Coach Scott Leonard advises how you can maintain motivation heading into the winter months.

With the first snow of the season under our belts and the bay doors at the gym open less and less…we can say winter is coming. For some people this means ski slopes, snowmobiles, pond hockey, and they could not be happier.For others, it means freezing temperatures, mounds of snow, treacherous roadways and reasons to stay inside under the blanket.

In the world of fitness this often means more TV time, more snack time and overall excuses to avoid the gym or at the very least avoid the conditioning aspect of fitness.  We also will run the holiday gauntlet of cookies, drinks, family — which may cause even more drinking — and an overall partaking in an excess of unhealthy foods.  Some like to call this season “Bulking Season”.

There is a vicious cycle of “bulking” in the winter and then the panic in the spring of trying to get ready for beach weather. So how do we defeat the winter body this year or the “but it is bulking season” excuse?  And yes, I know some people do have bulking phases programmed into their plans, however, it does not generally require gallons of eggnog and massive amounts of sugar cookies.  If you're looking to truly bulk this winter, reach out to a staff member and they can help you to add mass in a healthy manner.

Conditioning can get monotonous at best, especially in the winter.  Think treadmills and rowers for days or even months.Running outside in the winter months takes on an adventure race-like atmosphere in New England and should be done with caution.  Let’s face it, for most of us the thought on sitting on the rower or the echo bike for longer than 10 minutes is like a special type of cruelty.

What can we do to beat winter this year?

My suggestion is to trick yourself into thinking it is something else.

Outside chores?  Turn them into a workout — make it a competition against the clock.  Keep the snowblower in the garage and break out the shovel…how fast can you get the driveway done?  I bet if you “throw” snow with a shovel for 20 minutes you may look at it like a true workout, because it is!

Channel your inner Rocky Balboa preparing to fight Ivan Drago.  Take the kids out to play in the snow —  hold races, do sprints — ever do sprints in the snow?  You will not be disappointed.

What if you don’t want to be the polar bear and workout in the snow?  Well then there are a lot of options at home and in the gym.  Think:  High Intensity Interval Training. Here are a couple examples for you to try!

1.)  AMRAP 12:

• 5 Burpee Ball Slams

• 10 KB Swings

• 10 Walking Lunges w/ KB

• 5 KB DL w/ Squat Jumps

2.)  EMOM 2 for 20 Minutes:

(Every 2 minutes complete the following for 20 minutes)

• 12 One-Arm Dumbbell Power Snatches (6 Per Side)

• 6 Slamball Clean and Squat to a Throw (Throw the ball forward, run and repeat)

• 6 DB Abmat Sit Up w/ Press

• Rest for the remainder of the 2 minutes

I suggest starting by finding something that works for you.  Another great option is to enlist a fellow class member(s) to stay after.  Take turns coming up with conditioning workouts.  Have you ever been part of a team or group that had their abilities truly tested?  Have you also noticed that those people come out on the other side as a truly bonded group?

The bond of adversity usually requires a crisis, some sort of hardship and shared pain.  Start putting in the extra work together and who knows what bonds can be formed!

It comes down to not allowing yourself to succumb to the winter blues, the lack of Vitamin D and the lack of motivation.

Get to the gym and get the workout in, do the extra work, enlist classmates to join in the fun, eat healthier than in past winters and kick winter's ass this year!

Coming soon — when you make it into the gym look to the white board.  I plan on changing the Core WODS this winter to incorporate more of a conditioning aspect within the core work itself.

No excuses, people!