Your genetic make-up has a big influence on your stamina.

There are two types of muscle fibres, Type II fibres are known as slow twitch fibres.

They cannot work as quickly as the Type I fast twitch fibres, but they can work for a much longer time.

That means that slow twitch fibres help with longer slower sports such as middle and long distance running and triathlons.

We cannot drastically change the ratio of fast and slow twitch fibres in our muscles, but we can make the fibres we have work more effectively.

Stamina activities are known as aerobic events.

In other words the body uses oxygen to aid its performance. Training enables the body to improve its use of oxygen in a number of ways. Here are two examples.

The muscle surrounding the heart strengthens allowing it to pump quicker.

Blood containing oxygen is pumped to the muscles by the heart.

So the quicker the heart pumps the greater the volume of oxygen can be received by the muscles.

Because of this highly trained athletes generally have a lower resting heart rate than non-athletes, and a broader range of achievable heart rates.

Your lung capacity increases. In other words your lungs expand so that they can take more oxygen each time you breathe in.

Scientists use a test called the VO2 Max.

What is VO2?

This determines the maximum amount of oxygen that can be removed from circulating blood and used by the working tissues during a specified period.

World class endurance athletes generally have high readings.

So check your own scores before seeing the drills that will improve your stamina.

How to improve stamina?

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Stamina ratings

What is stamina?

Improving stamina

Beginners drills

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