TL;DR: Endurance is about rhythm and posture, not grinding longer. Start with cadence drills, add controlled 3- to 5-minute runs, and only push 10-minute tests when accuracy holds above 96%. Track net WPM (correct characters only), consistency, and the top five error keys each week.

Why endurance breaks before speed does

Most typists can sprint for 60 seconds, but fall apart at 3 or 5 minutes. Two culprits: posture collapses and cadence drifts. Your goal is to lock posture, pick a tempo, and keep accuracy above 96% as time stretches. Only then will speed gains stick.

Setup: posture and desk check (3 minutes)

• Chair height: forearms parallel to the desk; wrists floating, not resting on the edge.
• Monitor: top third of the screen at eye level to prevent neck tilt and shoulder creep.
• Light touch: hover; do not bottom-out keys. Reduce finger fatigue and keep cadence smooth.
• Breath: inhale through nose, exhale slowly every 2-3 lines; tension kills endurance.

Warmup (6 minutes)

1. Metronome taps (2 min): tap spacebar at 110 BPM, then 130 BPM. Goal: even timing.
2. Alphabet flow (2 min): type A-Z, then Z-A, lower then upper case. Keep 100% accuracy.
3. Common symbol strings (2 min): practice , . ; : ' " () [] {} to loosen hands and improve precision.

Main work (18-22 minutes)

1. Controlled laps (6-8 min): Two to three runs of 2-3 minutes each at 85-90% of your 1-minute WPM. Rest 45-60 seconds between runs. Focus on steady breathing and zero panic backspace.
2. Chunk-and-paste mental drill (6 min): Read 2-3 sentences, visualize them, then type without looking back. This builds buffering so you do not stare at every character when you are tired.
3. Error spotlight (4-5 min): Use the last session's top error keys. Build short strings that force those keys (example: for punctuation-heavy errors: ; : () {} []). Type them slowly at 80-85% to clean form.
4. One light sprint (60-75s): Optional. Only if accuracy has stayed above 96%. Stop if you drop below 94%.

Cool-down (4 minutes)

• Shake out + wrists: 30 seconds of gentle wrist circles, shoulder rolls.
• Slow breath: four deep breaths to reset tension.
• Notebook: log net WPM, accuracy, consistency (timing variance), top five error keys, and one posture note.

Weekly progression (4 weeks)

This plan assumes you already handle 1-minute tests comfortably. Move up only when accuracy holds.

• Week 1: 2-3 minute runs only. Two sets per session, four sessions total. No 5-minute tests yet.
• Week 2: Add one 4-minute run twice this week. Keep accuracy above 96%; if it dips, drop back to 3 minutes.
• Week 3: One 5-minute run every other day. Keep the other runs at 3-4 minutes. Add a single 60-second sprint if accuracy held all week.
• Week 4: One 8-10 minute run twice this week, only if your 5-minute runs stayed at 95-97% accuracy. Otherwise, repeat Week 3.

Pacing cues to avoid burn-out mid test

• Start at 90% of your sprint pace: if you sprint 90 WPM, open a 5-minute test at 80-82 WPM for the first minute.
• Micro-resets: every 60-90 seconds, exhale, relax shoulders, and resume. It prevents the late-test accuracy dip.
• Cadence over force: pick a tempo (like a song beat) and stick to it. Sudden accelerations create errors that drain time.

What to track (and why)

• Net WPM per duration: 1, 3, 5, and 10 minutes. Net means correct characters only.
• Accuracy: target 97-99% on short runs, 95-97% on 5-10 minute runs.
• Consistency: a proxy for rhythm; aim to keep variance tight so graphs look smooth, not jagged.
• Error keys: top five mistakes drive your drills. Fix them before chasing more speed.
• Perceived effort: rate each run 1-5. High effort with flat metrics signals fatigue; take a lighter day.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Skipping rest between runs: fatigued form teaches bad habits.
• Chasing max speed daily: sprinting every day tanks accuracy and makes cadence unstable.
• Ignoring posture drift: if shoulders creep up or wrists rest on the desk, reset before continuing.
• Practicing only one duration: mix 1, 3, and 5-minute runs to balance speed and endurance.

If you hit a plateau

Drop intensity for four days: remove sprints, stick to 3-minute runs at 85-90% pace, and prioritize accuracy. Reintroduce one 5-minute run after you see accuracy settle above 97% again. Plateaus usually come from fatigue or sloppy cadence, not a hard ceiling.

Bottom line

Endurance is earned by consistent tempo, relaxed posture, and measured progression. Treat longer tests like a marathon: start steady, breathe, and finish clean. Keep logging your data and fix the errors you see. Do that for a month, and 5-10 minute tests will feel as controlled as your 1-minute sprint.