Lionel University Blog

Winter Workout Plans: How to Make them More Effective for Clients

Written by Lionel Staff | Nov 17, 2020 3:12:41 PM

During the holidays and cold weather, you should be following these winter workout tips to keep up with your exercise even as cold temperatures plummet. This is especially the case because cold weather often reduces motivation. When you combine this with the common winter weight gain from the holidays, it’s no wonder why people have a tough time getting back into the swing of things when the New Year hits. 

It’s a tough time to avoid unwanted weight gain during the winter months. This study even shows that the lack of sun and the much needed Vitamin D during the wintertime can also contribute to weight gain. What’s more, the holidays also encourage overindulgence and busy schedules, which keeps regular fitness go-ers from their usual workout routine. 

Don’t leave your clients out in the cold to figure out how to stay healthy and fit themselves. Instead, create more effective winter workout plans that keep them motivated, on track, and excited about staying fit. Here, we’ll give some cold weather workout tips for your outdoor workout. Then, we’ll help you plan for bad winter weather where you can take your workouts inside.

 

Keep Reading: 3 Health Tactics to Have Less Stress This Holiday Season

 

Mayo Clinic Tips For Exercise In Cold Temperatures

If you love to exercise outdoor, then snow and wind chill play a big part in what you do and how you do it. Here’s a summary of the Mayo Clinic outdoor workout recommendations. 

  • If the wind chill falls below minus 18 F, opt for indoor workouts to avoid frostbite.
  • Know the signs of hypothermia (shaking, loss of coordination, slurred speech, fatigue)
  • Choose workout clothes that layer so you can remove them as your body heat rises and you begin to sweat and then quickly put back on
  • Protect your head, hands, ears, and feet during cold weather exercise
  • Continue to wear safety gear and sunscreen
  • Stay hydrated with water–you’re still losing water during outdoor workouts 

Indoor Winter Workout Tips

There are many ways to keep clients motivated and moving all winter long. Use these tips to develop winter workout plans that are personalized, take COVID into account, and help clients feel supported and encouraged, rather than stressed and anxious. 

Emphasize Healthy Habits

Remind clients of the importance of daily healthy habits, not just exercise, for staying on track all season long. Share tips and guidance for eating a nourishing diet, being active every day, managing stress, getting outside, and getting enough sleep. This could come in the form of a daily checklist or a complete add-on program. 

 

Keep Reading: 5 Reasons to Keep a Sleep Log for Fitness Success

Create Personal Workout Plans

A custom workout plan may be just what your clients need to get them through winter. To do so, you need to start with a 1:1 meeting so you can get to know what each client needs right now, whether that be shorter workouts, bodyweight options, or a completely new modality for moving the body. Use this as an opportunity to check-in and create a winter workout plan they’ll actually stick with. 

Pre-Record Workouts

Build your winter workout plans around pre-recorded workout videos. This is a good way to help clients follow their programs while also managing a busy schedule. Instead of meeting each week, they can access your pre-recorded video and do it on their own time. 

Don’t forget to build these videos into your marketing plan—you can share them on social media or even YouTube to grow your audience. 

 

Keep Reading: The Key Elements of a Marketing Plan for Your Fitness Business 

 

Loan Out Equipment

Clients who are transitioning to at-home workouts for the first time may not have the much-needed equipment to complete their workouts and keep making progress. If you have equipment on hand, loan it to your clients or even include them in the cost of the winter workout plan. 

Offering exercise bands, a TRX, or some free weights can help your clients complete a more challenging workout. Even if you can’t offer them equipment, provide ways to improvise and use house-hold items for adding resistance or making a movement more challenging.  

Use An App

Clients likely rely heavily on their phones to manage their lives, so why not stay connected this winter with an app. There are many platforms that allow you to both create and share your clients’ winter workout plans, while also tracking and managing their progress, scheduling calls, and sessions, and sharing instructions.

Having an app at the clients’ fingertips makes you easily accessible and helps them to stick to a plan, no matter how hectic the schedule. Some of the most popular apps include Trainerize, MyPTHub, Naamly, and Train Heroic. 

Start an Accountability Group

Accountability is one of the many factors that motivate clients to get and stay active. This winter, create an accountability group with all your clients. You can do this with a Facebook Group, where everyone joins, shares updates, supports one another, and more. This is also a great way to stay in touch with clients, so they feel connected to you, even when it’s busy. 

Stay in Touch

Keep the personal in personal training this winter. Keep in touch with your clients, whether through an accountability group or regular check-ins, think: bi-monthly Zoom calls. This is a time to show you care by checking in and making sure their current program is still working for them.  

Host Group Workouts on Zoom

Build community, offer accountability, and make working out at home more fun with online group workouts. Better yet, use this as a chance to keep things interesting for clients all winter long. Here are a few ways you can switch things up with online group workouts: 

  • Allow clients to invite friends and family members to join once a month. 
  • Create themed workouts that go along with the holidays. 
  • Take client requests; try HIIT one week and dance-based fitness another. 

Plan Winter Workout Challenges

Sometimes a little healthy competition is what clients need to stay engaged in a program and there are many ways to boost the fun of your winter workout programs with a fun competition. Here are some ideas to consider:

  • Compete for most weekly or monthly workouts completed.
  • Have a contest for steps taken or mileage logged. 
  • Create a month-long challenge each month. For example, a squat challenge or a push-up challenge, where each day is incrementally harder.

Share Healthy Recipes

One of the biggest struggles during the winter is managing holiday meals and then eating healthy when everywhere we look is comfort food. Make it easier for clients to eat healthy all winter long by creating winter workout plans that include nutrition guidelines and healthy recipes. This is not only helpful for the client, but it allows you to stand out as a personal trainer who does more than just write workouts. 

Make Your Winter Workout Plans More Effective

Training doesn’t have to be non-existent during the winter. You can provide your clients with well thought out winter workout plans that help them reach their goals and stay motivated. From challenges to group workouts, use what you have to keep clients healthy all season long.

With an exercise degree program, you’ll be able to program a client to success no matter what the weather conditions. You’ll learn how to keep them active and sticking to their workout routine through motivation and coaching. Exercise science degree programs offer a holistic approach. And, while having a personal training certification can help you get a job, an exercise science degree is even more impressive. This allows you to work with more client types, charge more per session, and provide additional service beyond traditional fitness training.

Regardless of whether you’re pursuing an associates degree, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree, at Lionel, you earn multiple certifications and specializations along the way. This means you can start working as a fitness and nutrition professional even before graduation day! And, with the help of financial aid, earning your exercise science degree is even more of a possibility. 

Check out our programs and contact Lionel today!