In this OA guide, we’ll show you the five exercises you can do to develop your body’s endurance. Let’s get started.

With militaries around the world putting such an emphasis on long-distance running and marching, it’s no surprise that it appears on this list. Running and rucking long distances isn’t just great for developing your cardio and mental toughness. It’s also an excellent exercise for building bone density, joint stability, and muscular endurance.

When you run or march on hard surfaces, your shin bones develop microscopic pressure fractures from the impact (otherwise known as the dreaded shin splints). While this condition is painful, it’s not dangerous to your health. When your shin microfractures heal, the bone grows back denser and is better able to handle stress. Over time, consistent rucking and running will significantly harden your shins – allowing you to recover faster after long-distance exercise! Click these links to read our guides on rucking technique and strategy and how to prepare for ruck marching.

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) exercises are the polar opposite of long-distance running and rucking. While long-distance training focuses on your aerobic capacity and prolonged conditioning, HIIT training is all about being as fast and dynamic as possible.

HIIT workouts condition your muscles, joints, and ligaments to withstand the stresses and high loads of explosive movements. Doing HIIT training as a supplement to long-distance running and rucking is an excellent way to develop your athletic adaptability while hardening your body at the same time!

If you keep up with these OA guides often, you’ll know that we’re huge supporters of swimming often – even if you’re not trying to become a combat diver. Swim training is an excellent, low-impact way to develop your cardio, adaptability, and ligament strength.

Because water is over 800 times denser than air, any movement you make puts much more pressure on your connective tissues and ligaments. Essentially, you’re moving through a medium that your body isn’t designed for. Try to train swimming at least once a week to maintain your comfort in the water. If you’re looking for some exercise ideas for your next swim training, check out our OA guide on How to Swim Like a Navy SEAL.

You might be on the military/SOF pathway, but that doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to military-style workouts. Sometimes, mixing up your training with a completely unique set of movements is what your mind and body need to continue developing. 

Cross-training in various disciplines helps you stay adaptable and might even teach you new movements and training ideas that you can incorporate into your regular workouts! If you typically only do long-distance running, start incorporating sprints. Looking to improve your explosiveness or stability? Recreationally playing sports like basketball and volleyball might be the thing that takes you to the next level. Working out doesn’t have to be boring. Make your training engaging and dynamic – your mind and body will thank you.

Building endurance requires you to seek out and overcome difficulty, train how you fight, and set high standards for yourself. If you want to access a training program that will make you do all of these things, get started with an OA Workout Program. Our training systems are tailor-made for those looking to enter and excel in a military career. They are made and curated by operators and focus on developing the specific physical abilities that you need to become an effective warrior in the field. Whether you want to optimize your physique, crush your next ruck march, or have the fastest 5-mile pace in your class, we’ve got you covered. Start forging your future by visiting our workouts page and starting an OA Workout Program today!