how to build stamina?

hi. i recently started my fitness journey again, at 74 kg rn, and 18. in 2020 i went down to my goal weight 54 kg (5'5 165 cm) but regained almost all. used to walk outside a lot, but at a moderate pace, not too fast. started the gym yesterday and i only plan on using the treadmill for weight loss and will tone my body after my weight is down at least to a 60 kg.
i want to do the 12 3 30 on the treadmill, which, if someone does not know, stands for 12 incline, speed 3 miles per hour for 30 minutes. i did it for like 10 mins today and at around 2.5 mph as i had no stamina and yet was barely able to finish the ten minutes. yesterday i did flat walking at like 3 mph. it's making me really demotivated, so can someone tell how i can build my stamina up so i can complete the 12 3 30, and in how much time (days) this can be possible??

Replies

  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Easy. Just keep at whatever it is. The stamina will come with time.

    It really helps to do activities you find fun with friends. Have you ever done a fitness class with music?
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    This is how I would approach reaching the 12 3 30.

    Start where I am comfortable now. (Maybe 2 2 10)
    Do that on alternate days for a week.
    The next week increase by a minute each day if comfortable.

    Next week increase incline and time.
    Continue weekly increases until you reach your goal comfortably but with a challenge.

    Make 12 3 30 your goal. Once you can do that it is time to move onto a new challenge.

    On the alternate days I would encourage you to do some kind of exercise that will help in muscle retention/strengthening. No need to start throwing around a barbell if you don’t want to. Machines, dumbbells, body weight (with a proven plan to follow) Pilates, aquafit and a host of other YouTube or gym classes, are also worth while.

    It is much easier to keep the muscle you have than have to start rebuilding from scratch. You will also probably like the way you look at your goal weight with a good muscle base. Without it you will probably look like a smaller version
    of your heavier self.

    Remember fitness is for life soon need to rush to the the point of demotivating or injury.

    Cheers, h.

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,749 Member
    You do need to build up to it gradually. Find a pace that you find comfortable and increase the incline gradually. If you need to walk more slowly as the pitch gets steeper, do it. If you are working out 3-4 days a week, it could take several weeks before you are able to maintain a 3 mph walk at 10% incline, but that's okay. Pushing too hard could get you injured (glutes and hamstrings) or just be a miserable experience.

    I don't do the 3-12-30, but I do like to walk occasionally at 3-3.5 with a ladder of intensity from 2% to 15%. I usually increase either pace or incline every minute for 10-15 minutes, then go down for the next 10-15. If I am not used to it, I may only increase by .5%; if I am more comfortable with walking at incline, I'll go up by 1 or 2%.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,248 Member
    Stamina is built by continuing to increase your limits of comfort.
  • melissaaridgeway
    melissaaridgeway Posts: 278 Member
    As others have said, in order to increase stamina you do the thing you want the stamina to increase in, maintaining a high threshold of intensity. You may not be starting where you want to be, but start where you are able. Then push yourself to the limit of your ability during every session, and eventually your stamina will build.

    I was not (am not) a runner, and during my military time, I had to make a certain run time. I would begin to really push myself about 3 months before my official exam and my time would usually be 3 or so minutes above the passing threshold. In my 3 months of training, I would steadily improve my speed and stamina and would always pass my exam, but it took months of work to regain those 3 minutes of time.

    Accept yourself where you are at, and then push yourself to do better every time you work out. Eventually, your stamina will build. Your skills will improve. For me, it took a solid 3 months of working out 3-4 times a week. You it might not be so long, or it could be longer. But you just gotta start doing it regularly.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,616 Member
    For stamina, don't push intensity, push duration. Generally, train the thing you want, and stamina = go longer, so train by gradually going longer. Training frequently to exhaustion is a sub-par plan for building fitness, and a terrible plan to complement weight loss. (Exhaustion makes a person drag through the rest of the day, maybe even go to bed earlier to sleep longer, which bleeds daily activity calorie burn out of the day, effectively wiping out some of the exercise calorie burn. Fatigue is counter-productive.)

    The people who are telling you to increase gradually are giving you good advice, including the part about not increasing all the variables all at once. Your variables are frequency, duration, and intensity.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    For stamina, don't push intensity, push duration. Generally, train the thing you want, and stamina = go longer, so train by gradually going longer. Training frequently to exhaustion is a sub-par plan for building fitness, and a terrible plan to complement weight loss. (Exhaustion makes a person drag through the rest of the day, maybe even go to bed earlier to sleep longer, which bleeds daily activity calorie burn out of the day, effectively wiping out some of the exercise calorie burn. Fatigue is counter-productive.)

    The people who are telling you to increase gradually are giving you good advice, including the part about not increasing all the variables all at once. Your variables are frequency, duration, and intensity.


    Nailed it!

    The first goal should be doing the full half hour even at a relatively low incline and speed if necessary and gradually build up from there changing only one variable at a time.