Five things you shouldn’t be doing at the gym according to fitness expert Sally Brouwer

DID January 1 see you make your annual fitness resolutions which, come February, have fallen by the wayside? We hear you! Here are some gym mistakes that are holding you back.

Sally Brouwer.

DID January 1 see you make your annual fitness resolutions which, come February, have fallen by the wayside? We hear you!

Fitness guru Sally Brouwer has put together five training traps to look out for when hitting the gym, to make sure 2015 is the year of your best body yet. Sally was crowned the Australian Ultra Fitness Personal Trainer of the Year in 2014. She’s also a Police Officer and a mum to triplets. When it comes to fitness, she really knows her stuff!

Here are Sally’s tips:

1. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Don’t waste half your workout beating yourself up about not having abs/butt/arms of the person in front of you. At the end of the day it doesn’t get you to where you want to be. Work out your personal goals, determine what you need to do to achieve them, and do the necessary work. Always stay focused and committed to your journey, not the journey of others.

2. Stop relying on training partners.

Training partners can be great motivation to pull you out of bed on a rainy winter morning, but how many times has your gym buddy cancelled, leaving you with what seems like a great excuse to swap gym gear for PJs.

A training partner that turns up late or not at all, talks too much, continually complains or convinces you to finish early is not going to help you achieve your goals.

3. Stop taking pre-workout drinks.

The gym sells them, so that frothy chocolatey drink is totally good for me right? Wrong. Stop listening to the companies trying to sell you a milkshake to get a six pack and go back to basics. Do you want better results? Put in 1 per cent more intensity and you’ll get much better results than any pre workout magic potion will give you.

4. Stop skipping the cool down and stretch.

You’re tired, running late and can’t bear the thought of going to the sweaty cool down corner with that creepy guys who offers to spot you every morning. You’ve heard it before, but cooling down and stretching are really important part of your training and help your body begin the recovery phase.

Your body has just been pushed to its limits (hopefully) and needs a chance to ease back into its pre exercise state. If you keep neglecting the cool down you’re more likely to sustain injuries and suffer from overtraining.

5. Stop making it all about you.

Although it’s essential to focus on your own goals, don’t ignore the people that need encouragement. Getting in there and getting things done is important, but sometimes all it takes is a smile and a (non-creepy) compliment to boost someone’s self-esteem. Makes them feel good, makes you feel good. BAM everyone’s happy.

Read more from Sally at sallybrouwerfitness.com.au