Leaves are on the ground, and maybe some snow. Its winter. Which has its pros and cons. Ya it sucks that its getting colder, but we have clothes that help with that. Its getting darker sooner, but we have lights for that. Yes the wet terrain is slippery, and for that we have tires. For all the excuses out there, there are answers.
The fall weather may not stop you from getting out and riding. There are many good reasons for it. Its nice and cool, so you don't have to worry about sweating out buckets while climbing the Old Buck. At the landscape is painted with colourful leaves, rich soil, and lush greenery.
If the weather isn't perfect that is always the pre and post ride coffee to bail out a rough cold ride. I recently went for a ride with friend's Connor Macleod, Jeff Hunter, and Jordan Manley. When leaving the weather was a typical grey fall day. Once on the way from Lonsdale over to Seymour the rain found its opportunity to pounce upon us. We ended up tackling a grueling climb up the powerlines, with wet snow to add salt to our wounds. Coming back from the ride we we all talking about what a good ride it was. We were all stoked to have been out riding, that we pushed ourselves, and rode some great trails.
Some days however, you have to leave the bike at home. If its going to be anything like last season, I`ll be leaving my bike at home once or twice a week to ski. We are surrounded by mountains, and sometimes its best to take advantage of the snowy ones. I still feel like I`m keeping active when I'm out skiing, especially when I throw the skins on and go for a walk.
I do still find myself looking for an outlet during the week, and the conditions aren't always great for night riding after work. So I try and keep in shape over the winter by getting in the gym or the climbing gym. Climbing is something I just started taking up with fall. I had been going to the rec center and weight training for many years. And although its a means to and end, keeping strong to prevent injuries, I wanted something new and challenging. Climbing is something I never thought I would get into, but the challenge is addictive. I think if I keep it up, I won't be feeling the arm pump at Whistler anymore!
I'll still end up doing the odd gym day to mix it up this winter. Going to the gym might seem like a simple way to keep fit and work on strength, but guess again. Just like picking up and bike for the first time and fumbling down the trails, we can all be gym joey's I'm sure. Weight training isn't just lifting heavy objects. You've got to know what muscle groups you want to target, and it probably would hurt to know why you are targeting them as well.
Once you know why and what you want to do, you probably want to know how to correctly go about doing this. Ya ya, I know what you're thinking... What kind of protein powder should I buy and do I get a T-shirt with a popular spinach eating cartoon's name on it when I buy said protein powder? It true, we all want to look cool shaking our protein drinks around in our Tupperware, checking out eachother's lats, and talking about the last UFC fight, but more important than all of that is knowing the right technique. Stacking on all the weight, getting buff, and hitting the tanning beds comes after.
If you add all of this together I would suggest considering a good trainer. I was fortunate enough to request the knowledge and experience of Monika Marx of Marx Conditioning.
Monika and I first spoke about why I was looking about training in the gym. I was looking to keep fit and stung with a focus on exercises directed towards cycling. We talked about previous injuries I had, and checked out my strength and flexibility. She then gave me a few exercises to focus on and and showed me the correct technique on how to execute them. I found this really interesting and helpful at balancing out my strenths and weaknesses. I would highly suggest that if you want to work on your fitness over the winter and really benefit from it, check out marxconditioning.ca.
Keep busy over the winter and have fun doing it!
-Scott
