8 Tips For An Effective Winter Weightlifting Workout

It is that time of year again. The leaves fall, your bank accounts get broken and it will get cold ( For those of us on the west side of the world). But as i mentioned in last weeks winter home weightlifting workout routine, being cold is no excuse for you to give up on your muscle building efforts.

It will be harder to workout and be inspired because of the cold weather and gloomy atmosphere, and i know for a fact that you will get bored without adding some diversity to your weightlifting workouts.

Now that it is winter, it is the perfect time to prepare for what the next several months will probably look like for you.

• The Christmas food binge (Where you will inevitably gain weight)
• Recover in January
• Preparation for summer (Summer is the time to maintain muscle mass, not build muscle)

Start your winter workout NOW! – Not many will follow through with it, but now that the ‘Bug’ has entered your life… YOU WILL!

8 tips for an effective winter weightlifting workout

Short and Explosive Weightlifting Workout Periods

Remember the barbarian workout? It was there that i mentioned to keep your weightlifting workouts intense and explosive. That is the key to building muscle fast and that is when they will grow. So more exercises and reps in a shorter space of time. But we are talking about the winter weightlifting workout here and you there will be days that you enter the gym from a very cold outside terrain. This cold can demotivate you for sure, and that is why you need to up the ante and have the barbarian workout mind set.

Find a Good Gym Partner

Winter nights are generally associated with scarce and lonely nights as less people will be outdoors. You will need to have someone to workout with in the hard winter months as there will be days of cold depression, and just like in the picture above, you will want to run straight back to bed. So make sure you find a gym partner.

Summer is Over! Wrap up

Wrap up on your way to the gym! Now is not the time to show off, and no… you are not invincible. Test mother nature and you will lose.

Dress in layers, using a moisture wicking material closest to your skin. Nike Dri-Fit or similar gear is perfect for running. Add a layer with long sleeves and pants on top of your under garments. Top it up with a waterproof shell. Don’t forget to cover your ears and neck with a scarf or band, and wear gloves. All the things your mother would have taught you back in pre-school.

Drink Up!

Just because it’s cold it doesn’t mean you don’t need to stay hydrated. You’re less likely to notice that you are dehydrated when it’s cold so take extra care to drink fluids before and after working out. Water is recommended.

Cardio in Winter

I mentioned last week in the winter home weightlifting workout post that being in winter is no excuse to avoid cardio… and i meant it. However, conditions may become dangerous, so be careful.

Watch out for ice patches that may be covered by snow. For runners and cyclists, stick to sidewalks and paths that have been cleared of snow and ice. Avoid the snow unless you have waterproof boots as wetness can cause frostbite and hypothermia. No matter what exercise you are doing, make sure your skin stays dry.

Create a Summery Surrounding

During your home workouts things may become boring at times, and as i have mentioned, there will be days when you feel demotivated, especially when you look out of the window. To beat this feeling, get creative and give your home the feeling of summer with summer themed lamp shades, candles, photos, picture frames or anything you can find that is related.

If you drive do the same thing to the inside of your car. Just make sure that you can see out of the windows. I don’t want to put you at risk of any accidents now.

Maintain a Good Diet

I’ve talked about great food combination’s and supplements before on stayfitbug.com. If you have missed them, here are a few,

Optimum 100 whey protein
Killer foods for fitness

It is essential that you keep this up as getting the flu virus is the worst thing that can happen, as that will cause you to lose weight both from the flu, and time out from the gym.

In the next few posts I’ll also show you more great foods and recipes that will help you maintain muscle mass in your weightlifting workouts.

Have you prepared for winter yet?

See you in the comments.

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