Feeling a bit glum? Are you struggling to get out now that the weather has got noticeably worse? Does it seem a long time until those exciting races planned for next summer?

Do you look at the bike on the turbo trainer with dread of the lonely hours sweating in the garage? Or look at the weather and dread heading out on a run, or to a Club session?

The foundations for next summer are all being built now – and every foundation stone counts. But in addition to keeping motivated, there are some different things that you can do to build a more powerful, more injury-resistant and fitter physique through the darker months.

Of course, there are still duathlons to race or single-sport races such as running or cycling events. But a lot of the benefit of the ‘off-season’ is to change the type of training and take the pressure off in order to build the base for the demands of events next summer.

Here are 8 ideas that can help to make that winter training fun!

1. Try some muddy fun – it is the season for cross country and cyclo-cross. These comparatively short events can count as very efficient, hard training sessions as they use maximum cardiovascular and muscular effort. The uneven terrain builds stride/pedal stroke strength as well as working all of the stabilizing muscles, and there are lots of transferrable skills (such taking the racing line, managing obstacles and cornering/climbing at speed).
2. Get into the gym. The looser schedule in the winter means that you can do more sessions and heavier lifting in the gym, whilst giving your body the post-recovery that it needs. The winter off-season is the perfect time to build in these strength-building programmes (and all in the warm & dry!)
3. Get your equipment set-up. Getting the clothing and equipment all set for your event takes time. It involves a lot of research – both online and actually trying it out in-store or via friends. But this time of year can be end-of-season sales and deals, as well as the chance to drop hints to family on seasonal or birthday gift ideas! And starting the season with the equipment that you will use for your event really makes a difference.
4. Enjoy the freedom. The key for winter success is consistency of aerobic base workouts, rather than the specific builds for one particular event. So you can be flexible according to the weather and switch in which sport works best for the weather – getting outside on those lovely crisp days and doing indoor training on the days when the weather is awful.
5. Dial-in nutrition that really works for you. When you are in the middle of a training bock, trying different nutrition or working on weight loss or trying out different foods is usually completely incompatible with sustaining the workouts. But winter is a time when you can try out different fuelling and find what really works for you. Plus you can create the time to try some different recipes and cooking techniques in the kitchen to become go-to’s when training gets intense.
6. Work on skills – whether in the pool, on the bike, running, transition or mental approach; skills all make a difference to race day. And the brain struggles to keep concentrating and learning for more that 30-40 minutes – so working on your gaps and plugging in a couple of sessions per week to work on skills and drills can be a great use of the winter.
7. Do some easy, fun sessions with friends and family – your training plan building to target events may be time-crunched and focused such that doing fun events with friends is less easy. So now is a time when you can kick-back and enjoy some good steady aerobic runs or rides with friends and the laughs over coffee. And get down to club sessions such as spin, track and swim sessions; most of us are much more motivated when training with a group.
8. Try something new – is there a class that you have always fancied trying? Or a sport that you think looks great fun? Or a challenge that you want to take on? Now is the time!

Don’t worry if you haven’t made it to a club training session for a while – all sessions are built to be adjusted to wherever your fitness and capabilities are right now. So come on down to the pool, the track, the spin studio or the Sunday ride – we’d love to see you!