Winter Base Building: Endurance + Strength It’s What I’m Actually Doing Right Now
January and February training isn’t glamorous. There are no races on the calendar, no flashy workouts to post, and honestly—some days it’s just cold, dark, wet, and your bed is calling louder than the urge to get your workout in. But year after year, this is the phase that makes the biggest difference in how strong, fast, and durable I feel later on.
Winter base training is where I slow things down on purpose. Not because I’m “taking it easy,” but because I know this work matters.
Why Base Training Matters, Even When It Feels Boring
Base training is about building the engine and the structure that holds it together. For me, that means prioritizing aerobic work, lifting consistently (and lifting heavy), and keeping intensity in check—even when my brain wants to go harder.
When I’ve skipped or rushed this phase in the past, I’ve paid for it later with nagging injuries, burnout, or fitness that peaked too early. When I fully commit to base work, everything else feels easier. My aerobic pace improves, my strength feels more stable for longer, and I can handle higher training loads when it actually counts.
Right now, my weeks are simple: a few steady endurance sessions, 3–4 strength days, and at least one day where I truly back off. Simple doesn’t mean easy—it means intentional.
Strength Training: Less Ego, More Payoff
Winter is my favorite time to lift because I’m not trying to “maintain” strength around hard workouts—I’m actually building.
When I’m really pushing the scale, I stick to a few key lifts: squats, deadlifts, clean & jerks, snatches, thrusters, pull-ups, bench press, and Turkish get-ups. These are my big-ticket items. I always complement them with accessory movements where I’m not lifting nearly as heavy—but I’m still working hard. These movements aren’t fancy, but they’re functional and fierce—and I feel fierce after doing them.
What’s changed over the years is how I load them.
Instead of defaulting to 3 sets of 10 or 2 sets of 15, I now spend most of my time lifting heavy and sub-max. I live in that 6–8 rep range with clean reps and good control, and then about once every four weeks I’ll go for a true max lifting day. I want to finish sessions feeling strong—not wrecked.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that strength training works best when it supports endurance, not when it steals from it.
The biggest mistake I see (and have made myself) is doing too much “strength endurance” lifting and not enough true heavy lifting early in the season. Winter is the time to build a solid strength base that will carry you through the year—and to work on your limiters so you don’t end up on the injured reserve all season.
Aerobic Endurance: Yes, Even Indoors
If you train through winter, you’ve probably had the “Do I really need to do this easy session?” debate with yourself. I still have it.
Most of my endurance work right now lives in Zone 2—easy enough that I can breathe through my nose or hold a conversation. And yes, a lot of it happens indoors. Bikes, treadmills, walking, and stair climbing all count.
Every time I commit to this work, the same thing happens: my pace improves without forcing it, my recovery gets better, and harder sessions later don’t feel nearly as overwhelming. It’s not exciting in the moment—but it shows up later in a big way.
Mobility: The Unsexy Glue That Holds It Together
I’ll be honest—I don’t do long mobility sessions. What does work for me is consistency.
I spend 5–10 minutes every day working on something. Usually, it happens right when I’m about to fall into a social media scroll loop. Instead, I drop the phone and focus on one of my limiters. I do it with intention and actually pay attention to how it feels.
This is not fun—I’m not going to lie. It’s hard work, sometimes just as mentally challenging as a max lifting day. But when I stay consistent, the gains stack up fast.
I prioritize hips, shoulders, upper and lower back, and ankles. When those areas feel good, everything else feels better. On the days I skip this, I notice it immediately in my lifting and running mechanics.
Mobility isn’t extra—it’s what allows me to train consistently without feeling beat up.
What a Real Winter Training Week Looks Like
Right now, my week isn’t perfect—and that’s kind of the point.
I’m hitting 3–4 strength sessions, 3–4 endurance sessions, and sprinkling in technique work during each workout. Some weeks are better than others. The win is consistency, not perfection.
Are You Training Too Hard Right Now?
If you’re constantly tired, irritable, or feel like every session is a grind, that’s a sign—not a badge of honor.
I’ve learned that when winter training starts to feel heavy, the answer usually isn’t more effort—it’s less intensity. Backing off now doesn’t make you weaker; it sets you up to train harder later.
And sometimes, it’s not about backing off—it’s about adding variety. Here in California, winters aren’t always cold or wet, so I’ll mix in mountain or gravel bike rides when the thought of another 3–4 hour road ride makes me want to sleep in instead of jumping out of bed excited.
Slow, enjoyable work builds strong athletes. I remind myself of that often.
Winter Nutrition: Don’t Underfuel the Quiet Season
One thing I have to consciously manage in winter is fueling. When it’s cold and I’m training indoors, hunger cues aren’t always obvious—but recovery still matters.
I focus on consistent meals, plenty of protein to support strength work, and staying hydrated even when I don’t feel thirsty. When I do this well, my energy, recovery, and mood are noticeably better.
Measuring Progress Without Chasing Numbers
During base season, I don’t obsess over the scale or PRs. I pay attention to how training feels.
Is my heart rate lower at the same pace? Am I lifting with better control? Am I recovering faster between sessions? Those are the wins that matter right now.
Winter training isn’t about proving anything. It’s about showing up, stacking small wins, and trusting that the work you’re doing—quietly and consistently—will pay off when it matters most.
And from experience: it always does.
