Medically reviewed by Gregory Minnis, DPT, Physical Therapy — Written by Emily Cronkleton on October 31, 2019
Muscular strength relates to your ability to move and lift objects. It’s measured by how much force you can exert and how much weight you can lift for a short period of time.
Examples of exercises that develop muscular strength and power include resistance training, such as weightlifting, bodyweight exercises, and resistance band exercises. Running, cycling, and climbing hills are also options.
Read on to learn more about the difference between muscular strength and muscular endurance, as well as muscular strength benefits, cautions, and exercises.
While muscular strength and muscular endurance are similar in some ways, they have some key differences. Muscular strength is determined by how much force you can exert or how much weight you can lift. Building muscular strength uses heavier weights for fewer repetitions.
Muscular endurance refers to the ability of a muscle to sustain repeated contractions against resistance for an extended period of time.
Activities that build muscular endurance include long-distance running, cycling, or swimming, along with circuit training and bodyweight exercises. You can improve muscular strength and endurance by doing repetitive movements until the point of exhaustion.
Muscular strength enhances overall health and boosts athletic activity.
- A strong body allows you to perform movements and activities that require power without getting tired.
- Muscular strength helps you maintain a healthy body weight by burning calories and enhancing your body composition, which is the ratio between fat and muscle.
- Building strength may also boost mood and energy levels while promoting healthy sleep patterns. This may boost confidence, provide a sense of accomplishment, and allow you to add more difficult or strenuous activities to your fitness routine.
- Developing muscular strengths helps to build strong, healthier muscles and bones. This helps to develop good posture and relieve back pain.
- You’ll have more stability, balance, and flexibility, making injuries and falls less likely.
To build muscular strength, size, and power, do exercises and activities that make you work your muscles harder than normal.
Since you’re focusing on getting stronger, you may want to try to intensify the exercises by using heavier weights and increasing your body resistance, even if it means that you do fewer repetitions.
Do these exercises at least two times per week. If you don’t have time for a longer session, squeeze in a few sets throughout your day.
Watch this video for a demonstration of some of the following exercises.
Squats
Sit into a chair as you squat to make this exercise easier. To increase the intensity, hold dumbbells or a bar at chest level.
Biceps curl
For this exercise, you’ll need dumbbells or a barbell.
Modified pushup
Once you’ve mastered the form of this exercise, try doing standard pushups with your knees raised and your feet extended behind you.
Forearm plank
This plank variation is a good option if you have concerns with your wrists.
Abdominal crunch
This exercise targets your back and core to promote stability and good posture.
Jumping jacks
This cardio exercise will help to get your heart rate going and your blood pumping while also building strength in your lower body.
Use caution when starting a strengthening exercise program if you’re new to exercise or have any injuries or medical concerns. Here are a few tips to help you avoid injury:
- Start slowly and gradually build up the intensity and duration of your workouts over a few weeks.
- Listen to your body and stop if you need a break or start to feel any pain.
- Allow for 1 day of recovery between working different muscle groups.
- Always use proper form and technique to make sure you’re getting the most benefits from your workouts.
- Use steady, controlled movements, especially if you’re doing heavy lifting.
- Give yourself time to rest in between sets.
- Use caution when working out any area of your body that’s prone to pain or injury. This may include your neck, shoulders, and back and joints, such as your wrists, knees, and ankles.
- Avoid being short of breath or holding your breath, which can cause your blood pressure to rise. For each movement, exhale as you lift and inhale as you lower.
If it’s an option, talk to a personal trainer to set up an exercise program if you’re new to fitness or simply want an expert opinion. Your trainer will help you build and maintain the motivation that it takes to stick to your exercise routine and get the results you want.
Working with a professional ensures that you’re doing the exercises correctly and efficiently. They’ll help you stay on track, make sure you’re using proper technique, and advance the exercises when you improve.
If it’s not possible to work with a professional, find a training partner. You can help each other stay motivated and make sure you’re both using proper technique.
Challenging your muscles to work harder than usual on a regular basic can help you build muscular strength.
To stay on target and meet your fitness goals, it’s essential that you develop a routine that you enjoy. Change it up as often as you like to prevent yourself from getting bored and to target different muscle groups.
Along with weight and resistance exercises, amp up your usual activities, such as climbing stairs or carrying heavy bags, to build muscular strength and endurance.
Make a point to incorporate more of these everyday tasks into your daily routine so you can enjoy the benefits of a strong body.
Last medically reviewed on October 31, 2019
Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to repeatedly exert force.
Image Credit: anilakkus/iStock/GettyImages
Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to repeatedly exert force against resistance. Performing multiple repetitions of an exercise is a form of muscular endurance, as are running and swimming.
If your muscles have to contract in a similar pattern more than one time, you are using muscular endurance. Many factors contribute to muscular endurance, including genetics. If you're not genetically predisposed to muscular endurance, though, you can train to improve it.
Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to exert force against resistance over time.
Your muscles are made up of different types of muscle fibers. The two main types are fast-twitch and slow-twitch, according to ACE Fitness. Slow-twitch fibers play the greatest role in muscular endurance. They do not generate much force, but they are far more resistant to fatigue than fast-twitch muscles. Fast twitch muscles go to work when the force is too great to handle for the slow-twitch muscles. They activate to perform short-duration powerful movements.
Exercise statistics show people are naturally slow- or fast-twitch dominant. If you're slow-twitch dominant, you're likely better at endurance sports. If you're fast-twitch dominant, you're probably better at Olympic weightlifting or football. Genetics aside, you can tweak your training program to increase your proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers.
It used to be thought that endurance athletes should stay out of the gym to prevent putting on bulk. Endurance runners just ran more in the hopes of improving performance. We know now that strength training is important for muscular endurance.
The stronger a muscle is, the easier it is to complete a given task, says Harvard Health — for example, propelling a runner forward. The less work the muscle has to do, the more energy it has to go the distance. Strong, efficient muscles also don't require as much blood and oxygen, so they put less strain on the heart, which results in greater endurance.
Any training program should be periodized, meaning it has different phases. Because you need strength for endurance, you should include a strength phase in your program. For building strength, use a heavier weight for lower reps — six maximum — and lift at a higher intensity. Take longer rest breaks of two to four minutes between sets to allow for muscle recovery.
To train your slow-twitch muscles, lift lighter weight for a higher number of reps — eight or more. Also use a slower tempo, such as two seconds up, two seconds down. Take shorter rest breaks of 30 seconds or less in between sets to accustom your muscles to work in a state of fatigue.
Endurance-Optimizing Diet
The fibers in your muscles that fatigue can fail because of a lack of energy. Glycogen, or sugar, is required for both peak and sustained muscular effort. A diet low in carbohydrates can make it difficult to sustain muscular endurance.
If your goal is optimal muscular endurance, you need to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and complex carbs from whole grains, says the Academy of Nutrition and Diet. You also need lean protein and healthy fats. Additional carbohydrates and protein following a workout can help you recover faster and promote muscular endurance.
Proper hydration is also key to optimal muscular endurance. Make sure you are drinking enough water based on your body size, activity level, sweat output and the climate where you live.