How to train in winter: types of training and a set of exercises

Winter tests us with frost. Many transfer their workouts to home and fitness clubs. But this is optional. You can only continue some of your summer outdoor exercises in the cold months. Snow and ice give a lot of new options.

Regular exercise gives energy to your body. The WHO recommends that children exercise 60 minutes a day. Adults need to move at least 150-200 minutes a week actively. At the same time, a couple of days a week should be devoted to strength training. Older people should do coordination and balance exercises at least three times weekly.

And the cold is not a reason to give up exercise in favor of hot tea with a bun. Active sports in winter are especially important. It boosts immunity and improves mood. In regions with a lack of sun, this is so necessary! But how to do it right?

Benefits of winter sports

In winter, the risk of falls and injuries is reduced. We are protected by a thick layer of clothing and soft snow. As a result, self-confidence is strengthened. Mood improves when goals are achieved. Regular exercise improves immunity. In severe frosts, this is especially important.

Proper nutrition in winter

Doctors recommend focusing on food and drink when playing sports in the cold season. Because even at low temperatures, you sweat. Warm tea or water with lemon and honey in a thermos will be a great addition to your workouts. Smoothies suitable for winter can be prepared from:

• oranges
• bananas
• pears
• nuts
• beets
• apples

Optionally, you can add warming winter spices:

• ginger
• cardamom
• cinnamon

Winter sports equipment

Clothing

When choosing clothes for winter fitness on the street, the first rule sounds simple. You should be a little chilly at first. At the time of training, the body reaches operating temperature. There is an automatic feeling of warmth. It is recommended to choose breathable clothing in several layers. Dress like a cabbage. Of course, this should allow you to move freely.

Shoes

Shoes must be non-slip and waterproof. You can choose from different sports. From simple walking to active professional training. Snow and lots of clothes protect us from injury. But it’s not worth allowing extra falls or even more risks of getting wet.

Headlamp

In winter, we often have to play sports at night. This is especially true for people with a standard work schedule. A small headlamp allows you to extend your workout and take it to your favorite spot, no matter the light. 

Attention to warm-up

Warming up is especially important to equalize the temperature difference in the cold season. It is extremely important to prepare the body for sports and prevent injury. So take your time to run outside. Add at least ten minutes to warm up at home. Do some simple exercises from a series of school physical education. Runners should start slowly and gradually increase the pace.

Don’t go overboard

Even in hot weather, many active people start exercising too quickly and intensely. Could you not allow it? A beginner should start slowly and listen to his body at any time of the year. And the winter training regime, even for experienced athletes, should be calmer. In the cold season, the load should be different. Shorter and less intense sessions are much more beneficial.

Faster home!

After exercising outdoors, you must go into the room as soon as possible and change clothes. Additional stretching at this time of the year is best done in the heat. Enjoy a warm shower or relaxing bath as your reward. This will further relax your muscles and give you a good, sound sleep at night.

Proper rest after sports

It is also important to take breaks and include rest days in your training plan. Yoga, stretching, and breathing exercises can provide a great balance of relaxation and stress relief. A smartwatch will be a good helper. They will provide instruction and feedback in real-time.

A massage can also be a great addition. You don’t have to go to the salon for this. Self-massage or various devices will also relax the muscles and allow you to return to normal body temperature after training gradually.

Weight loss in winter

But not only the sport itself can be useful in winter. Almost any activity on the street becomes an additional muscle load. Therefore, it is worth using all domestic occasions for movement in the fresh air.

Walk

During the winter months, the weather is often bleak and grey. Therefore, most people are glad to be able to get into a warm car or even a bus quickly. But it’s time to put on a thick jacket and go on foot. In winter, it will even help you lose weight. A half-hour walk in the snow is equal to a good sports workout. You can regularly burn about 200 calories.

Work outside

Some activities become real calorie burners. For example, stale snow removal with a shovel or broom. But the result depends on the tool. Sweeping snow for an hour can burn up to 135 calories. The shovel is more efficient. You can burn up to 380 kcal per hour.

