Winter Training

Source: Men's Fitness

Training in the winter can be tough, due to inclement weather.  In recent weeks, it's been very hard to get out and run, simply due to the accumulation of snow.  One can dress for the temperature, sure...where it gets really dangerous is simply being out.  The snow has to go somewhere, and often where the plow guys put the snow, safe running areas are covered.  Then, during the day, direct sunlight melts some of the snow, which refreezes when the sun goes down, making even cleared areas a hazard.  Add that to the number of people who do not clear accumulated snow and ice off of their vehicles before driving, and don't turn their lights on during times of low light...not to mention texting while they're driving...and I am simply not going outside for a run.

So what do you do?  There's actually quite a lot that you can do.  Here's a great workout I started doing at the beginning of the year...the Pyramid of Pain.  I started doing this workout with three exercises...pullups, pushups, and body weight squats.  I made sure that with the squats, I sat deeply into the squat, with my butt touching the backs of my calves, and I made sure to push through my heals, to the point of raising my toes during the exercise.  The exercise multipliers were: pullups x 1, pushups and squats x 3.  Based on how the pyramid works, when you've completed it, you'll have done 100 pullups, and 300 each of the pushups and squats.

The key to my training this year is variation, so I kept mixing it up.  I only do this  pyramid-type workout once a week, at most.  I usually start with a set or two of light warm up exercises, work straight through the pyramid, and then finish up with whatever I have energy and time for, which can vary.  Toward the end of January, I added sprinter situps to the mix...see the image above.  I make this a two-count exercise...one for each side.  Rather than doing a bunch of abs at the beginning and end of my workout, I added this exercise to do it throughout, with the multiplier of x 1.

Source: Women's Health Mag

This past week, I switched it up again.  Instead of body weight squats, I did lunges, which is a two-count exercise (see the image to the left). So the multipliers were pullups x 1, pushups x 3, lunges x 3, and situps x 1.  To add a just a bit to the pyramid, I repeated the "top" set, so in the end, I'd completed 110 pullups and situps, and 330 pushups and lunges.  Last year, I did sets of lunges starting at 200, and then going up to 300...and they took a lot out of me.  The same is true, even with this rotation.

One thing I did find was that doing the lunges takes a bit longer than doing b/w squats, so your muscles get a bit of a rest.  To compensate for this, I do the lunges as fast as I can while maintaining good form.  Overall, this is a very tough workout.

For those who don't have the time or fitness level, or don't want to do the entire pyramid, a great variation is to go up to level 5 and back down.  That would give you 25 of each exercise with a multiplier of 1.  If you're just getting started, try doing pushups x 1, and 1 pullup, at each level; that would give you 25 pushups and 9 pullups.  As you progress, do the pyramid again.

With a little imagination and strict adherence to form, it's not hard to get a good workout at home or in a small space, when you're not able to get outside, or when doing so simply isn't safe.