How to Raise Your Level of Endurance

Whatever your feelings about Lance Armstrong, you can’t deny that the man is a maniac on the bike. While most of what he’s able to do is just the result of raw talent bestowed on only a few of us, there are lessons you can learn from him in order to work out better and smarter.

Yes, there are obvious things Lance does that push him to the top in terms of performance. He’s motivated, dedicated and eats, lives and breathes cycling. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got other things to do besides hit the gym and training that way isn’t realistic for most of us.

One thing Lance has is serious endurance. You have to have it if you’re going cycling in France in the dead of summer, through both mountainous villages and low-lying cities. To survive all of that, you’ve got to have endurance or you’ll never make it.

It might seem like flawless logic: to be the best, you have to go balls-out with your training, every single day. If that’s what you’re doing, I guarantee that all you’re going to have to show for it is some nasty, chronic injuries and few results. And at worst, you could burn out and lose your interest in exercise altogether.

Recover. You need to give your body a rest. You can still work out every day if you wish, but if you work out hard one day (hard being 85% of your maximum heart rate and breathing so rapidly that speaking is difficult), the next day you should take it slower. Watch your heart rate and keep it around 65% of your maximum. [Here’s a Simple Target Heart Rate Calculator.] If you can’t calculate your heart rate, use physical cues as a guide: if you need to open your mouth to breathe or you’re dripping sweat, you’re going too hard.

Endurance. Endurance refers to how long you can go at a particular activity without getting fatigued. Building your endurance is a snap, but it requires patience. First, I highly recommend getting a heart rate monitor, since it’s the most efficient way to tackle this. Here’s a model that’s going for around $30 right now – totally affordable! Second, try this: for six weeks, stay within 65% of your maximum heart rate. It’s going to get boring. Really boring. You’re going to envy the people at your gym dripping with sweat while you slowly trudge along. (Or is it just me?)

But the payoff will be worth it. You’re going to notice something really weird when you ramp up your workouts again. Suddenly, you’ll be able to go harder and longer, but you won’t be breathing as hard or sweating as much. What’s happening? Everyone has a baseline for endurance, and training this way raises that baseline.

It’s not going to turn you into Lance Armstrong, but who's got time for that, anyway?