Street entertainment

Already with the first snow, there are many outdoor sports. They not only give pleasure but also help to lose weight. All this trains endurance and promotes fat burning.

Winter activities for harmony:

• active walk in the snow: 240 kcal per hour
• ice skating: 350 kcal per hour
• sledding: 400 kcal per hour
• skiing or snowboarding: 400 kcal per hour
• cross-country skiing: 500 kcal per hour

Playing snowballs and building a snowman.

Fun activities with children can also become real fat burners, like making snowmen or playing with snowballs. This is very real strength training. It involves different muscle groups. Building a snowman consumes up to 370 kcal per hour. A snowball fight can also be a great idea, especially if you want to let off steam with family or friends and lose weight simultaneously. We advise you to give your best and win! Because the most active will burn about 350 kcal.

Outdoor workouts in winter

But for fans of conventional fitness, we can also offer a system of exercises. The perfect winter workout starts with a warm-up. Although this is important when playing sports at any time of the year. But on cold days, it’s especially important to warm up well before exercising. Better to do it at home. But on the street, you should wait to plunge into active fitness. A good start would be:

• running in place
• short run
• ski jumping

They will prepare the body for winter training. And now forward! To health, vitality, and harmony.

What else is good for outdoor fitness in winter? We can practice on the ground. In summer, finding a clean sidewalk or lawn in some conditions is difficult. Most often, you will need a rug. But a platform with pure snow can be found even in late winter.

Leg swing

Stand firmly on one leg. Cross your arms behind your head. Pull your elbows straight back. Swing your free extended leg back and forth. Try to cover the maximum amplitude. Then repeat with the other leg.

Squats with a stick

Exercise to strengthen the upper body and legs. Take a stick. Raise your straight arms (hands holding a stick). Pull out the string. Feel the tension in all your muscles. Then bend down – touch the ground with a stick. And go up again. Repeat ten times.

Side plank

Left foot and left palm on the ground. Raise your right hand. The whole body is extended by a string at an angle of 45 degrees from the ground. Alternately place the right foot behind the left and then in front of it. Repeat ten times. Then change sides.

Body rotations

Starting position – in the plank position. Hands from palms to elbows are pressed to the ground. You rest on your hands and the toes of your boots. Keep your body straight, parallel to the ground. The whole body is tense, especially the torso and buttocks. Turn your body alternately left and right. Keep your elbows and toes off the ground.

Push-ups from the ground

Exercise to strengthen the muscles of the trunk and legs. Start with the classic push-up. Then make it harder. Add alternating leg jumps: spread your legs during push-ups, then bring them together again.

Strengthening the leg muscles and training for balance

Stand up straight. Place one leg forward at a 90-degree angle. Bend the other, lowering the knee almost to the ground. Extend your arms to the sides. Then take turns touching the back heel with your hands. You must swing like a pendulum. Then switch legs.

Write your name

Stand straight on one leg. Stretch your arms up. Pick up a stick. The upper body is tense. Write your name in the air with the toe of your free foot. Repeat with the other leg.

Strengthening the back of the legs and buttocks

Find a bench or a large rock. Put your hands on it. The whole body should be tense. Raise one leg back and up. Hold it like this for 3 seconds and put it on the ground. Repeat ten times and change the legs.

Strengthening the legs and torso

This exercise strengthens the core and legs. Sit on the ground. Bend your legs. Put your hands on the ground just behind the body. Now lift your buttocks. Hold the weight with your hands and feet. Then alternately raise one leg and touch the toe of the boot with the opposite hand.

Jump Squats

We complete the workout with the most fun and vigorous exercise! Starting position – deep squat with a straight back. Then jump as high as you can and land softly.

Increase the difficulty later. Do this exercise with your eyes closed.

Winter training is great!

Beauties traditionally remember fitness in the spring as soon as there is a danger of an early demonstration of the body to others. But only healthy people are truly beautiful. And we need to work on this constantly, at any time of the year and in any weather. In this sense, winter activity is even more important. After all, it is in the cold that our body needs additional support. Classes on the street will give a precious portion of vitamin D, immunity, harmony, and a great charge of vivacity.