What to wear for winter workouts in India: layering for cold mornings, indoors and out
For winter workouts in India, dress in three layers: a close-fitting nylon-spandex base that moves sweat off the skin, a warm middle layer, and a zip jacket or track pants on top that you take off once you are warm. Start the session feeling slightly cold. Within ten minutes you will be warm, and anything more than that means you are training in damp clothes for the rest of the hour.
Why winter needs different kit
Winter training has a problem summer does not: you still sweat, but the air around you is cold. Sweat that sits in a cotton tee keeps cooling the skin, so you are warm during the hard sets and chilled in every rest, and colder still on the walk home. The answer is not one thick layer. It is several thin ones, with the one against the skin chosen to get rid of sweat rather than hold it.
How cold it gets depends where you are. Across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, December and January mornings are often below 10°C, with cold waves and dense fog. In Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Chennai, winter is a cool morning and a warm afternoon. The layering below works for both; you simply stop adding layers sooner in the south and west.
The three layers, and what each one does
| Layer | Its job | Fabric that works | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Move sweat off the skin | Close-fitting nylon-spandex | Cotton, thermal innerwear |
| Middle | Hold warmth | A light fleece or sweatshirt, on cold mornings only | Anything bulky you cannot take off mid-session |
| Outer | Block wind and keep heat in before you are warm | A zip jacket and track pants | A heavy coat |
The base layer
This is the one that matters most. For women, the Sculpt Long-Sleeve Crop and the Sculpt Full-Length Leggings are both 78% nylon and 22% spandex: close to the skin, covering the arms and legs, and quick to dry. Under it, a sports crop like the Sculpt Cross-Back Sports Crop in the same knit; the sports bra fit check explains how it should sit. For men, the Apex Compression Tee is an 88% nylon, 12% spandex knit that works as a base under a sweatshirt.
For yoga and the walk to class, the Flowline Flare Leggings are a 75% nylon, 25% spandex alternative with a flared hem.
The outer layer
It needs a full zip, so you can open it as you warm up instead of choosing between wearing it and carrying it. The ContourZip Track Set pairs a cropped full-zip jacket with a stand collar, which covers the neck on the way out, over high-waist leggings. For the legs, the Terrain Baggy Pants are a 210gsm, 95% nylon, 5% spandex pant, worn by both men and women, that goes over leggings or shorts for the walk and the warm-up and comes off for the session.
What to wear by morning temperature
Dress for a temperature about five to ten degrees warmer than the one on your phone. That is roughly how much warmer you will feel ten minutes in.
| Morning temperature | Top | Bottom | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| Above 20°C | Sports crop, tank or short-sleeve tee | Shorts or leggings | Nothing |
| 15 to 20°C | Long-sleeve base | Full-length leggings | A zip jacket for the warm-up |
| 10 to 15°C | Long-sleeve base and a zip jacket | Full-length leggings, track pants over them for the walk | Light gloves and a headband over the ears |
| Below 10°C | Long-sleeve base, a light fleece and a zip jacket | Full-length leggings and track pants | Gloves and a warm cap; consider moving indoors |
Training outdoors on cold mornings
- Warm up for longer. Ten minutes of easy jogging, skipping or brisk walking before anything hard, instead of five. Cold muscles take longer to get going.
- Cover the hands, ears and head first. They get cold before anything else and are the easiest to cover and uncover. Gloves and a cap go in a pocket once you are warm.
- Be seen in the fog. In December and January, early mornings in North India can bring fog with very low visibility. Wear a light colour or something reflective, run against traffic, and choose a park over a main road.
- Check the air as well as the temperature. In Delhi and the north the cold mornings are also the worst for pollution. If the AQI for your area is above 200, take the session indoors; the guide to working out when Delhi's air is bad covers how.
- Keep drinking water. You feel less thirsty in the cold, but you still lose water through sweat and breath. Drink before you go and after you finish, even if you do not feel like it.
Training indoors and at the gym
Most homes in India are not heated, so a room in a North Indian winter can be 12 to 18°C at 6 a.m. Start a home workout in your outer layer and take it off after the warm-up. A resistance band set and a mat cover a full strength session without leaving the house.
At the gym, the problem is the opposite: the walk there is cold and the floor inside is warm. Wear the track set or track pants over your training kit, take them off at the locker, and put them back on before you step outside again.
After the session
The coldest part of a winter workout is the fifteen minutes after it. Change into dry clothes within ten minutes of finishing, or put the outer layer back on at once if you have to travel first. Wash the training kit cold and dry it indoors in the shade; the washing guide explains how to keep its stretch. Overnight is usually enough even in winter, because nylon-spandex holds far less water than cotton.
The short version
Three thin layers instead of one thick one: a nylon-spandex base, a light warm layer on the coldest days, and a zip jacket and track pants that come off once you are warm. Start a little cold, warm up for ten minutes, cover the hands and ears first, check the AQI as well as the temperature, and change out of damp kit as soon as you stop.
Questions people ask
What should I wear to the gym in winter in India?
Wear a nylon-spandex base layer, such as a long-sleeve top or a sports crop with full-length leggings, and a zip jacket or track pants over it for the walk there and the warm-up. Take the outer layer off once you are warm. Avoid a cotton tee next to the skin; it stays wet and goes cold between sets.
Should I wear thermals to work out?
Not for a hard session. Thermal innerwear is built to hold heat while you sit still, so in a workout it traps sweat and you overheat within minutes. A close-fitting nylon-spandex base does the same job of keeping the skin covered while letting the sweat out.
Why do I feel colder after a winter workout than before it?
Because your clothes are damp. Sweat in a base layer keeps cooling you once you stop moving, and the room or the street is cold. Change into dry clothes within ten minutes of finishing, or put the outer layer back on straight away if you have to travel first.
Is it bad to exercise in cold weather?
No. For most people, training in the cold is fine with a longer warm-up and the right layers. Warm up for ten minutes instead of five, keep drinking water even if you are not thirsty, and move the session indoors on cold-wave, dense-fog or poor-AQI days. If you have asthma or a heart condition, ask your doctor how cold is too cold for you.