The phrase “beach workout” might conjure up summer body gym routines to be performed before your sunny sojourn, but it is also something you can do during your holiday. As the training montage from Rocky III illustrates, training on the grains can precipitate gains. And, crucially, you can mitigate the effects of all the fun and excess that comes with a decent vacation.

“We utilise the private beaches at our Bali and Dubai locations,” confirms Mr Lee Mullins, co-founder of the Bulgari Hotel-based Workshop, a group of health and fitness facilities with outposts around the world (workshopgymnasium.com). “Personally, I’m a fan of starting my day with an early morning conditioning drill on the sand.”

Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation, however? Away from all the banal responsibilities of everyday life? That depends on how well you’ve earned a rest week. “If you’ve been training a lot leading up to your holiday, then your body can benefit and ‘super compensate’ – get stronger and more muscular – over the course of a vacation,” says Mr Mullins, who clarifies that you should nevertheless remain active by moving as much as possible via walking, swimming and such.

As far as location goes, working out on the beach beats the gym. Running on shifting sand, which absorbs energy, forces you to work 10 per cent harder. “It’s often seen as a natural way of adding more weight to exercises,” says Mr Mullins. Additionally, the soft surface reduces impact injuries, muscle soreness and fatigue; the trade-off is that the instability can cause or aggravate dodgy ankles and knees if you’re not careful.

You’ll also need to pay greater attention to hydration in the heat – even more so if you’re hungover. Mr Mullins advocates drinking double the amount of water you usually would, and even adding electrolytes. “Consider training in the morning when the temperature is cooler,” he adds. “It’s also been shown that people who exercise in the morning make better food choices throughout the day and sleep better at night.”

Sand brings increased metabolic demands, making it easier to elevate your heart rate and burn more calories, in turn boosting fitness and fat loss. That, in Mr Mullins’ expert opinion, suits lower-body power and strength workouts such as the one he’s provided below. Although, if you want to throw in some press-ups for a “pump”, be our guest.

Begin with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Lower yourself a quarter of the way into a squat, keeping your weight on your heels. Then jump straight up as high as possible, tucking your knees into your chest. Quickly extend your legs before landing with soft knees, then go straight into the next rep. Perform three to five sets of 10.

Adopt a “split stance”: one foot forward, the other back and on top of a platform, step or sunlounger. Hold weights if you have them and are feeling particularly energetic, or place your hands on your hips, and lean forward slightly. Bending your knees, slowly lower until your front knee is at least parallel to the floor; if your back knee also gets sand on it, even better. Push through your front foot to stand up a quarter of the way, lower yourself again, then drive all the way back up to the starting position. That’s one rep; complete eight on that leg before swapping sides, for four sets in total.

Cue up “Gonna Fly Now” and set up two markers about 25 yards apart. Sprint from the first to the second as fast as you can, then take 20 seconds to walk back to the first, focusing on “recovery breathing”: inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. As soon as you reach the marker, sprint again; repeat for 10 rounds.