Hang Tight for Longer
THE GOAL: STRENGTH ENDURANCE
Want a scientific explanation?
“Strength endurance is an effort of sub-maximal contraction, limited to a muscle’s ability to continue contracting over time,” says Michael Blevins of fitness think tank NonProphet. In other words, it’s “the ability to hold”. It explains why the muscles that fail first tend to be those involved in gripping, or the lower back.
YOUR STRATEGY
Bodybuilding falls under strength endurance: the clue is the pump. So does strongman, where the reps don’t push you to your max but nobody’s exactly doing cardio, either. Grip in climbing, posture in cycling: all strength endurance. When Blevins trains clients, he chooses a muscle group to “exploit”. Reps should be around 25-50 but can be much higher. For an example of how it’s done, try Blevins’s workout below.