If you want to build endurance then you have to go run for long periods of time. There is no easy way around it. You need some mental fortitude and desire to meet your goals.
Run till you cant anymore, then go on an elliptical until 30 mins is up. Keep doing that till you can do 30 mins of running. Then add 10 more mins of elliptical. Keep repeating till you can run for an hour or so. I worked my way from not being able to run more than 2 miles to running over 20 in 6 months. And I range from 180-200 at 5'9"
i dont know if its been said yet, but HIIT(high intensity interval training) is great for building endurance, and you can work your way up. basically how it works is, to start, 90 seconds of low intensity cardio, followed by a 30 second SPRINT. rinse and repeat going as long as you can. the more you do it the more your endurance builds, eventually moving up to intermediate(60 second low intensity, 30 second sprint), and if your really crazy 30/30. it doesnt have to be running, it can be biking or elyptical as long as during that 30 seconds you are going all out and giving it 100%.
Start out slow, take it easy on your body and get used to a pretty light amount of weekly workout. If you're in a horrible condition at this point, any basic physical acitivity helps, meaning anything from proper workouts to simply walking for an hour. After a short amount of time, you'll be able to start working out more and more as your body gets comfortable with the increased stress you put on it.
Once you feeling ready for it, start off your workout program by simply working around a 4-day routine: Run for 30 min one day, rest the next. Then do 45 min of full-body strenght exercises the day after that, before resting a day once again. This way you'll get three or four light workouts per week, and your body will recover properly between each one.
From this point on, you should gradually add new and/or harder workouts to your schedule. At this point it'll be much more appropriate to try some of the suggestions mentioned above, such as HIIT (High-intensity interval training) and longer (1,5 hours +) cardio workouts (running, cycling, whatever you enjoy the most). If you don't like cycling, and have a hard time running for more than an hour straight, you could solve this by simply dividing your workout into 30 min of running -> 15 min of walking -> 30 min of running etc. You could also start hitting the gym maybe every 5th day, with a full-body program that includes squats, deadlifts, bench press and hang-ups.
An example for a workout schedule in this phase could be something like this:
Day 1: 60 min of strenght at the gym or at home.
Day 2: 1,5-2 hours of cardio
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: 45 min of HIIT (Warm up by simply running for 10 min. 4 min running at high intensity, followed by 3 min calm jogging. Repeat four times, excluding the warm up obviously)
Day 5: 30 min of running
Day 6: Rest
Repeat.
This schedule will, over a period of time, be sufficient to build up a decent endurance. Though, it definitly won't turn you into a top-level athlete. Building your endurance takes time, and requires a whole different level of dedication and motivation if your goal is to compete with the best. Just as an example, I'll put my workout routine below, and I am in no way a professional cyclist:
Monday: 45 min of core-strenght in the morning, 2 hours of cardio after school
Tuesday: 1 hour of strenght (full-body)
Wednesday: 1 hour of HIIT
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 1 hour of strenght (full body)
Saturday: 2-3,5 hours of cardio morning, 1-2 hours of sports with friends mid-day/evening
Sunday: 60 min of HIIT
Total amount of hours: Generally 10-11
Total amount of food consumed: Lost count
Cyclist. 175cm, 59kg. I generally spend 30% of my time working out, 40% on my education, 5% eating, and 25% doing other things.
"Is man one of God’s blunders? Or is God one of man’s blunders?"
Your body's need for protein is regulated by how much you break your muscle fibers down. Whenever you train a muscle to a certain point, you create tiny rifts in these fibers, and your body will then use protein as a source to eventually rebuild these rifts. A person who lifts heavy weights several times a week will then obviously need more protein than someone who only lifts semi-heavy once or twice a week, and so will someone who only lifts semi-heavy weights once or twice a week need more protein than someone who doesn't work out at all, etc.
There's no simple answer as to how much protein you actually need, but one thing I can say for certain is this: If you have a healthy and balanced diet (note: your diet is simply the things you eat. It has nothing to do with losing weight), which by the way is a must if you want to see any decent results from your training, you will not need any type of protein powder or other supplements.
Last edited by Cosima; 2012-10-15 at 09:08 AM. Reason: Typographical errors
Cyclist. 175cm, 59kg. I generally spend 30% of my time working out, 40% on my education, 5% eating, and 25% doing other things.
"Is man one of God’s blunders? Or is God one of man’s blunders?"
The thing is if your goal is to achieve endurance, you only need proteins to repare yours muscle fibers. You're not trying to built more muscles.
So you don't need more proteins than what your normal diet gives you.