How to keep your motivation up this winter.

Are you struggling for motivation? Has your training focus dropped off recently? There could be several different reasons for that which we will explore in this blog so you can get that #MondayMotivation back.

Have you recovered from the season?

It’s now October and most people will have finished their season or coming to the end. This also means that you are carrying accumulated fatigue which has built up throughout the season.

High levels of fatigue can have a massive impact on motivation and if you fail to recover completely before the winter training starts, it’s going to make it much more challenging to keep the commitment up throughout your training.

When you come to the end of your season it’s important to take a week or two off the bike to recover and reset before starting training for the next season. This also gives you a chance to focus on next year and set targets and plan out the training with your coach.

Working with a coach

Yes, this section may be biased. We have covered a lot of the reasons to work with a coach in a previous blog (Why you should get a coach over a training plan) but nobody can argue that when you work with a good quality coach, you get some added motivation. The sense of ‘someone looking over your shoulder’ or trying to get a return on your investment means that extra push to get out training this winter is easier to come by.

Setting targets and goals

This is one of the most important elements to motivation in training and needs to be done correctly. Setting targets is seen as a simple process, however it is absolutely crucial you are setting the right ones otherwise it has a huge impact into longevity in sport and motivation for training towards that target. There is a simple yet effective acronym to follow, SMART:

Specific – Be very specific with your target! There is no benefit in finding a generic goal online, it has to suit you personally and it will make it much more valuable to you.

Measurable – Is your target quantifiable? This allows you to have an end point in your goal so that you can definitively know when you have reached your goal.

Achievable – The reason to create a target is to challenge and motivate you to complete training as well as possible to improve and work towards an end goal. If a target is set too high it will it can create stress and making it much harder to reach your target. Likewise, if a target is too easy you will find that you won’t be pushing yourself as hard and getting the most from yourself.

Realistic – Are you able to actually achieve your target? You need to make sure that if you do everything to the best of your ability you are able to actually achieve this target. For example, setting a target for an event which you cannot compete in will not add to motivation and will only end up in a huge drop in motivation when you realise you will not meet your target. I.e. winning the Tour De France in the first year of cycling may not be the best first target.

Time bound – Do you have a deadline? This enables you to make sure that you can determine if it has been completed and also increased the likelihood that you will complete the goal when you know that you have a clock ticking.

Have an alternative to training outdoors when the weather is bad

The winter is really hard for fair weather cyclists. It makes getting the work done much harder and can often create a drop off in volume and participation. However, there are many alternatives to training in the poor weather and utilising one of them can stop this drop off. Here are some of the ways you can avoid the poor weather this winter:

Strength and Conditioning – Using strength and conditioning training can have a huge benefit on performance and really breaks up your normal on bike training to stop the winter becoming repetitive.

MTB/Cyclocross – Still want to race or go out in the wet? Why not turn your hand to cyclocross or winter mountain bike races? Running throughout the winter and through mud and rain can make some fun racing or riding with friends to give some variety to training which may have become repetitive.

Track cycling – Have you tried track cycling before? If not, now is your perfect opportunity! When the weather is bad why not book in for a taster session and give it a go!

Or why not get in contact and we can help you get your mojo back…

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