Endurance, why is it so important for performing and everyday life…
Endurance qualities are classified into aerobic and anaerobic characteristics based on the duration of performance and the level of load, or intensity.
Aerobic work occurs with the help of oxygen, while anaerobic work takes place without oxygen, when the load increases to the point where the body can no longer utilize oxygen to produce the mechanical energy required for the task. In practice, mechanical energy refers to maintaining posture (static muscle work) or movement (dynamic muscle work).
This might give the impression that these aspects of energy production apply only to athletes, working on their jumps, tendus, backflips, backlevers, and so on but that is not the case. Prolonged sedentary behavior in everyday life can, over time, amount to the equivalent of an athletic performance—especially when considering the fact that the overall physical fitness in the general population has been on the decline for quite some time now and daily sedentary lifestyle includes no real rest days or recovery periods. Typing on a computer keyboard often continues for several uninterrupted hours, and recovery is then attempted, instead of taking a walk for instance (that would promote cardiovascular fitness), with painkillers and muscle relaxants. Short term pain relief, of course, do not in any way improve, for example, the muscles' oxygen uptake capacity or replenish the myoglobin stores in the muscles responsible for maintaining our upright posture—especially when even the moments spent picking up children from daycare or school are spent sitting still in a car, and the rest of the journey children get accustomed to the habit of staring at a phone screen.
The capacity of the energy production systems to effectively utilize oxygen delivered via the circulatory system to skeletal muscles enhances both the efficiency of energy metabolism and the body’s ability to oxidize fat as a fuel source. During interval training, improvements in this capacity facilitate faster replenishment of intramuscular oxygen stores during recovery periods. Enhanced recovery from high-intensity bouts increases the potential to perform additional quality work intervals within a training session.
Moreover, improved muscular oxygen uptake supports greater physical resilience in daily life, as oxygen is more effectively extracted at the muscular level rather than returning unused to the lungs via the venous system. A high maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) alleviates the perceived effort of routine physical tasks, thereby reducing fatigue during everyday activities.
These adaptations may also contribute to improved psychological outcomes associated with physical activity. Notably, endurance training has been shown to attenuate the activity of the sympathetic nervous system at rest, a physiological change that plays a significant role in enhancing mental well-being and reducing stress-related responses.
