Simple Coaching to Build Cardio Endurance
At this point you have an idea of what shape you’re in. And you should be thinking about ways to improve your endurance to be in shape to accomplish your goals. Luckily, building endurance is a simple task that many different athletes and weekend warriors have perfected throughout the years. If you can learn these basics for building endurance, you’ll be able to continue to improve your fitness and you’ll understand how to get your body into shape. More importantly, you’ll develop discipline and prepare your mind & body for any challenges that await you.
Basic Building Blocks
Building endurance is a simple task that involves breaking your body down, then letting it recover to build back up. It takes a disciplined approach to build endurance consistently over time. Mastering the basics makes you better at understanding your body and building it up to handle harder workouts. Once you improve endurance and get in to better shape, your body will need harder workouts to continue improving. You need harder workouts because your body adapts to working harder; the starting workouts are not difficult enough to break down your body anymore. To make sure you can continue to build endurance, workout at high intensity for 3 weeks, then take 1 week of easier workouts; continue this for 12 weeks. You can also trick your body to improve by changing the duration of your workouts.
Workout Ideas
Workout A
| Stretching | 3 minutes |
| Steady Run | 30 minutes |
| 50 meter sprints | 4x (1 minute rest between each sprint) |
| Push Ups | 3 sets (1 minute rest between each set) |
| Stretching | 3 minutes |
Workout B
| Stretching | 3 minutes |
| Jump Rope | 10 minutes |
| Lunges | 4-6 sets (1 minute rest between each set) |
| Jump Rope | 10 minutes |
| Stretching | 3 minutes |
Workout C
| Stretching | 3 minutes |
| Hill Sprints | 12-15x (60-80 meters long, walk back to start after each sprint) |
| Jump Rope | 10 minutes |
| Stretching | 3 minutes |
Workout D
| Stretching | 3 minutes |
| Steady Run | 15 minutes |
| Push Ups | 3 sets (1 minute rest between each set) |
| Steady Run | 15 minutes |
| Push Ups | 3 sets (1 minute rest between each set) |
| Stretching | 3 minutes |
Tips for Success
- Workout 4-6 times per week, with each workout lasting 40-50 minutes based on fitness level.
- A weekly day of rest with total rest from physical activity
- Purchase new workout shoes to protect your body from injuries
- Cross training is helpful so muscles don’t become overworked
- Drink water to hydrate your muscles
- Stretching for 3 minutes before & after each workout (calf, hamstring, quad)
Staying Fit
Consistency is key. Stay dedicated to your plan and record your efforts. Once you write down your workouts, it becomes rewarding to see your progress and to organize future workout plans. It’s also the perfect chance to learn about your best workouts, and understand what you can change to continue improving. For anyone hoping to become a Corrections Officer, you need to be prepared for long days on the job that are tough on your body. Investing time today to prepare your body is the best way to maintain an overall level of strength and fitness for your safety on the job.