Use Winter training to build year-round strength and endurance

Make the most of winter training to build a solid foundation and an epic engine

Training through the Winter can be a slog. Dark evenings, bad weather, and temperature so low the barbell will freeze your hands – fun! 

Make the most of inevitable Winter training by flipping the script in your head. Instead of something to get through, make it a useful part of your year-round training cycle. Winter training can be the best time to lay down a solid foundation of CV fitness, endurance, skills and strength – putting you in a great position once better weather rolls around.

4 ways to focus your Winter training

Fitness

Keep warm with high-intensity conditioning work that will sky-rocket your fitness levels so you’re ready to take on Summer events, races, and challenges. Zero in on interval sessions on the rowing machine, ski erg or bike, or push yourself to do outdoor running sprints.

 

Endurance

 Winter is a great time to get your brain and body plugged in to longer sessions that will build a solid endurance base. Running and cycling are the obvious choices for cold-weather endurance training, or you could put on a weighted vest for regular long walks.

 

Sports-specific skills

Every sport has technical elements that can be your stumbling block on match day. Powerlifting set-ups, Strongman technique, Crossfit gymnastics… you get the idea. Why not use these cold dark months to work on the little things that all add up to be the big things?

 

Strength

We all want to get stronger, and Winter is a great time to layer up and pull some big numbers. You’re probably eating more at the moment, so why not use the kcals to fuel some heavy, reppy sessions that will put you in a powerful place for 2023.

 

What fitness results can you achieve over Winter

How long is Winter, anyway? A better question might be what does your 2023 competing or training diary look like? If you’ve got events or comps in late Spring or Summer, you’ll know exactly how many weeks you can dedicate to this Winter training block.

 If you don’t compete in a sport, you could set aside a nice chunky 8 or 12 week block to focus on strength, endurance, fitness or skills. That’s plenty of time for a PB, a technique breakthrough, or laying down solid fitness foundations.

 

How to structure Winter training for best results

1. Choose what to work on

Don’t mix and match, pick one goal and go for it. Strength, endurance, fitness or skills.

2. Look at how long you’ve got

Can you start an 8-week block, or is there an event in your 2023 calendar already? 

3. Make a plan

Work with a coach or write your own training plan build around the thing you want to work on.

4. Prioritise sessions

Get the most out of this training block by making these sessions a priority, even if it takes a mindset shift.

5. New environments

You might need to train somewhere else for this dedicated block, especially if your regular gym doesn’t have the kit, coaches, or sessions.

6. Set up for success

Make sure you’ve got everything you need to support your Winter training focus, from equipment to clothing to recovery tools.

7. Start slow

Don’t make a sudden switch to heavy lifting or long endurance sessions, build up and include rest days.

What will you be working on this Winter? We’d love to hear what the Gravity community are getting up to.

And don’t forget, the Gravity Fitness store has all the tools you need to do bodyweight workouts, calisthenics, and functional strength training and home or in the gym. Check out our leading range of functional fitness equipment here.