Training Outdoors in Cold Weather: Warm-Ups, Layers and Safety
Exercising in cold weather is safe for most healthy adults, provided you prepare a little differently. Warm up for longer, ideally starting indoors, so muscles and joints are ready before you meet the cold air. Dress in thin layers you can remove, rather than one thick coat, and protect your hands, ears and head, which lose comfort first. Be visible on dark mornings and evenings, watch for ice, and change out of damp clothes soon after you finish. The main risks are slips, getting chilled after you stop, and extra strain for people with heart or lung conditions, who should check with their GP before training hard in the cold.
What cold actually changes
Cold muscles and tendons are stiffer, and they take longer to reach a comfortable working temperature. That is why the first ten minutes of a winter run often feel clumsy. Cold, dry air can also make breathing feel harsh, particularly during hard efforts, and some people with asthma find it a trigger. Your body works to keep your core warm by narrowing blood vessels in the skin, which is why fingers and toes go numb before anything else.
Once you are moving, you generate a lot of heat. The common mistake is dressing for the temperature at the front door and then overheating within a mile. Sweat-soaked clothing then chills you quickly the moment you slow down, which is when people get cold and uncomfortable.
Warm up properly, and start indoors
In winter, the warm-up does more work than usual. A good sequence before going outside:
- Three to five minutes of easy movement indoors: marching, step-ups on the bottom stair, arm circles.
- Dynamic mobility: leg swings, hip circles, walking lunges, torso rotations. Ten reps of each.
- A few specific drills for what you are about to do: bodyweight squats before a strength circuit, skips and short strides before a run.
- Head out and start gently. Take the first five to ten minutes at an easy pace before any hard efforts.
Our guide to warming up before lifting weights covers the same principles for strength sessions.
How to layer
A rough rule many runners use is to dress as if it were about ten degrees warmer than it is, because you will warm up quickly. If you feel slightly cold for the first few minutes, you are probably dressed about right.
| Layer | Job | What works | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Move sweat away from skin | Synthetic technical fabric or merino wool | Cotton, which stays wet and cold |
| Mid | Trap warmth | A thin fleece or long-sleeve thermal | Bulky jumpers that cannot be removed easily |
| Outer | Block wind and light rain | A light, breathable shell | Heavy waterproofs that trap sweat on short sessions |
| Extremities | Protect what gets cold first | Thin gloves, a hat or headband, a snood for the neck | Going without; numb hands make everything harder |
On milder days, base plus shell is often enough. On genuinely cold mornings, all three. The point of layers is that you can unzip or take one off and tie it around your waist as you warm up.
Training in the dark
From late October, many people’s only outdoor training time is in darkness. A few basic precautions:
- Wear something reflective or bright, and consider a small clip-on light or a head torch on unlit paths.
- Choose well-lit routes and roads with pavements. Unlit parts of the Heath are best saved for daylight.
- Tell someone your route if you train alone, or carry your phone.
- Run against the traffic on roads without a pavement, so you can see what is coming.
Ice, wet leaves and footing
For most people in London, slipping is a bigger risk than the cold itself. Wet leaves on pavements in November are treacherous, and frost forms first on bridges, shaded paths and grass. Shorten your stride, slow down on corners and descents, and avoid hard intervals on surfaces you cannot trust. On icy mornings, move the session indoors. A missed run costs nothing; a broken wrist costs weeks.
After the session
This is when people get properly cold. Have a dry top ready, change out of damp clothes as soon as you can, and have something warm to drink. Do your stretching indoors, not standing still in the park.
Who should take more care
Cold weather makes the heart work harder and can raise blood pressure. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, asthma or another lung condition, Raynaud’s, or are pregnant, check with your GP first about training in the cold, and keep the hardest efforts indoors. The same applies if you are older and returning after a long break, or recovering from illness. If you are coming down with something, our post on training with a cold explains when to rest. The NHS keep warm, keep well advice is a useful general reference for the winter months.
A cold-weather checklist
- Check the forecast for ice and wind, not just temperature.
- Warm up indoors for five to ten minutes.
- Three thin layers, no cotton next to the skin.
- Gloves, hat and something for the neck.
- Reflective or bright kit and a light after dark.
- Shoes with decent grip.
- Dry clothes and a warm drink ready for afterwards.
Outdoors and indoors together
Winter is a good time to split training sensibly: steady runs or walks outside in daylight at the weekend, and strength work indoors during the week when it is dark. That keeps the habit going without forcing hard sessions onto icy pavements. If you like the idea of training outdoors locally, our Hampstead Heath workout works well on dry winter mornings.
The studio is open for early morning and evening sessions, which is exactly when outdoor training becomes awkward in winter. In private personal training in Highgate, I plan the indoor strength work so it supports whatever you are doing outside, and adjust the week when the weather turns. For staying consistent through the darker months more generally, see winter workout motivation.
Questions we get asked
Can you get ill from exercising in the cold?
Colds are caused by viruses, not cold air. Getting chilled after a session is unpleasant, though, so change out of damp clothes quickly.
Why does my chest burn when I run in the cold?
Cold, dry air can irritate the airways during hard breathing. Covering your mouth with a snood and easing the pace usually helps. If it is severe, or you have asthma, speak to your GP.
Do you burn more calories in the cold?
Slightly, in some conditions, but the difference is small. It is not a reason to train outside.
Is it better to train indoors in winter?
Both have value. Many people do strength indoors and keep some outdoor activity for daylight. Our personal training page explains how sessions are booked around your week.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
Visit The Highgate House · Private personal training
The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.
