Today sees us well over half way into February and all thoughts of the New Year are well and truly eradicated. Your mind might be drifting towards slightly warmer weather and the potential of some summer sun.

Now, if your training has fallen by the wayside, being replaced by work and family life, then to get back on track you are going to need to be extremely efficient with your time. Hour-long workouts don't always work in modern-day life so we need quick, effective and efficient workouts that are going to give us the most bang for our buck.

This is were complexes are a perfect solution. What is a complex, I hear you ask? Put simply, a complex is a series of exercises done back to back with little to no rest in between the exercises. These should flow into each other well and will soon send your heart rate up, increasing your metabolism and fat burning in the process.

However, this type of training is a bit of a misnomer because they are anything but complex as the name would suggest. The true beauty of this type of training is that you can use barbells, kettlebells or dumbbells. It will not only build fat-burning muscle, which is great for shaping up the problem areas we all want to work on, but also is a great alternative to the standard cardiovascular options, and on top of that is a great challenge.

If you are unsure of how to perform any of these exercises correctly, don’t be afraid to ask a member of staff at your local gym or fitness centre the next time you are in.

When executing these complexes, form is paramount. So let's make sure the weight is manageable to perform each exercise with correct technique. It is important to be aware that overhead exercises are amongst the most difficult to lift heavy weights on so don't go too heavy too soon.

Here's how to do it. After a five- to 10-minute warm-up consisting of light cardio and stretches.

Set up a barbell or dumbbells with an appropriate weight you can execute all the repetitions below with then perform the following:

6 x deadlift

6 x bent-over row

6 x push-press

6 x back squat

6 x push-up

Rest for up to three minutes then complete another three rounds, increasing weight if possible.

If you are using a kettlebell, try this on for size:

6 x kettlebell deadlift

6 x kettlebell goblet squat

6 x kettlebell swing

6 x kettlebell farmers walk (2 kettlebells needed)

6 burpees

Rest for up to three minutes

Complete four rounds, increasing weight only if you can maintain good form.

All in all, a complex session will only take around 30 minutes to complete and is fantastic for sculpting that body for the summer. Try incorporating this 30 minute session one or two times a week and I guarantee you will see some great results not only in your physique but your cardiovascular fitness as well.

Post-workout your metabolism will be elevated and your body will be craving nutritious food that it can use for recovery. Try and get a good mixture of protein and carbohydrates after exercising and aim for eight hours sleep so that you'll be able to train again later in the week, feeling recovered and refreshed.