Muscle Endurance: How to Measure it and How to Improve it

The first time you start exercising, you won’t know much about your body yet, like genuinely committing to it. It’s highly likely that it will take some drastic changes before you can feel all the ways that your body is improving. And that’s understandable. Often, we don’t notice all the small ways that our body changes when we’re not working it out.

The more you exercise, the more you will learn about your body. Personal fitness is a journey. This is not just because of your research or someone else’s guidance. It’s only natural to become more sensitive to the changes and improvements to your body, no matter how small. One of the elements of your body that you will develop an awareness of is your muscles and their endurance. 

Monitoring your muscle endurance is key to getting stronger and more fit.

That said, here’s what you need to know about muscle endurance:

How to Measure Muscular Endurance

Whether you’re doing this for a sport, competition, or just for yourself, you should start by testing yourself and measuring your muscle endurance. This will allow you to track your progress and understand what works and what doesn’t work for you. 

You should do a push-up test. Push-ups are one of the most basic movements. It works on your upper body strength, increases functional strength, and more. This will test your upper muscular endurance. You can do it one of two ways, as many reps as possible until you fail or by timing yourself and counting how many reps you can complete in a minute.

Based on your age and sex, there is a certain standard that you can either work to achieve or use as a guideline. Everyone has different goals and capabilities. However, it’s important to have a base guideline to help you. You can do all this testing on your own or, better yet, get help from a professional coach or trainer to guide you. 

How to Improve Muscular Endurance

There are many ways to improve your muscle endurance. The first of which is through consistency and gradual weight increase. The last thing you want to do or should be doing is going straight for the heavy weights. That is a quick ticket to failing or, worse, injury. Remember to be patient and take your time perfecting form and nailing down quality.

A good muscle endurance training program should start you off at a light weight but with a high number of reps. This helps your muscles get used to the movement. While it may not help you lift heavy right away, it’s a sure road to get you there. It’s a whole other discipline of completing quality reps with good form and light weight.

No matter what level of personal fitness and strength you’re at, it’s essential to stay mindful of the weight you’re loading and the volume of reps you’re doing. Listen to your body and take ample rest. For the most part, you can give yourself a total of three chances each time you’re attempting a heavy weight. Beyond that, should you fail, know when to rest.

The Bottom Line

Your muscles play a huge role in the quality of your workout and how well you can do it. The first way to recognize the improvement in your body is through the number of quality reps you can perform in a given workout. The ability to sustain repeated contractions against a resistance for an extended period of time is called muscle endurance.

Over time this part of your personal fitness can improve or decline, depending on how you take care of yourself. To understand how you can improve muscle endurance, first, you must know how to measure muscle endurance. Know what you’re working with, where you begin so that you can pay attention to how much you’ve improved.

The Fit Factor PT is an exclusive, results-driven personal training studio. Anyone who wants to achieve their fitness goals through customized training programs will be blown away by the attention to detail and the precision of the program. Our priority is to help you and assist you on your fitness journey. If you want to work on your personal fitness, we can help you! Book a complimentary consultation with us today and get started!

Chad has been my personal trainer for over 10 years.  He is very dedicated and resourceful as a trainer.  I would highly recommend Chad.  He has kept my body healthy through all these years and in my 50s. Chad is also very accommodating to working with your schedule. Wouldn't go anywhere else.

Joan C

I love working out with Chad! I have been working out with him for the past year and a half and have had the best results compared with other trainers. Chad’s dedication to his clients, humor, warmth and expertise are a winning combination. I look forward to our sessions and always leave feeling stronger, more flexible and energetic. I highly recommend Chad.

Brittany chick

I have been working with Chad (the trainer) for almost three years now and have gone through an amazing transformation! He bonds greatly with his clients and is a very qualified trainer. He tailors workouts to individual clients and has helped me perform better as an equestrian and achieve my physique goals. If you are looking for a great one-on-one trainer, I would highly recommend.

Yvonne C.

When I started going to the fit factor I went in thinking I had a pretty good knowledge of weight lifting and exercise without having much to improve. I was so wrong! Chad was incredible and really took the time to explain and show proper technique as well as a variety of different exercises that I had never done before. I now have much more confidence in my form and have a really great and well rounded routine. Additionally, Chad catered to my personal goals and really listened to what I wanted to accomplish. I cannot recommend The fit factor and Chad enough!

Giuseppe Leonelli

I have been weight lifting for over five years but have never had dedicated instruction from a trainer. Chad was able to notice where my form was failing and correct it immediately. He also guided me towards effective exercises so that I could keep achieving my goals and moving up. After a couple of months of working with him I was able to see some great results. Chad knows his stuff!

Jonas Escobedo

Chad has been great with not only the types of specialized workouts each session but also with checking in after the sessions. He has a real passion for seeing people make big health changes; which makes it fun. Would highly recommend!

William Gotschewski

I went to Chad looking to get back in shape and lose weight, which had crept up from working long hours. Chad was super patient and non-judgmental. We started at a level where I would see results but not get so sore or so disappointed at what I could not do it. He focused on what I could do if I pushed myself hard and taught me that step/skill building was an integral part of the process. We also talked about nutrition and self-care. As other reviews have mentioned, he cares about his clients beyond the appointment time, and wants them to make positive change to their lives that will stick. I lost 30+ pounds and I am in the best shape of my life. I have been able to maintain this for 2 years. He taught me how to create a sustainable workout plan. Even during the pandemic I was able to maintain my weight and my fitness level thanks for his frequent check-ins and the solid fitness base we created through his work and fitness mentorship. I highly recommend him!

Tere Ramos

I started with Chad in August 2020, my first semester of college was cancelled and i needed something active to do. At that point I was a small underweight kid looking to gain muscle and gain weight. I went to Chad 3 times a week until late January 2021. Those 5 months were great, I really enjoyed going to chad and it was the highlight of my week and something I would look forward to going to 3 times every week. Throughout this time Chad has perfected my form on workouts and had a great and unique workout for me everytime. I went in weighing 125 pounds at 5’10 and now I weigh 150 pounds after the five months. Not only did Chad give workouts but he also gave me a diet for me to follow so I could maximize my time with him. He really personalizes workouts for each person. Currently i’m in the best shape of my life and am super confident in my body. GO TO FIT-FACTOR!!

Declan Gulley