Pros don't train differently from you

There's an idea, possibly given by pro body-builder DVD's and the like, that top level athletes train differently from the average Joe. On occasion I've even seen it suggested that they are privy to secrets - drugs, training and the like - that others do not have.

It's a crock. While it's true that some pros get help from what we now call 'gurus's on training, nutrition and so on on (which shows they do not know everything) nothing they are shown or taught is a secret. 99.9% of what they are shown is known. Very little is new. I have in my ever growing collection of physical culture books (100+) and magazines (4500 and growing) some which go back to the 1930's. 

Even before such methods were named lifters used supersets, giant sets and the like. The idea of high levels of protein is as old as Roman Gladiators and the first Olympic athletes.

If you look carefully at a top level athlete working out you'll see that they try to get as much as they can from an exercise. Combined with their genetics they have an ability to squeeze something dry. Small, small twists such as contracting a muscle at the hardest point, holding a dumbbell thus and being obsessively, even to the point of stupidity, to work, work and work some more. They are anal about meals, will have an afternoon nap if it helps and can be very selfish in their aims.

One suggestion I've offered before is to see if you are doing everything you could have done to succeed. Did you give everything, did you neck all your shakes, did you take some time to chill out and recover??

In your next session I want you to go all out - to the point where you get a thumbs up from the local 'face' (assuming it's not you ha ha).