ACE Tips for Winter Workouts

Winter months are the most difficult time of the year to train. Excluding January’s New Year promise, gyms are traditionally quieter during this time as the cold and darkness drains our motivational stores. Below are my ACE tips to make training in winter easier, as well as provide information on how our body responds differently in winter compared to summer.

How beneficial is winter training compared to summer?

There is very little research that suggests there is any greater benefit to working out in the summer compared to winter. However, we do know that exposure to colder climates does improve our immune system. If you do pick up a cold from your work Christmas party, you should expect less severe symptoms due to your cold workouts.

Burn more calories!

One big plus for those of us who are looking to lose weight is that we burn more calories in winter. Yes, we would burn more water weight from the summer sweat fest, but we burn more baseline calories in the winter. One reason is we require more energy output to maintain warmth, but also your body works harder in cold temperatures to maintain bodily functions and core temperature. Another factor that to consider is that you are more likely to complete an endurance based, longer workout in colder temperatures compared to a scorching heatwave!

Manage high intensity workouts

Cold air can cause constriction in the bronchial tubes that leads to a feeling of chest tightness, making workouts in winter particularly difficult for people with respiratory conditions. This is often linked to the dryness of cold air. Even without any respiratory issues, most people get wheezing or shortness of breath after exercise in winter, which is known as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. To manage this, we usually reduce outdoor high intensity training to help manage your breathing patterns. Use the outdoors for low intensity steady state training rather than high intensity interval training. Nice winter walks, jogs, or bike rides instead!

What effect does it have on my lungs?

Our lungs love warm and humid air and will work hard to make it so when breathing in cold air. The increase in workload will lead to stronger respiratory muscles like your diaphragm and intercostal muscles.

Layers and sweat wicking clothing

Layering is important for temperature regulation; it is more beneficial to be too warm than too cold. An easily forgotten layer is a scarf or snood to help keep your areas of breathing warm. Another factor to consider is not to allow sweat to build under your layers and subsequently get cold or chilly from the buildup and pooling. Always wear sweat wicking lower layers to help draw away the damp sweat from your skin.

Dress bright and plan ahead

Remember your safety. Wear bright reflective clothing to make it clear and obvious for passing cars to see you. Plan your routes to make sure you cover well-lit areas instead of dark country roads.

Why am I hungrier in winter?

Whenever our core body temperature drops, our body will send a message to our brains to increase our appetite for warm foods, hence you feel hungry on cold winter nights! There’s no need to change our diets compared to summer months. Maintaining whole, balanced meals as supposed to snacking will be a key pillar to winter training success.

It is also important to consider balance in healthy/unhealthy eating during December. Social pressure will entice you to eat some massive Christmas dinners (I should know, my record is three in one day!). Don’t stress over it, if there is a healthy option then that is beneficial. If not, we can adjust our nutrition intake and training plans around the increase in calories. This time it is more important to have a laugh with friends and family, which will give you a bigger mental boost and lower stress cortisol than worrying about nutrition.

Prioritise hydration

You aren't sweating as much in winter as in summer, so naturally your body won't send as many signals for you to take on water. Throw in a workout, and your body will go into overdrive asking for fluids which will decrease your performance. Make mental notes to keep hydrated prior and after workouts so your body doesn't have to guess!

Too cold?

How cold is too cold? -20 degrees centigrade, so lets write off that excuse.

Warm Up properly

Although the UK rarely hits –20 degrees, it's still important to warm up, even if it is a short period of time. This is important to reduce the chance of muscle strains and increase blood flow, so the cold embrace isn't so shocking!

A simple warm up would look like this:

• Jog on the spot (60 seconds)

• Forward arm rotations (30 seconds)

• Multi directional lunges (30 seconds each side)

• Backward arm rotations (30 seconds)

• Squats (30 seconds)

• Repeat the above twice

We hope this blog will help you over the winter months to manage training, nutrition and any health worries with winter training. Winter training is the hardest for motivation, but in turn it is the most beneficial. To competitors, this is where we get the edge over our sporting rivals; we train more when it's hard for a tactical advantage. To those who are getting summer beach body ready, our winter strength phase is where we will provide the gains for those killer abs when we cut calories in the summer. To those who are nervous about joining health clubs and initiatives, this is when they are quieter and less intimidating for us to find our routines. The dark nights of winter are when the hottest embers of opportunity burn brightest, let’s ignite the fire.