Conditioning for winter

Conditioning for Winter -

For those of us that have to contend with months of suck from Old Man Winter, it becomes increasingly harder to get outside to do the things we love.  I have ran many a sprints in snow, so it's not about my vag hurting over the cold.  I love it actually.  The issue is when the snow piles up too high to run effectively or when ice storms come in, and it becomes an injury waiting to happen.  Pushing a prowler or car doesn't work either.  

So one of the things I have done over the years in this regard is to do bodyweight conditioning circuits to stay in as good as shape as I can.  

Generally training can be broken down like this. 

Your core days, where you squat, bench, and dead (and or overhead).  

Your conditioning days where you do the circuits.  

My recommendation is to train your core lifts twice.  So squat and pull on alternating weeks, or squat and pull in the same workout, then bench or press the other day of the week.  Then do the bodyweight conditioning for the other two days.  

The good thing about this is that on the core days you can just focus on that lift, and get more volume in if you want.  The "assistance work" is essentially the bodyweight conditioning stuff.

Circuit #1

Decline Sit Ups - 3,6,9,12,15,12,9,6,3

Bodyweight Squats - 6 reps per round

Dips - 2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2

Chins - 2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2

You can do this a few ways.  You can go through the whole thing non-stop or you can do it with a buddy and take turns going, with the only rest being that you take while your partner does it.  

If you want to make the circuit more demanding add a weighted vest or just up the reps per round.  

Circuit #2

Hanging Leg Raises - 3,6,9,12,15,12,9,6,3

Lunge - 6 reps per round

Push Ups - 5,10,15,20,25,20,15,10,5

Vertical Rows - 3,6,9,12,15,12,9,6,3

Again, work fast and hard.  Adjust the reps based on how hard or easy you want it to be.  If you feel like shit but want to get a workout in anyway just lower the reps.  

Another thing you can do is challenge yourself now and then and just keep going up until you don't want anymore by 1 rep at a time.

Decline Sit Ups - 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15, etc

Bodyweight Squats - same

Dips - same

Chins - same

So you just start with 1 rep then add a rep each circuit.  In this one I recommend no rest and just continue through the circuit until you fail on two of the exercises or just don't want anymore.

For your core lifting days, just do the big lift and go hit a shitty treadmill for 20.  If you have an indoor track use that.  Point is, be creative with your conditioning.  

This will keep you in good enough shape so that when spring rolls back around you won't be dying when you hit the sprints and hills again.