Winter Workout 101: How to Build Muscle and Stay Fit

4-Day Winter Workout at Home

This plan uses minimal equipment (dumbbells and resistance bands) and focuses on higher repetitions to create the stimulus needed for muscle growth. This is a great winter workout for beginners or anyone with limited equipment.

Perform these workouts on non-consecutive days (e.g. A, B, rest, A, B, rest, rest).

Exercise Instructions

Proper form is essential for maximizing results and preventing injury (14). Below, you’ll find step-by-step instructions for every exercise that’s featured in the gym-based and at-home winter workout plans. Follow each movement closely, focusing on both technique and control.

Barbell Bench Press

1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet planted firmly on the floor.
2. Grip the barbell so your hands are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Unrack the bar and position it above your sternum with your arms locked.
4. Inhale, then lower the bar slowly to touch your mid-chest, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle.
5. Press the bar upward until your arms are fully extended, exhaling as you complete the rep.

Bent Over Rows

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, barbell in hands with an overhand grip.
2. Hinge from your hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor, letting the bar hang at arm’s length.
3. Engage your core and drive your elbows behind you, pulling the bar toward your lower ribs.
4. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top.
5. Lower the bar back to the starting position in a controlled manner.

Incline Dumbbell Press

1. Set the bench to a 30-45-degree angle and sit with a dumbbell in each hand, resting on your thighs.
2. Lie back, bringing the dumbbells to shoulder height with your palms facing forward.
3. Press the weights upward, locking out your arms overhead.
4. Lower the dumbbells under control to the starting position, elbows at about a 45-degree angle.

Lat Pulldowns

1. Sit at the lat pulldown machine, adjusting the thigh pad tightly against your thighs.
2. Grasp the bar with a wide, overhand grip.
3. Pull the bar down toward your upper chest, driving your elbows down and back.
4. Pause at the bottom, feeling your lats contract, then return the bar slowly to the top.

Dumbbell Lateral Raises

1. Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, your arms at your sides.
2. With a slight bend in your elbows, raise the dumbbells outward to shoulder height.
3. Hold for a second, then lower with control back to your sides.

Tricep Pushdowns

1. Stand at a cable station fitted with a straight or angled bar attached high.
2. Grip the bar with your palms facing down and your elbows tucked at your sides.
3. Push the bar straight down until your arms are fully extended.
4. Return the bar up slowly until elbows are at 90 degrees.

Dumbbell Bicep Curls

1. Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand, your arms extended and your palms facing forward.
2. Keeping your elbows close to your torso, curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders.
3. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower slowly to the starting position.

Barbell Squats

1. Step under the bar, positioning it on your upper back (traps), and grasp it with both hands.
2. Take a step back, set your feet shoulder-width apart, and make sure your toes are turned slightly out.
3. Brace your core and squat down by bending your hips and knees, keeping your chest up.
4. Lower until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground.
5. Push through your feet to stand back up, keeping your back straight.

Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)

1. Stand holding a barbell or dumbbells at thigh height, your feet hip-width apart.
2. Keeping your knees softly bent, hinge at your hips, lowering the weight along your legs.
3. Maintain a straight, neutral spine as you lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
4. Contract your glutes and hamstrings to return to a standing position.

Leg Press

1. Sit on the leg press machine with your feet shoulder-width apart in the middle of the platform.
2. Unrack the safety handles and slowly lower the platform toward your chest by bending at the knees.
3. Press the platform away by driving through your heels, extending your legs (avoid locking out the knees).

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Leg Curls

1. Lie face down on a leg curl machine, positioning the roller pad just above your ankles.
2. Grip the handles, engage your abs, and curl your legs up as far as possible.
3. Slowly lower the pad back to the starting position without letting the weights touch.

Seated Calf Raises

1. Sit at the calf raise machine with the pad resting on your thighs and your feet on the platform.
2. Press through the balls of your feet to extend your ankles fully.
3. Lower your heels under control, feeling a stretch in your calves at the bottom.

Ab Rollouts

1. Kneel with an ab wheel or barbell on the floor in front of you.
2. Grip the handles and slowly roll the wheel forward, extending your body while keeping your back flat and core braced.
3. Pause when your torso is just above the floor, then pull the wheel back to the starting position.

