Five dynamite ways to stay fit in the off season!

Are you a snowsports enthusiast, or maybe an outdoor climber? Perhaps you even surf during the summer months, in order to stay fit.

While outdoor sports are becoming more popular with a broader demographic of people, there will always be one downside: that is, you have to compete with the weather.

Take the UK for example. The health and fitness industry has enjoyed a huge surge in numbers in recent years. With the rise in health conscious people, comes and concurrent rise in sports clubs and fitness providers offering premium services.

Of course, while such clubs are excellent facilities, and enjoy year-round popularity for the large part, what they can't account for is the unpredictable weather. And for anyone who has visited or lived in the UK, boy do we get unpredictable weather...

Outdoor sports are also, in many instances, completely reliant on certain types of weather.

A surfer can't ply their trade without waves and ocean swells; a skier can't head to the slopes if there isn't any snow; a climber can't hope to reach the summit if the boulders are wet. Surely then, this means that all training comes to a crashing halt as soon as the weather turns for the worst...

Or does it? Here are five of the best, personal trainer verified techniques for improving your fitness and skillset in the off-season!

1. Get in peak condition with core muscle workouts

Core muscle workouts should be a staple of any outdoor sports enthusiasts exercise repertoire. Your core, or your trunk, comprises of all the muscles that aren't located in the extremities (legs and arms). Having a strong core improves balance, power, and can vastly improve performance in sports where dynamic movements are common - eg. skiing, climbing, surfing, and snowboarding.

2. Brush up on new skills using indoor facilities

What happens when you can't train outside? Go inside! With the resurgence in health and fitness facilities over the last decade has come a more varied selection of facilities catering for niche sports. There are, for example, some world class Skiing UK venues now available to train in the off season, in addition to bouldering venues, indoor trampoline parks, and even wave centres. Such venues can be a great way to brush up on your skills during otherwise adverse conditions.

3. Maximise your potential by focusing on functional fitness

Functional fitness is one of those things that encompasses a variety of different exercises. The term refers to fitness that we use in everyday life: or to put it another way, improving fitness in a way that helps our bodies function. To improve functional fitness, focus on compound exercises that improve strength in a natural way, working a variety of muscle groups at one (as opposed to isolated exercise that only improve strength in one). Such exercises include squats, deadlifts, lunges, planks, and rows.

4. Nail your nutrition to make the most of exercise gains

You might be surprised to hear that exercise is only half of the story. You may be even more surprised to hear that, in actual fact, it might not even be half. Nutrition really is the key to success when it comes to maintaining fitness and form in the off-season. If you do have to reduce your exercise hours, be sure to eat a balanced diet, loading up on carbs and protein when the exercise eventually kicks back in. Many people also swear by Paleo diets, as a result of the abundance of muscle-repairing proteins, and naturally sources of carbohydrates.

5. Alternate sports between seasons to see all-round benefits

This much should be obvious. Don't feel like you have to be monogamous with your sport in the off-season. Go and try new things. If, for example, you play rugby through the winter months, maybe try rugby league in the summer season. Varying your sports will also give you new skills, and improve areas of fitness you may currently fall short on.

George Aird is a fitness expert, with knowledge of personal training and nutrition. He trains at OriGym Centre of Excellence