Written By: Head Trainer, Shawn
You feel it every year.
The weather starts getting nice. You start playing some more sports, you start going for casual fun runs, you start going out on more hikes, camping, playing and spending time outdoors.
Those are all FANTASTIC things and I HIGHLY encourage you to explore all of that and more.
You do, however, need to ask yourself if you’re ready for the demand those activities place on your body.
Unfortunately for all of us here in the midwest, is that the winter creates gaps in our fitness.
The weather is cold and dry. We get a lot less exposure to the real-world and traversing space with our body.
We spend a lot more time on rowers, bikes, ski ergs, treadmills, etc.
Although there is no doubt that all that machine work can help facilitate and train an aerobic base, it’s also much more specific to sitting on something and not going anywhere. You aren’t tasked with moving your body weight through space, which means that our overall base is going to suffer when it comes to running, rucking, hiking, walking and so on.
We also have to consider the structural tolerance that we haven’t spent time with.
Unless you’re one of the crazies that goes for runs when it’s cold and snowy and generally miserable, your ankles, knees, spine, etc. haven’t actually had to deal with and strengthen as a result of you using them repetitively. This leads to imbalances and lower capacity when the weather turns and can present injuries if not careful.
We also haven’t developed the emotional tolerance of steady movement for long periods of time. It’s often not considered, but patience is one of the greatest adaptations from long, slow efforts. And, we don’t have much of it as the winter moves on.
I’m a big fan of defining terms to ensure we are speaking the same language and on the same page.
When I talk about your engine, I’m referring to your work capacity across broad time and modal domains.
We aren’t just thinking about general conditioning from a sweat and fatigue standpoint.
We are referring to your aerobic base and your ability to sustain long, repeated efforts.
We are referring to your recovery capacity. IE. Your ability to recover and repeat efforts across multiple intervals.
We are also discussing your durability. Your body, joints, and various tissues ability to hold up to the demand.
This is different from a brand stroke “being in shape”. This is about resilience and longevity in training and life.
Spring is the perfect time to start intelligently and intentionally rebuilding that base.
Moderate weather equals damn near perfect training conditions. It’ll still be slightly cooler, which means you’ll get away with more sustained output without overheating.
The days are also longer. That gives us much more opportunities and safety in our training.
Motivation is also going to be quite a bit higher. We don’t have the seasonal depression as much. We all feel that unknown weight lifted off our shoulders when the first nice day of the year hits.
This is also the time that all of that training will pay off…
Murph is coming up. Summer activities are looming and competition season kicks off very soon.
The important thing here is that we don’t dive head first and drive intensity immediately.
We want to ensure that we don’t burn out too early in the season. And, honestly, intensity dramatically increases likelihood of burnout.
Intensity also vastly increases likelihood of developing injuries. That’s where the durability comes in. Without it, too much can create over use.
Performance can also suffer if we dive straight into high intensity.
So, start off with a few long and slow sessions and add volume and intensity over the matter of weeks and months. This keeps you safe and gives you the best stimulus.
Thing of longer zone 2, think conversational pace.
Hit some intervals of mixed modal work, with a focus on repeatability.
Avoid chasing the leaderboard and avoid redlining in your training more than 1-2 sessions a week.
Efforts should feel controlled, sustainable and repeatable.
A good engine gives us lots of opportunities outside the gym.
It allows us to play with our kids, go on long hikes, and play in weekend sports without crashing, burning or getting hurt.
This is the point of training. To help facilitate a more fulfilling life where we can do whatever we want when we want.
We are looking for fitness for the unknown and unknowable. IE. For life.
So, enjoy the weather. Get sweaty. Breath hard. And let’s crush our training this spring!
