The post-holiday workout you need in your life

If you’ve been necking mojitos until dawn and making merry with the breakfast buffet all week long, here’s the post-holiday workout you need in your life. Give this toning sesh a whirl twice a week, and couple it with a spin class or some interval runs, and you’ll be back into the swing of things in no time.

Goblet squats

Stand with your feet just over shoulder width apart, hold a 5-10kg dumbbell to your chest with both hands. Driving back at the hips, bringing the weight evenly onto your heels, you’re looking to really work into your hamstrings and glutes by bringing the legs parallel to the ground. Slowly lower yourself down for a 1-2 count, before springing back up to a standing position. Be sure to really tense your bum at the top of the movement.

Do 3 x 15 reps

Forward lunge

Raise your hands high above your head and lock out the arms. You can hold two light dumbbells or a resistance band if you want a bit more of a challenge. Keeping your hands aloft in this position, carry out 6 forward lunges on each leg, alternating right and left. As you bring your forward foot down into the lunge, keep the weight down through the heel to avoid putting too much pressure on your joints.

Do 3 x 12 reps

Box jump burpees

Slow and steady with these exercises, you’re looking for form, not speed. Jumping up onto a raised surface, land into a squat. Standing up and then returning to the floor with a backwards jump. From here, bring your hands down to either side of your feet before jumping your feet back to make a high plank. Quick hold for 2 seconds here, before jumping the feet back between your hands and repeating the action.

Do 3 x 8 reps

Side plank with dumbbell press

Come into a side plank onto your elbow with a dumbbell placed within arm’s reach – key here is alignment between ankles, knees, hips and shoulders. Once your side plank is stable, take hold of the dumbbell with your free hand and raise it straight up, so that it is parallel with the supporting arm. Rotate your high arm so that when lowered, the whole palm touches your hip. The idea here is to really work into the waist with the weight. With lots of control, lower the weight down onto your hip, before slowly bringing it back to the starting position. Feel the burn with this one!

Do 2 x 15 reps each side

Bridge with chest flyer

Come into the bridge position with a dumbbell in either hand placed at your chest. Keep the knees and the feet together, bum high up off the floor, as if you’re being pulled skywards by a piece of string from the navel. Shoot the weights straight up, before gradually lowering them for a 1-2 count so that your elbows make a light contact with the floor. If you find the weights are touching the floor with your hand, opt for a lighter weight. Feel this move right across your chest as you work into your pectoral muscles.

Do 3 x 15 reps

Plank with walking/high legs

Finishing up with a move to firm up your core, come into a high plank position. For 4 reps, raise your feet high, moving only the lower half of the body, really conscious to activate your bum and keep your hips still. Once you’ve performed 4 reps and your feet are neighbouring one another, take a step wide to your right and then back to centre. Do the same with the left before repeating once each side. So it’s 4 high feet, 4 wide steps. These moves in combination will work your entire body making it a great way to finish up a workout.

Do 3 rounds x 1 minute