When I think of winter, I think of cold weather, snow, wood fires, staying warm and surviving until spring. Like most people, I take advantage of all the delicious foods around the holidays and pack on a few extra pounds for good measure. I also try to stay fit with shorter bike rides and walking outside as well as indoor strength workouts.

This year, I’m going to try something a little different. I’m going to train 1-2 times per week outside. This, in addition to bike rides will include running, followed by bodyweight exercises and more running. The purpose is to trick my body into better dealing with the cold as I pursue a full season of riding and to simply change things up a bit.

Sample sessions might look something like this:

Winter Workout #1

Run or Snowshoe 1 Mile

Complete ascending and descending sets of:

1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1

TRX Pullups or Inverted Rows

Sumo Air Squats

1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1

TRX Wall Slides

Mountain Climbers

1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1

Pushups

Situps

5 Rounds of:

Bear Crawls – 1 Minute on/1 Minute Rest

Run or Snowshoe 1 Mile

Winter Workout #2

Run or Snowshoe 1 Mile

50 Jumping Jacks

5 Minutes Leg Raises – 30 Seconds on/30 Seconds Rest

5 Minutes Walking Lunges

50 TRX Incline Chest Press

50 TRX Rows

30 TRX Hip Throws (each side)

50 TRX Squats

Run or Snowshoe 1 Mile

All of the exercises can be scaled to your fitness level. I’ll only be outside if the weather dips below 40 degrees. For now, my plan is Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting December 14th and continuing through Mid March. I plan to workout in the snow and just embrace all that winter is and hopefully get something from it. If the snow is too deep, then, I’ll either clear a spot or snowshoe that day for an extended period of time.

So, if you looking for something to jumpstart your winter, get outside, get in the snow and have fun!