You’ve had a phenomenal summer – got the photographs, the tan… and the muffin top to prove it. Getting back to your sexy pre-festive season shape is simple: turbo-charge your workouts with these easy – but intense – ideas.

Note: There are more ways to blast fat in our March issue of Women's Health. Get it now!

Shock Your Body
Most of the time your body needs a break between workouts (it’s during those rest periods that big changes actually happen). But a few times a year, it’s smart to put yourself through back-to-back boot-camp workouts. “Overloading your muscles will keep them guessing, helping you break through any plateau,” says exercise physiologist Tom Holland. During this push, work every muscle three or four days in a row, performing sets with little or no rest in between.

Try it Do our fast-paced circuit (click here for details). Complete 12 reps of each exercise (except for the plank – hold it for one 60-second set), going from one move to the next without rest. Repeat the entire circuit up to three times, resting for two minutes at the end of each circuit.

Slow Down
Adjusting the tempo of an exercise stimulates the muscle differently, says personal trainer Maren Piefer. “The longer your muscles experience tension, the harder they work.” During an exercise, count to two as you raise the weight, and count to four as you lower it. You’ll spend more time in the lengthening phase of muscle contraction, which is more challenging and brings better results: a higher kilojoule burn during and after your workout.

Try It During a chest press, count to two as you push the dumbbells toward the ceiling and count to four as you lower them. During squats, count to four while lowering toward the floor, then to two as you stand.

Split the Difference
Do a full rep of an exercise, then do just half of it at the hardest part of the move. “You sneak in extra reps and increase muscle tension in virtually the same amount of time,” Piefer says. “It also pumps lots of blood into the muscles, which is excellent for enhancing definition.”

Try It Grab a dumbbell in each hand, arms resting at your sides, palms facing forward. Without moving your upper arms, curl the weights toward your shoulders, then slowly lower them halfway down; stop and raise them back to your shoulders. Lower back to start. That’s one rep.