Work off the Christmas treats

Burn off your festive feast with exercises that go the extra mile

I'm hoping you haven't been counting, but this year you've had more than one thousand main meals. But the Christmas feast will top them all.

You're going to need an extra-big Boxing Day workout to get your fitness back on track. Here are some great whole-body exercises. And I've given each an extra boost…

1. Decline lunges

Why? No other exercise makes your muscles hurt so much the next day, but they are super-effective.

How? Hold a weight (4kg for women, 8kg for men) in your left hand, with a bench 1m behind you. Place the toes of your left foot on the bench. Jump your right foot forward if you feel cramped. Bend your front knee and lower your back knee towards the ground. Don't let your front knee pass over your toes. Do all reps on one leg, then switch.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8-15 each side.

2. Feet-up twists

Why? Leaning back and twisting targets your core and obliques. Raising your feet increases the core component.

How? Sit on the ground, holding a light medicine ball or weight (2kg-3kg). Lift your feet and lean back 30 degrees. With the weight by your stomach, twist your torso to the left. Stop when the weight is near the ground. Twist back to the start and then to the right. Twist through your abs, not your hips. Keep both butt cheeks on the ground and your legs still.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 16-30.

3. Step-up biceps curls

Why? Step-ups tone and strengthen the legs and glutes and are great cardio. The biceps curl works the core and arms.

How? Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and place your right foot on a knee-height bench or chair. Stand on the bench, raise your left thigh so the knee is hip height and curl your right arm in to your shoulder. Pause, slowly lower your left foot to the ground and the dumbbell back to your side. Do all the reps on one leg, then switch.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 15-20 each side.

4. Squats with shoulder presses

Why? Holding a dumbbell and adding a shoulder press makes this evercise even more difficult.

How? Hold a weight in one hand at the front of your shoulder. Engage your core. Squat until your butt reaches knee height. Pause, rise and, as you get to the top, press the weight above your head. Don't arch your back. Bring the weight back to your shoulder and repeat. Do all reps on one arm, then switch.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8-15 each arm.

5. Prone dumbbell rows

Why? This is already a great core exercise. Adding the dumbbell row not only gives a back and arm component, it also increases the core component.

How? Assume a push-up position on your knees on the ground, with a light dumbbell (2kg-3kg) in one hand. Engage your core and keep your body in a straight line from head to knees. Lift the hand with the dumbbell off the ground, twist your torso so your chest is facing out to one side, then pull the dumbbell up to the front of your shoulder in a rowing motion. Slowly lower the dumbbell, place your hand and dumbbell on the ground and go straight into your next rep. Do all the reps on one arm, then switch.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8-12 each side.

How to put this workout together

As this routine is fairly leg dominant, you may want to create a circuit and add in some cardio. Do three sets of an exercise, then do a burst of cardio, such as 50 to 100 skips, a 200m run, cycle or row, or a fast 60-second walk, then move on to the next exercise.

Other recovery ideas

A dip in the ocean is a great refresher after too many glasses of bubbly.
Try a 10-minute walk to get your head into gear, followed by a 10-minute jog to sweat out the alcohol and then another 10-minute walk to finish on an enjoyable note.
A game of backyard cricket with the family. It's a Boxing Day Aussie tradition.

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Latest Comments ( 1 )

I think it's a good idea to start exercising even before Christmas so that you don't have the hard work of losing it afterwards! I am doing longer workouts the entire week leading up to Christmas so that I can enjoy the food without feeling guilty.

Workout DVD Fanatic

10:35pm

Tue 20th Dec 2011