Muscle endurance is necessary for any athlete who performs for extended periods of time. If you are able to perform a high number of repetitions using your maximum strength for an extended period of time you have muscle endurance.

Most athletes work constantly, through exercise and the use of healthy supplements, to build their muscle endurance. It is an important factor in almost every type of fitness activity. From swimmers to weight lifters, athletes will benefit from increased muscle endurance.

Twitch Muscles

Muscle endurance determines how well your "slow twitch muscles" are functioning or developed. Slow twitch muscles are the main type of muscle used for endurance. They are not able to exert great amounts of pressure but can withstand effort for a long period of time.

The other type of muscle fibre is the fast twitch muscle. These muscles are utilized for strength. They can exert great force, but they cannot sustain the force over time.

You can improve your slow twitch muscles by participating in aerobic activities such as biking, swimming, or any other type of sustained exercise. They can also be improved by building your upper body strength through pushups, pull ups, and triceps dips.

Natural supplements such as creatine are specifically formulated to help build slow twitch muscles.

Types of Endurance

Different sports utilise different forms of endurance. The first form of endurance is power endurance. This is developed for sports that require powerful movements that are repeated for extended periods of time. Tennis and martial arts both require power endurance.

Power endurance requires the athlete to use his slow twitch muscles. He must also build up his fast twitch muscles so they can exert power and force for longer periods of time without becoming fatigued.

Short time muscular endurance is used when the athlete only exerts power and force for short periods of time, usually from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Long term muscular endurance is needed for exercise that is steady and continuous. Rowing, marathons, and triathlons all require long term muscular endurance.

Increasing Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance is best achieved by a combination of exercise and healthy supplements. Your exercise routine should be designed to overload your muscles. This means that you want to overwork your muscles in order for them to become stronger and build endurance. This must be done under professional supervision so you do not stress or strain your muscles.

As you work out, especially when you overload your muscles, they will burn muscle mass as fuel. As a result, the muscle mass you were seeking to "pump up" becomes depleted. Supplements are necessary to prevent this depletion and help rebuild muscle mass.

A creatine supplement will allow your muscles to recover faster and enhance your metabolism. Athletes who take creatine supplements do not require as much down time between workouts. Their metabolism is increased and they are able to efficiently flush out the trash left behind, (lactic acid), from the burning of their muscle fuel.

Creatine is a natural and safe muscular endurance supplement. It is not a steroid and is found naturally in meat. You will find that creatine is available in several different forms such as serums and powders. You can even purchase mixes which combine creatine with other muscle enhancing supplements such as glutamine.