For the dedicated long-distance runner, rower or cyclist, winter can be a pretty dark time (in more ways than one). Cold, windy and just occasionally wet, it often becomes necessarily to hold back on that early morning run, or to put away the tennis rackets, football boots, etc. just to avoid a debilitating cold. Still, there are lots of alternative ideas for good indoor workouts for winter, and we at the Fitness Store have gathered 6 unique ones that may end up being a totally new experience for you:
Spin Class
Having to put your feet on a set of pedals without that familiar rush of air is a bit depressing, but having to relegate your cycling to an indoor exercise bike brings with it a whole range of opportunities. Spin class will quickly feel like a whole new way to ride, giving you a comprehensive cardiovascular workout in addition to building muscle tone and stamina. Without the worries of gradient or traffic, you can also go all out with interval-cycle runs that will push your body to its limit, and bring you back stronger than ever when it’s time to go back on the 10-speed.
Rock Climbing
For most people, a climbing wall is the stuff of children’s birthday parties and team building exercises. If one dedicates them self however, it can be the cornerstone of a winter workout regime. Whilst the traditional clip-n-climb walls do provide a good dose of exercise, we recommend searching for your nearest bouldering wall to really work up a sweat. Requiring nothing but a pair of climbing shoes, strength and the need for a challenge, you’ll find that a few weeks scaling these walls will leave you with incredible strength, heavy stamina and, yes, some pretty raw hands!
Ice-Skating
Seems self-contradictory, but when the cold starts to take over it may be better time than any to hit the ice. Your local rink will offer loads of opportunities to stay fit: an hour skating laps around the rink will offer a simple but effective leg-workout, whilst joining a hockey team will ensure none of your accumulated hand-eye-coordination and skill goes to waste. Plus, both offer the benefit of heightening your balance and stability in a uniquely satisfying fashion.
Skipping
As any high-tier runner will know, it only takes a few weeks out for your leg muscles to start losing their strength. In our opinion, the best way to keep you and your cardiovascular system in good check is with a humble skipping rope. Once mastered, this old-age exercise tool will work the arms, legs, abs, shoulders, and chest with greater tenacity than any 10K run would. In short: before you start investing in reflective clothing and running shoes with greater traction, definitely consider the jump rope first.
Kettlebells
There’s no shortage of good exercise regimes to go for when you’ve been relegated to the indoors, but it’s hard to do better grabbing a bit of cast iron and taking it for a swing. Mixing strength with heavy doses of cardio, just 20-minutes with a solid set of kettlebells will burn a decent dose of post-Christmas-dinner calories, and there a huge varieties of workouts to try too.
Pool WorkoutsLast but not least, when it’s too cold, wet and miserable to take your exercise outside, why not go where it’s warm, wet and awesome: the pool! Swimming and other pool exercises such as deep water running and water aerobics should really be a part of your schedule all year round, but if you want to experience the novelty of a good swim, the refreshing feeling of warmed-up water and the (optional) follow-up of a sauna during the chilliest point of the year, we don’t blame you.
Do you have any favourite indoor workouts for winter? Let us know via The Fitness Store Facebook page and Twitter.
