Martin Skrtel has revealed why he is spending his summer holidays doing everything he can to ensure he begins the 2011-12 season in peak condition for Liverpool.

The centre-back has returned to his native Slovakia to enjoy a break following a campaign in which he played in every minute of the Reds' 38 Barclays Premier League matches.

Nonetheless, Skrtel has been eager to maintain those sort of impressive fitness levels in order to pick up where he left off when pre-season training gets underway in July.

"I am still relaxing but it is not just sitting next to the pool," he told his official website.

"I need to be fit for the upcoming season so I do train every day. I am with my girlfriend every day but I also go to the gym daily. I also use my bike a lot because I need to stay in good shape.

"My holidays are nearly over and it was great to be with my family again. I stayed out of football for a while but now I am in the middle of a strict regime.

"I also played with my friends from the national team in a charity match and it was great fun to be with them again. I will be heading to Liverpool soon and I hope this season will be a huge success."