As the temperature rises, so too does the tempo at North Melbourne training.

With the players breaking for Christmas at the end of this week, pre-season preparations are stepping up.

So far this week, North’s playing group has already taken part in a time trial, a gruelling skills session and various other training drills.

The forecast for the remainder of the week will see the temperatures soar into the 30's, making training an even harder task.

The players who made the trek to Utah will no doubt be benefiting from their high altitude training camp, despite the near-40 degree temperature differential, while the remainder of the group fine tune their fitness ahead of the club’s 2016 charge.

Players who went under the knife post-season are also starting to return to full fitness, including Sam Gibson (ankle), Andrew Swallow (knees) and Jack Ziebell (shoulder).

The draftees have impressed many during their brief time in the royal blue and white, particularly in the time trials, with all five of the club’s newest recruits finishing in the top half of the leaderboards.

Once the players return in January, they can expect more of the same as the summer heat sets in.

But the focus won’t all be on what’s happening at Arden St in early 2016, with the playing group taking part in various community activities, including the Australia Post Community Camps, which will see them travel to Tasmania and Wyndham to engage with local communities, host clinics and meet North’s loyal fans.