Comfortable sportswear that is resistant to the cold, wind and humidity allows you to continue your training routine in winter. Opt for technical clothing and adopt the three-layer method to insulate yourself from the cold. Add gloves, hats, warm socks and sports jackets and you’re ready to face the coldest days of the year, feeling motivated.

Adapt your sportswear in winter to optimise your performance

Wearing winter sportswear helps to keep you motivated to maintain your training routine throughout the season. Being warm and dry makes it easier for you to stay on track and focus on your performance.

How do you find the right sportswear for the winter?

To find the ideal sportswear for winter, think about the conditions in which you practise your activity and your objectives: Exposure to wind, cold and rain, the range of movement required, etc. Above all, focus on comfort and select clothing made of high-tech materials, specially designed for physical exertion.

The basic principles for keeping warm during your winter training sessions

Here are a few tips to help you put together your winter outfit:

• Avoid cotton and wool, which absorb perspiration instead of wicking it away.
• You will be better insulated from the cold with several thin garments on top of each other than with a single warm garment. Hikers and sportsmen generally adopt the 3-layer method:

• First layer: This fits closely to the body, to wick away perspiration, with highly breathable fabric that keeps you dry.
• Second layer: This helps you to keep warm and consists of a warm but not airtight garment. Polar fleece-type clothing is suitable. It is thin and dries quickly. During an outdoor session in particularly cold weather, it is this layer that should be reinforced by adding a third layer of clothing.
• Third layer: This helps to protect against the elements. Opt for a waterproof windbreaker with vents to wick rain and moisture away.

Top 5 essential accessories for extreme cold

Once well dressed, complete your winter outdoor sportswear with a few accessories:

• A hat: Protecting your head is essential when doing winter sports. Choose thin styles that cover the forehead and ears well.
• Gloves: Fingers are very sensitive to the cold. With gloves that have touchscreen-compatible tips, you can easily track your performance or listen to music on your smartphone.
• Socks: Special double-layer socks wick moisture away better.
• A neck warmer: In winter, the air is generally dry. Breathing it directly can dry out your bronchial tubes and make you more vulnerable to minor seasonal ailments. A neck warmer protects your throat and allows you to slightly humidify the air you breathe in if it rises up in front of your mouth.
• High-visibility equipment: It is not uncommon for winter training sessions to take place in the dark. Armbands, headlamps and reflective devices will help motorists to spot you.

Rain or snow: How to dress for outdoor training

To complete your winter sportswear outfit, here are some examples of high-performance clothing to brave rain, wind or snow.

Top 3 rain jackets for winter

Discover 3 of the most suitable rain jackets to continue trail walking, hiking or outdoor running in spite of the bad weather:

• The lightest rain jacket, Gore Wear R7, with Gore-Tex Active Shakedry technology, offers maximum functionality at a weight of only 120 grams. It can be stored in its clever chest pocket once the rain has passed.
• The trendiest rain jacket, Mizuno Waterproof 20K has a hood with a visor and a zipped pocket to keep your things out of the rain, provides good protection from the weather while leaving a wide field of vision. This high-visibility technical jacket offers excellent craftsmanship.
• The rain jacket with the best value for money, Evadict from Décathlon, is compact, light and made of breathable materials. This trail jacket costs less than 100€ and allows you to run with pleasure in thunderstorms, showers and wind.

Top 3 pieces of equipment to face the snow

For walking, running, cycling and exercising in the snow, these 3 outdoor items offer ideal protection:

• The best winter equipment: The Black Diamond HighLine Stretch Shell mountaineering jacket. Rated Outside Gear of the Year in 2020, this three-layer jacket combines functionality and comfort with an exclusive water-repellent treatment that respects the environment. It allows you to do sports, even intensively, in extreme conditions.
• The most insulating mountain boots: The Salomon Snowcross 2 Climashield WaterProof. Their Contagrip soles offer impeccable grip on snow and the integrated gaiters provide perfect insulation from cold and damp.
• The most high-tech winter gloves: Designed for cycling or running outdoors, these light, warm and waterproof mixed gloves can be used as under-gloves for ski gloves. The tactile thumbs and index fingers allow you to use a smartphone without removing them.

Check out our Fitness equipment & Coaching page for more advice.