Holdout on the holiday weight gain and try this four-day routine. Repeat every four days or add an active rest day; for example, go for a walk, sledding, skating, etc. This works best for those on a full body routine, but you can also make it specific to the type of workout if you are on a split strength routine.

Day one: Power pump

Take your regular weight training routine to the next level and maximize your calorie burn. Increase the weight on some exercises that may not be as challenging anymore, or go for max reps on every set (if it ends up being more repetitions that you intended, then it’s time to increase the weight). You could also try playing with the timing of your reps to make it more difficult. If you move slower on your “lowering” phase of the rep, you will see greater strength gains.

Day two: Speedy Gonzales

Step up our cardio training and increase your mileage over the same time you normally train with an overall increase in speed after the warm up. For example, if you run on the treadmill at six miles per hour, try and bump it to 6.2 to 6.4 for the whole workout or even just five to 10 minutes. You could also add in speed intervals that are either timed or use the fartlek training model that can be found at runnersworld.com/ tag/fartlek.

Day three: Merry mixer

Have some old school fun with this interval mix. You can do three to six exercises in a row for 30 seconds each or do each exercise for 45 to 60 seconds with 10 to 20 seconds rest between. Warm up with dynamic movements for five to six minutes first. Do these moves in any order (mix it up each time): skater leap side to side, mountain climber, squat with alternating front kick, shuffle side to side with frog squat, scissor lunges, push up with alternating arm lift, ski hop cross, football shuffle and hit the floor, suitcase crunch, plank to alternating side plank, fast feet or high knee jog. Repeat the moves as many times as you wish.

Day four: Loaded yoga

Take your favourite yoga moves or routine and let the sweat flow by making the moves more dynamic. You could choose two to three moves in a row that you move more quickly through and repeat the sequence several times before landing a pose. You still want to be careful and make it more about the movement versus the speed.

If you have any questions or need demonstration, make an appointment with me at the fitness centre, J1034.