Your winter workout plan: Don’t put your exercise on ice - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Air Force Times

Your winter workout plan: Don’t put your exercise on ice

The weather outlook for the next few months may seem grim, especially for your fitness regimen. You could hibernate like a bear until spring. You could drag through some halfhearted, irregular workouts. Or you could plan a systematic approach to improve your fitness base and lessen your chances of injury during next year’s peak outdoor months.

Some ideas for a three-part approach to getting fitter this winter:

Rest & rehab

For those dealing with a nagging injury, look at winter as your chance to rest the affected body part or to go see a doctor or physical therapist.

Take it (mostly) easy. There’s no honor lost by taking some downtime, especially if you had a competitive season and attained some personal records. A couple of weeks off to let the muscles rejuvenate and ease the joints from cumulative impact is the right way to go. If you’re experiencing joint issues, always check with your doctor or a physical therapist. To still get a workout in, consider low- or no-impact machines such as the elliptical or a bike. If you have access to an indoor pool, see what your doctor thinks about a swim program. Finally, if you have access to an upper body ergonometer or “arm bike,” it’s possible to tax your cardio system while utilizing only your upper body.

Get your back on track. If you’re experiencing lower back pain, try the following:

• Walk on a treadmill carrying a backpack with 2 to 5 pounds of weight in the bottom. This pulls your shoulders back and activates the muscles around the lower part of the spine.

• Practice weight-assisted pull-ups on your gym’s gravitron machine. This builds strong lats, which help protect the back.

• Do planks. Start in a push-up position but on your knees and forearms. Hold a level hip line for a 20-second count, building up to a minute. Progress to a plank on your forearms and toes, starting with a short count and building up to a minute.

Rebuild your base

Take the winter to target weak spots, strengthen your core and improve flexibility.

Be flexible. Yoga has long been established as the fundamental activity for improving flexibility and range of motion. It lengthens the muscle structure and helps build ligament and tendon strength around the joint areas.

You could skip the frigid house-car-gym-and-back trip and try out DVDs until you find a challenging program that you enjoy. Netflix and other online streaming sites have large libraries of streamable yoga videos.

Straight to the core. Use the dark days of winter to stiffen your torso so you are less prone to injury, especially to your back. For the three moves that follow, when you achieve the correct posture, lengthen the time you hold the final position.

• Start in a push-up position, hands placed underneath the shoulders, and attempt to cross one hand over the other. Your pelvis and rib cage should remain locked and parallel to the floor. Have a partner check to make sure your pelvis doesn’t rise or tip to one side. Perform the exercise in small time increments while maintaining a locked and steady torso, progressing until you can cross one hand over the other.

• Again from the push-up position, raise one leg off the floor. Practice small progressions until you can raise your leg to the level of your trunk.

• The final progression: Raise a leg and the opposite hand, keeping the pelvis and rib cage locked and in line. Transition between hand-leg combinations without raising or rotating the pelvis.

Get on the ball. Physio ball exercises also help to stiffen the torso. Lie on your back with your feet on a ball. (Your arms will be in one of the four positions described below.) Raise your hips to form the bridge position, creating a straight line from your shoulders through your hips to your feet. Hold for a count of 10. Do not progress until you can hold the position for the entire 10-count. Return to lying on the floor, rest 10 to 20 seconds and repeat. Progressions are:

• Lie with your arms extended out to either side.

• Lie with your arms at your sides.

• Lie with your arms at your sides, but raise your forearms so only your upper arms touch the floor.

• Extend your arms overhead.

The home stretch. Resistance bands, especially the closed-loop type, are perfect for when you want to stay in but still work out. Bands can be used to work the often neglected obliques:

Take a loop band and attach it to a fixed point about chest high. While grasping the free end in both hands, step sideways until the band is stretched taut. Extend your arms straight forward from your chest. Hold for a count of five. Repeat at least 10 times, then turn to the other side.

Add a twist. Target your core with rotational work. Grab a weight bag or plate. Start with it at the outside of the left foot and lift to high outside the right shoulder, rotating your trunk to the right. Repeat the other way.

Improve endurance

When it’s too cold to go out, replace running with indoor cardio exercises such as rowing or spinning. When you do want to venture out, take steps to stay safe.

Row over. I consider the rower to be the overall single best combination of cardio and strength. It works legs, upper back, shoulders, arms, abs and — most importantly — your cardiovascular system.

Get with a trainer or an experienced rower to learn correct technique. The benefits include stronger ligaments and tendons around the joints and increased flexibility. My rower of choice is made by Concept2.

Spin cycle. Spinning — indoor cycling with an instructor — is usually done to music that mirrors the intensity or virtual terrain that you are cycling. Classes can last from 45 minutes to two hours. It’s low-impact and great for your cardio system. I’ve found that people who do a spin class at least once a week lower their run times.

If you don’t want to go to a class but have a stationary bike, TV and DVD player, try one of the “Epic Rides” and watch passing scenery anywhere from San Diego to Vermont.

Cool running. Armed with knowledge and the right gear, it’s possible to run all winter in many climates. Be sure to set realistic goals — winter isn’t the time to triple your mileage — and that you take time to acclimatize. Dress for what will be comfortable about 10 minutes into your workout, once you’ve warmed up. To take the edge off the beginning of a run, throw your clothes in the dryer for a few minutes before heading out the door.

Keep in mind the signs for hypothermia (severe shivering, reduced coordination, slurred speech and fatigue) and frostbite (a bit of hard, pale skin that is cold to the touch) and seek immediate medical attention if needed. For more winter running tips, click here.