I’ve just spent two weeks in Western Australia. On arrival, the immigration officer asked if I had a criminal record, I said I didn’t know you still needed one. Oh how he laughed. Fortunately, he still let me in. One of the things I love when I’m there is go to the beach early in the morning to check out what the fitness fiends are doing to ensure they keep their bikini bodies bonza, mate. A couple of years ago, they were all using resistance bands but this time around plyometrics was the big craze.

Plyometrics is basically introducing explosive movements (that’s jumping to you and moi) into your routine (Jessica Alba, above, is a big fan). Studies show this builds lean muscle mass and burns fat much more effectively than conventional routines ie you improve by leaps and bounds – see what I did there? It’s not just thrown together this blog, you know. Here are the two exercises they were mostly doing:-

SPLIT JUMPS Instead of slow-paced lunges,  jump to alternate between the extended positions (ie with the front leg bent at 90 degrees and the back knee touching the floor). Do 20, rest and repeat twice more. It’s a killer but the sight of the very pert derriere performing this party piece was truly inspiring.

PLANK JACKS Lie face down with your feet together, toes tucked under, body raised and forearms on the ground in plank position. Jump your feet out wide and then jump them back together. Do 20, rest and repeat twice more. One word – strewth!