Fresh Start

The 2018-2019 season is coming to an end and spring training will be underway soon. We’ve all been in both scenarios; coming off a great season and coming off a bad season. The beauty with spring training is whether you ended on a high or low note, it’s a fresh start to accomplish new goals. Every spring it is good practice to figure out what you want to work on for the next season. 

I like to write down three to five things I need to focus on short term (2-3 months), and three to five things I need to focus on long term (end of season). Most of the time my short term goals consisted of strength and technique, and my long term goals being some sort of finishing position in a race or overall standings. I would then type those goals up and tape them to my mirror so I would be forced to see them every day. 

While goals and structured training are the bread and butter of getting better, I don’t recommend only focusing on that for eleven months out of the year. Sometimes you just need to go back to the basics of being active. Here are some of my favorite spring workouts to do before the grind of the season starts:

1)   3 on 3 basketball. You can’t shoot a basketball? Good, neither can I. Get a group of your teammates or friends to go play some hoop at the gym. This is a great workout for a lot of reasons; coordination, cardio, and yelling “KOBE!” before every air ball. 

2)   Turn your gps and heart rate function off of your watch and go for a jog or bike ride. Your training peaks fitness score is going to drop, but that’s okay. In a world full of technology it is nice to get back to the basics and enjoy the scenery and nature surrounding us without having to worry about training data.

3)   Get out of your comfort zone and try something new. Have you ever done Pilates, Orange theory fitness, salsa dancing, boxing or a spin class? This is your chance. Most studios or gyms have a free trial of some sort for the first day or week. Take advantage of this in the off-season and try something new. After all, who doesn’t want to learn how to salsa dance? 

4)   If you are fortunate to live in a place that has snow through most of the spring, build a downhill/jump course for your skinny skis. Try and get comfortable while airborne, and slicing back and forth down a hillside. If you can attempt a 360, you’re doing spring skiing right (Disclaimer: Don’t use your good skis or poles).

Before you know it, it’ll be September and you’ll be cranking out rollerski intervals for hours on end. So for now, sit back and enjoy some fun ways to stay fit.