UKC

Not looking for dictionary definitions, but I'm curious to hear what peoples application of these terms are in a climbing context?

What is Stamina?
What is Endurance?
Is there a difference?
How do they affect each other?

So personally my idea of stamina is the kind of fitness that keeps you going on multiple routes all day long, or for back to back days on a climbing trip.

And for me, endurance is the single route fitness - how long can I hold on for until I'm pumped out my tree and can't hold on any longer.

So they rely on different energy systems, and are affected by different variables - hydration, nutrition, rest, sleep, and of course TRAINING. Does training for one help the other? And vice versa?

Discuss...

In reply to Mike Goldthorp:
endurance
noun: endurance

1.
the ability to endure an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way.

2.
the capacity of something to last or to withstand wear and tear.

stamina
noun: stamina

the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort.

Seems like they overlap a lot so I doubt theres any difference in use, however endurance could relate to an inanimate object as well as an organism

In reply to Mike Goldthorp:

Stamina

Related to strength, stamina is best understood as the amount of time that a given muscle or group of muscles can perform at maximum capacity. If you can perform a single bicep curl of 60 lbs., you may have stronger bicep muscles than someone whose maximal bicep curl is 50 lbs., but the other person can be said to have greater bicep stamina if he can perform more repetitions at this maximum weight. An example of an athlete who may benefit from increased stamina is a sprinter, who must run at maximum speed for an extended period.

Endurance
Endurance is best understood in relation to time. While stamina is defined as the amount of time that a given group of muscles can perform at or near maximum capacity, endurance is defined as the maximum amount of time that a given group of muscles can perform a certain action. So the difference between stamina and endurance is one of focus: while stamina is limited to performing at maximum capacity, the focus of endurance is on maximizing time regardless of the capacity at which a given group of muscles is performing.

For example, while a sprinter may focus on stamina and running as fast as possible over a given distance, a long-distance runner may be more interested in endurance: he runs as far as possible with speed a secondary concern.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/370329-the-differences-between-stamina-st...

In reply to Mike Goldthorp:

Your definitions are exactly how I understand the common usage in climbing these days, which seems to be a climbing-specific thing and rather different from the standard definitions the others quoted.

In sport climbing usage, "stamina" is how many attempts near my limit do I get in a day? (About three or four)

In reply to Mike Goldthorp:
Stamina: The physical ability to recover, either enough energy for the next move/s or for another attempt.

Endurance: The ability to endure massive pump, pain or even fear and carry on, so more like a resilience, a mental head space of total commitment and confidence.

Generally if the route has rests, it would be classes as a stamina as you have to recover on the rests to complete the route. If it has no rests and requires you to just keep on pulling till the very top, then it would be classed as an endurance route.

Personally stamina beats endurance but ideally you want both, really depends on the type of climb you want to climb

In reply to Mike Goldthorp:

Stamina is how long you can go for without shooting your bolt; endurance is how many sessions you can fit into one night.