The Extra Mile... 'One Step Beyond...'...

It's the determination to do that little bit more that makes so much difference to training results. That extra struggling repetition of a lift, even if it is assisted by a spotter, is the one that really counts. Here are some examples of guys going that little extra, for their love of sports training.

We start with something not quite a repeat... if your home is too small to accommodate a gym indoors, no worries - just train outside, even in the rain. This is not the first little video I've posted of Tim Gray lifting in the rain, but we like this one too. You can spot the puddles in his weight plates beside the bench, and drops coming off the dumbbells near the end... and shirtless, naturally...

 Now here, gymnast Egor struggles to 'get' the Diamidov on parallel bars, gets so near that he celebrates with a handstand, and then goes back for one more...

Remember that most videos here will go full screen if you click on the little icon bottom right of their screens

Next, such a strong muscle up that the guy has time to release, clap and re-catch. Check out the muscle he has worked up to make this possible!

Not sure about the next one but it is an increasingly sought-after position in street workouts...

And vice-versa...

(great care with these if you feel obliged to try: release hands very slowly and transfer the weight: they are quite painful too)

Don't forget your strength moves while swimming...

Shuttle runs, obviously enjoyed, surely adding up to a mile? ... the 'extra mile' principle works at any age, even if the athletes don't realise what they are doing! ...

 Developing that extra flexibility can be tough...

For these next two guys' 'mile' is apparently vertical! ...

 

You need ferocious shoulder strenth for the iron cross on rings in gymnastics - we saw this guy struggling a few posts back, but now he has found that 'extra mile'...

...and take any chance you can get to practice your skills...

This may be a gymnast too - he's got the body (and the chalk!):

 

This guy's 'extra mile' is obviously on a subway train! ...

Daniel, the heavyweight juggler, was featured yesterday but deserves his place here with two kettlebells in one hand!

Another performer combines, flexibility with superb strength and a head for heights...

Olympians, of course, are already 'one step beyond'...

 ...national champions too..

Some Russian lads (and ladies, for that matter) enjoy dipping into frozen rivers during snowstorms, just to show how tough they are:

No touhg guy needs a shirt in the snow now, do they? ...

As for the rising generation, some kids just 'ooze' determination...

Yep! Yevgeny knows exactly what he wants from his training!

In the remaining pictures, I think that the dedication already shows through... they're all 'extra milers'

 

So, take that leap 'one step beyond'...

 And your next challenge is... (perhaps!) ...