Fitness: Stamina

What is Stamina?
As you may know from the previous post, Stamina (also known as cardio respiratory endurance, aerobic capacity and Cardiovascular Fitness) is the ability to work for long periods of time without getting tired. It can be both Muscular Stamina or Cardiovascular Stamina).

The working muscles in the body need constant energy & waste removal. The efficiency of the heart, lungs & blood vessels when doing this affects our levels of stamina.

This is scientifically known as VO2 Max. The amount of oxygen that can be transported to and used by the working muscles during exercise.

If you have high VO2 Max. You can use more oxygen than others which means you have greater stamina, can work for longer & don’t suffer from fatigue as much as others.

Stamina and Sport

Stamina is essential in sports that last longer than a few seconds.  The longer you can work without getting tired the better your performance will be in sports such as swimming running cycling or rowing.