Wondering when your cardio class won’t leave you QUITE so breathless? Improving your stamina is key to ensuring you get the most out of your workout session. So we asked Lee Mullins, founder of Workshop Gymnasium and elite trainer for Nike, for his top tips on how we can push ours to the max …
Grazia Daily: What exactly is ‘stamina’ in sports terminology?
Lee Mullins: “Stamina is the ability to sustain prolonged periods of physical effort.”
GD: Is it a quantifiable thing or a bit of an old wives tale?
LM: “Stamina is quantifiable. The method to quantify an individual’s stamina is dependent on whether you are assessing muscular stamina or cardiovascular stamina. The two tests which give an insight into an individual’s stamina are the Lactate Threshold Test (muscular) VO2 Max test (cardiovascular) - both of which we offer clients at Workshop.”
**GD: How can having a good/strong stamina help us both inside and outside of the gym? **
LM: “Having a good level of physical stamina will help benefit you outside the gym in a number of ways, including finding day-to-day activities and chores much. Whilst having a good level of physical stamina will improve your workout in a number of ways, such as being able to perform cardiovascular activity (boxing, spinning, running etc) for longer, and being able to perform period any resistance based exercise such as squats, dips and push ups for more time. Having a good level of stamina will also decrease the time it takes for your body to recover from a workout.”
**GD: Is our stamina linked to any other health functions? **
LM: “Absolutely. A good stamina is linked to a lower resting heart rate, improves lung function and allows the body the take in oxygen for longer before producing lactic acid which can lead to muscle aches.”
**GD: What are your top three tips to improving stamina?
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LM:
GD: Do long periods of inactivity weaken our stamina?
LM: “As with any physical attribute, if you don't use it, you lose it. If you don't train your cardiovascular system, your stamina levels will slowly decrease over time.”
GD: Do certain sports/activities increase our stamina more so than others?
LM: “For developing stamina, it's not so much about the type of sport or activity that you choose to develop it with, but the intensity you perform that activity at. There is a lot of research supporting that if you perform high intensity interval training, you can increase and develop your stamina. The type of activity you choose is completely up to the individual, and is better if you choose an activity you enjoy as you will be more likely to stick to it consistently.”
GD: Other than a poor stamina, what slows us down when we exercise?
LM: “Poor movement quality will slow you down when exercising, for example, if your hips aren't very mobile or your ankles lack flexibility, this will make it harder to move freely and faster. Other factors that will slow you down when exercising include not getting enough sleep and eating inflammatory foods such as processed sugar and wheat, which can negatively impact your energy levels.”
GD: How can we avoid these pitfalls?
LM: “Spend 5-10 minutes at the beginning of a workout going through mobility exercises that target your ankles, hips and shoulders. This can include using a foam roller or performing dynamic stretches for each of the areas. Aim to get 7-9 hours of good quality sleep a night. Not drinking caffeine after 2pm and sleeping in a room that’s as dark as possible will help achieve this.”
GD: What’s better for the stamina – HIIT or longer workouts?
LM: “Lots of research has shown HIIT to be the most effective for increasing stamina and time to fatigue, but as a part of a training program, I would include both types as they both provide different benefits. But if you had to choose one, I would opt for HIIT.”
**GD: What role does recovery (stretching, sleeping) play in boosting our stamina? **
LM: “Recovery is essential for developing your stamina levels, and is more often than not an individual’s limiting factor for continuously developing better stamina levels. Recovery includes getting enough quality sleep, stretching, improving soft tissue quality with foam rolling and eating a diet rich in good quality protein and clean, fresh whole foods.”
GD: Do hormones affect our stamina?
LM: “If you're sleeping well, eating clean and exercising frequently, your hormone system will self-regulate and keep your hormones in balance, but if you're not sleeping well, eating highly processed foods and overtraining, your hormones can become unbalanced which will impact your body’s ability to perform well and recover, and your stamina levels will suffer.”