If you’re an athlete that participates in a summer sport and you want to not only maintain but improve upon your potential then you need to participate in a winter exercise program.

The reason for this is simple. If you don’t keep your muscles, endurance capacity, cardio rate, etc elevated and working during the off-season then you will lose some of what you had and you surely won’t improve. Even if you think that minimum conditioning in the winter will keep you ready, you’ll find that your athletic skills will still have declined come playing time.

Your Body Adapts

The human body is very adaptable and will quickly adjust to the conditions it finds itself in. When you are training and playing sports regularly, the body gets used to the workouts and demands that you place on it and increases its metabolism, muscle cell production and even energy from your central nervous system to coincide with the demand.

However, when you slow down or stop the level of exercise you were participating in, the body adapts once again and all these areas decline. There occurs a degradation of your game skills, agility, endurance, speed and ability to burn calories and fat.

The Importance of a Winter Training Program

Regardless of your sport, the winter months should be used to maintain and even build endurance and strength qualities through cardio workouts, strength training programs and plyometrics. Many sport movements can be simulated which is a good way to keep skills sharpened.

Besides keeping your body at a performance or near performance level, off-season workout routines will help to keep off those extra pounds that the winter months and, especially, the holidays can supply. A small increase in your fat layer can significantly hinder your speed and athletic abilities.

Create a Conditioning Pyramid

In order to help you meet your off-season exercise goals, you should create a conditioning pyramid. This is a progressive training plan that begins with your basic exercises that work to maintain your overall physical condition and then adds more refined exercises which target areas for specific athletic improvements as the program progresses.

Start with basic cardio and strength conditioning and then, when your sports season draws nearer, excel with your targeted strength training and exercise programs. If you need assistance creating your conditioning pyramid, talk with a professional sports trainer, or glean advice from seasoned athletes in your particular sports genre.

Obtain a Pre-Season Advantage

If you fail to initiate and carry out an off-season exercise regimen, you will find that before you can achieve athletic progress in the spring, you’ll first have to work through all the bad affects that those months of slacking created.

However, if you employ a solid winter exercise program then when the pre-season finally does arrive, you won’t have to “catch up” like many of your other teammates and competitors, but will have the edge of being able to go right into skill development.