THERE ARE PLENTY of things we can do to improve our performance, such as drinking less beer, eating more healthy and getting more sleep.

And while in the gym, there are even more reasons why we don’t maximise our potential.

Here are three common pitfalls you’re making.

1) You’re getting stuck in a rut

Do you do the same routine; the same circuit in the same time with the same weights at the same pace?

Switch it up man/woman!

Change the exercise class for a month, up the weight, decrease the reps.

Go work out on a machine you have never used before.

You’ll be surprised at the difference it’ll make.

2) You’re bonking in the gym because you haven’t eaten enough

While some of us can get away with eating just a little or not eating at all before a gym session, you’ll train better and for longer if you eat something before.

Ideally, you want to try to eat something at least an hour before exercising, so you have time to digest your food and fuel up for battle.

You don’t want to be full, but you definitely don’t want to be starving either.

You also need to make sure you’re hydrated before you start training. Drink a glass of water when you first wake up.

You could drink a sports drink as well before so you know you’re at least getting some additional calories in.

3) You’re not warming up properly

We’re all guilty of it from time to time but for this year, try to break this habit.

It just means getting up out of bed five minutes earlier. The main reason we don’t do it is because we ‘don’t have time’, right?

Some could argue it’s because we’re just eager to get started with the main workout but neglecting the warm-up can result in you feeling tight during your first couple of exercises.

No matter what type of training you’re doing, it’s important to warm-up beforehand to get the blood flowing and your muscles warmed up for exercise.

A warm-up can be a 5-minute brisk walk or slow jog, or warm-up exercises such as marching in place, jumping jacks or knee lifts.

Five big targets to give yourself this year