Dumbbell Bench Press (Floor)

1. Lie on the floor holding a dumbbell in each hand, your upper arms on the ground and your elbows bent at 90 degrees.
2. Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended above your chest.
3. Lower the dumbbells back down until your upper arms make contact with the floor.

Seated Cable Rows

1. Sit at a cable row station, your feet braced on the platform and your knees bent slightly.
2. Grip the handle with both hands, your arms extended.
3. Pull the handle toward your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Slowly extend your arms back to the start.

Machine Chest Fly

1. Sit in the chest fly machine, gripping the handles with your elbows slightly bent.
2. With a smooth motion, bring your hands together in front of your chest.
3. Slowly return your arms to the starting position, feeling the stretch across your chest.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows

1. Place one knee and hand on a bench, your opposite foot flat on the ground.
2. With the other hand, grip a dumbbell, your arm fully extended.
3. Row the dumbbell upwards toward your hip, keeping your elbow close to your body.
4. Lower back to the starting position under control.

Cable Lateral Raises

1. Stand next to a low cable pulley with the handle attached, holding the handle with your hand that is furthest from the machine.
2. With a slight bend in your elbow, raise your arm out to the side until it’s at shoulder height.
3. Lower slowly back to your side.

Overhead Tricep Extensions

1. Stand or sit, holding a single dumbbell with both hands above your head, your arms extended.
2. Keeping your upper arms steady, bend your elbows to lower the weight behind your head.
3. Extend your arms to return to the start position.

Hammer Curls

1. Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, your palms facing your torso.
2. Keeping your elbows close to your body, curl the weights up, maintaining a neutral grip.
3. Squeeze at the top, then lower slowly.

Leg Extensions

1. Sit at a leg extension machine, with the pad above your feet and your knees in line with the machine’s pivot.
2. Extend your legs fully, contracting your quads.
3. Lower the weight slowly to the start position.

Dumbbell Lunges

1. Stand upright, holding a dumbbell in each hand, your feet hip-width apart.
2. Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at 90 degrees.
3. Push through your lead foot to return to the starting position. Alternate legs each rep.

Glute Ham Raises

1. Adjust the glute ham developer so your feet are secured and your knees are on the pad.
2. Lower your upper body toward the floor, keeping your back straight.
3. Contract your glutes and hamstrings to raise your upper body back up.

Standing Calf Raises

1. Stand on the edge of a step or calf raise platform with your heels hanging off.
2. Push through the balls of your feet to raise your body upward.
3. Lower your heels back down below the step to feel a stretch.

Hanging Leg Raises

1. Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms extended.
2. Keeping your legs straight, raise them up in front of you until they’re parallel with the floor.
3. Lower your legs slowly to the starting position.

Band Pull-Aparts

1. Hold a resistance band in front of you at shoulder height, your arms straight and your hands shoulder-width apart.
2. Pull the band apart by moving your hands out to your sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
3. Return your arms to the starting position with control.

Plank

1. Get into a forearm plank position: elbows under shoulders, toes on the ground, body straight from head to heels.
2. Maintain a tight core, glutes, and legs, avoiding hip sag or pike.
3. Hold for your designated time.

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts (At-Home Variation)

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, dumbbells at your thighs.
2. Hinge at your hips, slightly bending the knees while lowering the dumbbells along your legs.
3. Stop when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then return to standing by driving your hips forward.

Dumbbell Overhead Press

1. Stand or sit with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, your palms facing forward.
2. Press the weights overhead until your arms are fully extended.
3. Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders with control.

Banded Rows

1. Secure a resistance band to a sturdy anchor at chest height.
2. Grasp the band handles or ends with both hands, your arms extended.
3. Pull the band toward your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Release under control to the starting position.

Banded Tricep Pushdowns

1. Attach a resistance band overhead (like to a door anchor).
2. Stand upright, grip the band with both hands, your elbows tucked at your sides.
3. Extend your arms downward, keeping your elbows stationary.
4. Return slowly to the start position.

Glute Bridges

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground, hip-width apart.
2. Press your feet into the floor and lift your hips up, squeezing your glutes at the top.
3. Pause, then lower your hips back to the floor.

If you enjoy outdoor cardio, you can still do it in winter. Find out more about cold weather jogging.

