Three Ways To Keep Training Through the Winter

Many athletes take time off in winter to enjoy the holidays without having to worry about their schedules. We understand that time off is key to both physical improvement and mental health – especially when you’re trading gym time for family bonding.

However, we don’t think taking a hiatus from November to March is going to be good for your health and fitness. To stop training entirely during the cold months is a high mistake; winter offers a great opportunity to expand your base fitness with cross-training and boost your performance with other endeavors (even if you’re not outside running on the ice)!

1. Winter is a great time to cross-train. Using your muscles different ways helps make them more resilient and efficient. During the coldest months, try different winter activities like skiing or snowboarding to help build your cardiovascular fitness.
2. Work on interval training. Remind your body what it feels like to go fast, add a few short intervals to each workout, such as finishing off swim sets with fast 25s with lots of rest, or short bursts of high cadence and power on the bike, or using strides on the run. Switching over to speed workouts in the winter can help you get serious performance results.
3. Shape up your diet. Since people don’t tend to be working out as much in terms of volume or intensity, diet becomes particularly important. The winter season is a great time to work on your nutrition. Eating lean meats and other healthy protein sources, balanced with fruits and vegetables and other fiber rich foods, will prevent binging on high-carb foods.

Remember, getting active in the winter offers a variety of “other” health benefits too – aside from performance enhancement. Regular exposure to the sun can help prevent seasonal affective disorder and activity can help you relieve stress!