Winter workout-keeping fit in the cold.
Nathan Tabengwa.
Summer is over,we are slowing putting away our shorts,tank
tops and pulling out our coats,jackets and cooking fattier food to keep the
body warm.As much as I love winter I cant help but notice that the number of
gym patrons reduces as if the weather cut their budgets and commitment in
half.So its quite a fair assumption to say that the cold weather hinders
exercise.I have struggled with the same problem for years but then I have found
a solution,an easy but effective regime.Each time winter began I would lose
interest in the gym then I read some piece on the internet which said it took
only twenty one days to build a habit…including a bad one.So the solution to
keeping working out in winter is to make you condition yourself to exercise
religiously for twenty one days just to keep the body interested in the whole
activity.
Now comes the tricky part smuggling some gym time on those
cold days,I decided to cut the gym out totally and work from home,the best
times being in the morning.the first half hour of me waking up.My workout is
then divided into three parts:warm up,intensity and cool down.
Warm Up
My warm up usually involves a light jog of two minutes(on
the spot) stretching,starting with the large muscle groups like the
hamstrings,quadriceps,calves.Then I bring it all up to the arms,back and neck.
Intensity
My intensity session rarely involves any weight training,I starts
with
The push up
The important part is to get this one right,assume the push
up position legs straight,hands beneath your shoulders.Brace your abdominals
keep the body rigid then lower yourself till your chest touches the floor,then push
your body back up maintaining its rigidity.Do at least 15 of these(they are going
to hard).
Squats
This works out the most essential muscle in the body the
quads,we need these to be able to spend the day on our legs and for running and
walking.So you stand legs shoulder width apart arms outstretched in front of
you,then slowly lower your upper body to a squatting position till your arms
are parallel to the ground hold for three seconds then slowly raise your
body.Repeat this action till you reach 30.
Pelvic lift
No workout is ever complete without an abdominal muscle
exercise and this is the holy grail,it targets the lower,mid and upper abs its
execution is as important.You lie on the ground and raise your legs till you
form a right angle(90 degrees),keep your arms on your sides and palms facing
down.Raise your hips off the ground as you breathe out trying to push your feet
to the highest point in the air.Keep your head grounded at all times,lower your
hips and attempt another rep.Try at 10 of these if you will manage.
Tricep dips
For a men to have the biggest triceps around he has to make
sure to not only work his biceps,the front part of your arm muscles he has to
make sure he works the triceps as they make up a large area of the arm.The best
position to do this is in the bathroom on the egde of the tub.Stand with your
back to the length of the tub,place your arms on the top of the tub with your
heels a metre from the tub.Bend your arms lowering your body so that your
elbows are parallel to the ground,raise yourself up to the starting position.Do
at least 25 of these.
Cool down
This involves a short cardiovascular session and stretching
of the major muscle groups to prevent lactic acid build up and post workout
injury.
Skipping
This should be done using a rope that is suitable to the
height of the user.To determine this,you step on the rope with one leg and pull
the rope up to your mid section,it should be at least four fingers from the
base of your pectorals.
The skipping session should last at least 3-5minutes long.
Stretching
The same stretches done during warm up should be repeated.
The whole principle behind this workout is to keep the body
optimum even during the cold season,the most certain thing is that you wont be
taking off your t-shirt in public but when you need to,its quite essential not
to look like the Michelin man but a carbon copy of Iron man.
Hope you enjoy your winter and workout to maintain that
great body.
