Put the Ab Roller back in the closet and beat the winter blues with these four fresh workouts By Paul Scot

Greg Von Doerstein/O12.com

WINTER'S ARRIVED. You know what that means. Please sign in before using stationary equipment. Please vacate stationary equipment after 20 minutes. Please wipe off stationary equipment. Please don't hover over lucky slob who got to stationary equipment three seconds before you. Please pretend to enjoy the fluorescent lighting, the stale air, the floor-to-ceiling mirrors, the drone of CNN, the Eminem emanating from the weight room, and the lonely, crowded, spirit-crushing drudgery of three months at the gym. There's a reason you may find yourself punting midway into your winter fitness plan: indoor monotony. But there's also an obvious solution: outdoor fun. We know, we know—the weather's crappy, the days are short, and you're lucky to get out once a week. That's why we've turned to a handful of pros, including the U.S. Ski Team and the country's best woman mountain biker, and asked them for their favorite boredom busters. More diversions than duties, these once-a-week pick-me-ups combine skill building with cardiovascular fitness. They also offer joyous, kidlike emancipation from the lonely work of conditioning. All of which should give you something to look forward to when you just can't face another day of following some sweaty hedgehog onto the rowing machine.