Read more: 6 Best Exercises for Skiing: Prepare Yourself for the Winter Fitness Challenge

Why Is It Hard to Work Out in Winter?

There are both psychological and physiological reasons why working out can feel more challenging in winter.

1. Reduced Motivation: Shorter days and less sunlight can disrupt your circadian rhythm and lower levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects mood. This can lead to decreased motivation and energy (3).
2. Comfort and Warmth: The simple appeal of staying warm and cozy indoors can be a powerful deterrent to getting out for a workout, particularly if it involves going out in the cold.
3. Physiological Response to Cold: When you first step into the cold, your blood vessels constrict to reduce heat loss from your skin’s surface. This can make your muscles feel stiff. Your body has to work harder to maintain its core temperature, which increases your overall energy expenditure (2).
4. Logistical Hurdles: Inclement weather, such as snow or ice, can make traveling to the gym or exercising outdoors unsafe or impossible.

Acknowledging these challenges is the first step. By creating a structured plan and understanding the “why” behind your winter workout, you can overcome these hurdles.

What Are Some Tips for Working Out in Winter?

To stay consistent and effective with your winter workout routine, consider these practical tips.

• Prioritize Your Warm-Up: In the cold, your muscles and joints need more time to prepare for exercise (12). Extend your warm-up to 10-15 minutes, focusing on dynamic stretches such as leg swings, arm circles, and bodyweight squats to increase blood flow and muscle temperature.
• Layer Your Clothing: If you exercise outdoors, dress in layers. A moisture-wicking base layer, an insulating middle layer, and a waterproof/windproof outer layer will keep you warm and dry. You can remove layers as you warm up (15).
• Stay Hydrated: Cold, dry air increases water loss through respiration. Continue to drink water before, during, and after your workouts (16).
• Focus on Nutrition: As the research on military personnel showed, energy demands can be higher in winter (7). Ensure you’re eating enough calories to support your training and muscle growth. A target protein intake of 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight is a good benchmark for muscle building (17). Don’t forget to supplement with Vitamin D, as your natural production will be lower (6).
• Set a Schedule: Treat your workouts like appointments. Having a set schedule reduces the likelihood of skipping a session due to low motivation.
• Find a Training Partner: Accountability can be a powerful motivator. Training with a friend can help you both stay on track during the colder, darker months.
• Have a Backup Plan: Have a winter workout at home plan ready for days when the weather prevents you from getting to the gym or exercising outside. This is a great time to explore different winter exercise ideas that don’t require a lot of space or equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is it bad to work out in cold air?

No, it’s generally not bad to work out in cold air for healthy individuals. The body is effective at warming inhaled air before it reaches the lungs. However, for people with respiratory conditions, cold, dry air can be an irritant (15). It’s always best to listen to your body and consult a healthcare professional if you have any concerns.

• Are muscles weaker in the cold?

Initially, yes. When muscles are cold, their ability to contract forcefully and quickly is reduced. This is due to slower nerve signaling and stiffer muscles (18). This is why a thorough warm-up is essential in winter – it increases muscle temperature and restores their normal function and strength capacity (12).

• Which weather is best for the gym?

From a performance perspective, moderate temperatures are generally considered optimal. Extreme heat or cold places additional stress on the body to regulate its temperature, which can divert energy away from the muscles. 

However, the best weather for the gym is any weather that doesn’t prevent you from getting there. Consistency trumps all other factors.

• How cold is too cold to exercise?

There is no universal temperature that is “too cold”, as factors such as wind chill, humidity, and individual tolerance play a significant role. Most experts advise caution when the wind chill drops below -18°C (0°F). At these temperatures, the risk of frostbite and hypothermia increases significantly. It is crucial to wear appropriate layers and limit the duration of exposure (15).

The Bottom Line

Winter isn’t a season to put your fitness goals on hold. It’s a prime opportunity to focus on building strength and muscle. By understanding the unique physiological demands of the season and applying evidence-based training principles, you can create a highly effective winter workout plan. 

Remember that consistency is the most important factor. Whether you train with heavy loads at the gym or lighter loads at home, a structured program paired with proper nutrition and recovery will lead to significant gains. Embrace the challenge of the season and emerge in the spring stronger and fitter than before.