Just as the seasons change, so should our training routines or exercise habits.

Last winter, we talked about riding outdoors all year long, even on those negative degree temperature days. Doing so provides your body with varied elements and new challenges such as developing bike handling skills in sloppy, snowy, or icy terrain.

This month, we would like to shed some light on the term “cross training” as it applies to cycling and the cyclist who wants an alternative to riding outside in the winter months. Most people think of cross training as choosing a second mode of activity to help you improve fitness or performance in one’s primary sport.

For example, a runner may choose to cross train on a bike one to two days a week to give their joints a rest from the constant pounding, all the while still working skeletal muscle, heart and lungs.

Typically, the winter months are where most endurance athletes spend less time/fewer miles in their primary sport and more time strengthening their body from the muscle atrophy that may have occurred during the race season. A quick google search on strength training for cyclists will provide you with ample options for catering a strength program to the muscles activated during cycling (core, glutes, hips, quads, hamstrings).

A mountain biker will want to incorporate a little more core and upper body work than a road cyclist for the necessary strength required to maneuver over and around the rougher terrain notorious to mountain biking. Continually picking the front end of your bike up and over rocks, boulders, downed trees and log piles uses a lot of upper body strength.

A personal trainer may be advantageous for putting together a winter strength training program to help you meet your fair weather cycling goals or to simply harden up those core muscles for stability.

Keep in mind that constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensities should be the aim of any strength/fitness program, as simply repeating the same movements over and over week after week will produce short term results before becoming stagnant, which doesn’t improve your fitness any further than that.

Winter training for cyclists has many of us choosing to ride indoors. With the help of technology, our options have expanded for finding ways to stay motivated and fit. Indoor cycling classes (spin classes) at your local gym provide a high energy atmosphere with a group of people and an instructor to guide you through a simulated outdoor ride.

These classes are not only great for a seasoned cyclist’s winter training, but they also provide an opportunity for someone new to cycling to experience the positive energy of the class format in a less intimidating environment than an outdoor group ride. Each rider is in control of their bike’s resistance and pedal speed. but the instructor is there to suggest when to add resistance or pedal faster.

You can show up to a class in sneakers or cycling shoes with SPD cleats (a specific style of cleat because all indoor cycling bikes at gyms have SPD pedals on one side and flat pedals on the other to accommodate sneakers). All fitness levels are welcome, but we recommend always reading the class title and description so you know how long and what format the class will follow.

With the increase in online training platforms and smart trainers, stationary indoor trainers have become more popular and less boring than before. An indoor trainer is a great way to utilize your outdoor bicycle as a stationary bike by securing the rear wheel and providing resistance against it.

There are a few different styles of indoor trainers. Three of the most popular are wind, magnetic and fluid trainers.

Wind trainers are the noisiest and also the least expensive, while magnetic trainers get a little quieter, the cost increases and of course, the fluid trainers are smooth, quiet, and the most expensive.

Consider your activities such as radio, TV or even reading while riding one and shop accordingly; nothing spoils a purchase more than not being able to hear the radio over the wind trainer.

Many new trainers are listed as a “smart trainer,” they will connect to your smart phone and a third party app can be purchased where you can ride with groups of people elsewhere or ride routes from around the world (think online gaming).

The smart trainer adjusts resistance based on the course you view on-line. Stationary trainers aren’t just for elite athletes; they are a great way to prepare for that charity ride or to stay fit without the bulk of an exercise bike or treadmill.

If you have questions about cross training, personal training programs, spin classes, or stationary trainers, or just about anything else cycling related, feel free to email us at info@saelers.com.

In the meantime, feel free to check out our website at saelers.com for a variety of fitness information. You can also subscribe to receive our newsletters.

Travis and Julie Saeler are cycling columnists for the Butler Eagle