Lean Into Outdoor Training For Your 2025 Winter Arc

Winter Is Where Most People Retreat Indoors

Winter is where most people retreat indoors for their training – even people who have spent all summer rucking and running. But if you’re truly wired for outside – one of those people who loves getting out there when the weather is biting – then the Winter Arc is made for you.

What Is the Winter Arc?

Have you heard about the Winter Arc? It’s the idea of turning the winter months into a purposeful training season, not just something to get through. Winter Arc in the UK is October–January, exactly the time of year when a lot of people back off or give up altogether.

We love the concept of a Winter Arc, because it means pushing on when most people are waiting for the false motivation of New Year. By the time they’re hopping on to New Year’s resolutions, you’ll be months ahead in terms of fitness and mental strength.

And Winter Arc seems tailormade for people who love outdoor training. You just need some strategies to help you lean into the dark mornings, the cold temperatures, and tougher weather.

To put it in Force Fitness language, a Winter Arc is about becoming even more physically capable at a time of year when most people are backing off. What’s not to love about that.

How to Winter Arc if You Love Training Outdoors

The Winter Arc isn’t about surviving winter or dragging yourself through it. It’s about using the season as a training ground and turning the temperature, weather, and other challenges into tools.

Outdoor fitness in winter builds resilience and mental toughness in a way that ‘easier’ training just can’t do. When the elements push, you push on harder and that’s when you sharpen physical and mental capability.

How to Get Ready for Winter Using Outdoor Training

True outdoor fitness isn’t seasonal. Yes, you might prefer certain times of year, but outdoor training is a lifestyle habit that happens all year round. The military, explorers, and adventurers train in whatever conditions are thrown at them (in fact they actively seek out challenging conditions). You can do the same.

• Rucking – load up a weighted pack and walk, hike, or ruck your local area through the winter months. Distance builds endurance and load builds strength, but conditions are what builds toughness.

• Sandbag work – odd-object training and awkward loads train you to handle the unpredictable, so do plenty of lifts and carries in the open air.

• Bodyweight training – don’t ignore the tried and tested basics, they are simple but effective and can be done almost anywhere.

Of course, preparation means more than having a training plan and decent kit. You also need to go into this with the right mindset. Prepare for discomfort and you’ll be able to lean into it. Remember that every freezing morning, soaking wet ruck, or slippery carry is putting you ahead of everyone who’s still at home in bed.

How to Keep Outdoor Training in Your Routine All Year Round

The temptation in winter is to stay inside, but people like you know that getting outdoors at this time of year brings so many benefits, from the training effect to the mood lift and the fresh air. Keep this list for days when you need a bit more convincing.

• The right kit – bad kit is the quickest way to tap out, so don’t let it happen. Layers, wind or waterproofs, gloves, decent socks, the right shoes or boots.

• Scale but don’t bail – there’s a fine line between getting it done and being a martyr, so be prepared to shorten sessions if it will help you keep the streak going.

• Don’t let one bad day turn into two – everyone skips a session sometimes, but don’t let it become a habit. Get back out there tomorrow.

• Combined training – keep your winter weather exposure without sacrificing volume by doing strength work inside, conditioning and endurance outside.

How to Set Winter Fitness Goals When You Love Being Outdoors

The best way to make a Winter Arc work for you is to have clear goals. They might not be the same as your summer goals, but they’ll keep this time structured and focused.

We like to use distance, load, fitness/conditioning, and mindset as four goal-setting pillars for a Winter Arc – feel free to use these as a starting point for your own.

• Distance goals – set rucking or running mileage targets for the month.

• Load goals – progress your ruckpack weight week by week (with deloads).

• Conditioning goals – use odd objects for load and carry, add sprints.

• Mindset goals – sleep, nutrition, and training consistency until New Year.

Your Winter Arc goals don’t have to be about fitness, although training will underpin the outcome. Winter Arc sessions are about being proud of yourself because you showed up whatever the weather. Make promises to yourself now, stick to them during the darkest, coldest months, and prove that you’re the one people (and yourself) can rely on.

Why Wait for January? Winter Arc is made for people like us.