, chest tall, and core tight.
2. Press the dumbbells overhead until your elbows are fully extended.
3. Squeeze, then slowly return to the starting position.
4. Repeat for reps.

Muscle groups worked: Calves

Why do it: Several leg exercises hit the calves, but only the calf raise isolates this underrated muscle group. You can also get an effective workout using just your body weight. Randomized controlled trials⁴ show that the calf raise exercise may improve walking performance by strengthening the muscle, so you’ll fatigue less from simply walking around if you’re performing calf raises regularly.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Push into the floor with the balls of your feet to lift your heels.
3. Squeeze your calves, then slowly return to the starting position.
4. Repeat as needed.

RELATED: Calf Exercises