Christmas is just around the corner and that mean indulgence and sparkling wine and mince pies but also parties and feeling confident in that Christmas jumper or little black dress.

British Military Fitness’ guru Garry Kerr has put together a rigorous exercise guide to help you shift a few pounds before the Christmas party invites come flooding in.

THE CARDIO

For best results, I would suggest exercising in the great outdoors, which is proven to have many benefits for health and well-being. If you want quick results you need to be prepared to venture out in the winter months!

Ensure that you wear the right kit, use a layering system so you can take surplus layers off once you get too hot and wear reflective clothing for safety.

I would suggest 30 minutes of cardio plus the exercises below to get the most out of your workout and ensure that you can squeeze into that little black dress this Christmas.

THE EXERCISES

THE STOMACH

This exercise will help to give you a flat stomach.

Tummy Crunches

Lie on your back with your arms either crossed over your chest or by your head and place your legs a 90 degree angle at the hip and knee joints
Slowly raise your shoulders off the floor by contracting your stomach muscles
Make sure your eyes stay focused straight ahead and your neck keeps in line with your spine
Repeat this exercise slowly twenty times. As your muscles get stronger, aim to perform another twenty repetitions with a minute gap between the sets

Tip: All the effort should be made by the muscles in the stomach (not the neck) to avoid injury.

BUTTOCKS/LEGS

A squat jump is the perfect exercise to keep your legs toned. The main emphasis is on the thighs and buttocks but it also involves the hamstrings, calves and lower back.

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The King of Exercises – The Squat Jump

Stand with your feet just under shoulder width apart, bend knees and hips, lowering torso between the legs.
Once your knees are at a 90-degree angle, drive up explosively so that your feet leave the floor. The torso remains upright throughout the movement.
Once you have returned to your original position, start again. Repeat this twenty times.

Tip: Increase the resistance by driving your hands above your head to get more height in your jumps. 

CHEST

This exercise helps to strengthen the pectorals (muscles of the chest) to create the perfect cleavage.

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The Clap Press Up

1. Lying horizontal and face down, place your hands under your shoulders with your palms on the ground. Curl your toes upward so that the balls of your feet touch the ground.

2. Raise yourself using your arms, supporting your weight by your hands and the balls of your feet. This is your ‘start’ position

3. Bending your elbows, lower your body towards the ground. Your neck, head and back should remain perfectly straight throughout the movement

4. When your elbows reach a 90 degree angle, drive up explosively so that your hands leave the floor. Clap them together then put them down to catch you.

5. Repeat this movement ten times. Once this becomes easy, increase the number of repetitions to fifteen

Tip: Breathe out while pushing up on the press-ups. Do not hold your breath.

FOR OVERALL CONDITIONING

This is the ultimate exercise for exercising your chest, arms, front deltoids, thighs and abdominals giving you a total body conditioning. Your natural bodyweight provides plenty of resistance for a workout that improves your stamina and aids fat loss. 

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The Burpee

The perfect burpee is otherwise known as a squat thrust followed by a jump. Follow the steps below to execute the exercise correctly:

Stand with your feet just under shoulder width apart, bend knees and reach down and place hands on the floor so that you are sitting on your heels in a crouch position of a squat thrust.
Transfer all your weight onto your hands
Thrust legs out and back as a normal squat thrust
From the squatting position jump up, feet leaving the floor before hitting the ground again and returning to the squatting position and start again.

Tip: To boost the intensity of the workout, BMF uses the burpee in conjunction with running.

All our sessions incorporate the above exercises with running and last a total of 60 minutes. So with only weeks left until Christmas, don’t forget to keep fit in the festive season!

British Military Fitness runs sessions at Norman Park, Bromley, Crystal Palace Park and Blackheath.

Go to britmilfit.com