How to Climb in the Cold
This year has brought many new impressions. The rise of the house was new to me. This was followed by an open-air climb (which was necessary due to the low ceilings in the garage). And as the seasons changed, I had to climb outdoors into cold, dark and snowy conditions. You can do this. Here are my tips.
Safety first
First, you must put your values in order. I decided that I would only skip workouts if I really can’t lift weights, and not if I just don’t want to. So the first rule is: exercising is more important than feeling comfortable.
But there is one more thing: safety is more important than training. Some climbs require good grip between my shoe and the ground (like a split dash), so if it rains or snows on the day of the push, I swap it for another day in my training schedule.
These priorities lead to trade-offs. I don’t trust gloves to keep myself in control when lifting weights, so I climb with my bare hands in any weather. Safety is always more important than comfort.
Dress warmly
You will need to overlay a layer, of course. Whether you are familiar with winter sports or running in the cold , you know all about it. Wear fleece-lined running tights, layers of shirts and hoodies, a hat or headband, and wool socks.
Beware of cords on sweatshirts, however. I’ve definitely thrown them in my face several times. Tuck in, take off, tie behind the hood . All that is needed.
Whenever you add clothing that you would not normally lift, test it by wearing it on light lifts. It is better to notice that the jacket restricts your arm movement during warm-up than during a max effort attempt. Fortunately, you are more likely to remove rather than add clothing as you workout.
But definitely expect surprises. I noticed a few more:
- Pulling on knee-length sleeves over insulated leggings is more difficult than regular leggings, and sometimes they wrinkle under your knees.
- The giant pom-pom hat is far less distracting than I expected. I wear it every cold day.
- Sliding a waist belt over pockets and zipping over a regular hooded sweatshirt is annoying, but a cropped sweatshirt makes belt work easy.
Stay warm between lifts
If you do a lot of circuit training, where you maintain your heart rate between exercises, this will not be a problem for you. But if you are doing exercises that require good rest between sets , I recommend creating a warm home base to return to during rest.
I go up in the driveway, so my garage is a cozy cave. There I have:
- Camping chair
- Fluffy blanket
- Dry rice pillow that I microwave at the start of my workout.
- Additional layers of clothing
Remember when I said I didn’t wear gloves? After each climb, I go to my cave, sit in a chair, throw a blanket over my lap, and hold a hot rice pillow until my hands are warm again. (For even colder weather, I’m considering making a couple of small rice sock pillows so I can throw them over where my hands touch the bar.)
An electric blanket or heating pad can be a good addition. If I had a heater, I would use it if safety allowed.
Plan everything
As with winter running, the winter climb is easiest to get used to if you start it before the weather gets too bad. One day, you will have to wear a long-sleeved shirt. After a while, you can switch from morning activities to getting up after work when the weather is a little warmer. This allows you to gradually get used to the cold, but also gives you a little more time to think about logistics.
For example, if it’s snowing, shoveling the side of the road where I’m climbing is a top priority. (Ideally, I’ll give him some time to warm up in the sun as well.) I have an old gray bath towel that I use to dry the rugs, or that I can use to dry my gear before putting it on. away to prevent rust.
It gets dark early these days. Do you have a good light source? A hardware store light is a good option if you don’t have a home light that shines in the right place. (Someone once asked if my videos were filmed lifting in the headlights of my car. No, but that would be a good idea.)
Finally, you need to be flexible. I check the weather at the beginning of the week to see which climbs should I do on which day. If the weather is really unbearable, I can do certain exercises indoors and put others off. Sometimes, our tips for making the most of your limited gym time come in handy even if your gym is outdoors.