Tommy Kono, a world and Olympic champion weightlifter from the US and a favorite of the Soviet public, taught: “After each repetition, erase any flaw detected so the next repetition will be even smoother in performance…it is better to quit because you begin to fail in refining your technique.”

One of the tools elite athletes use in their practice is reflection.

Those who do not, do not go far. “Some people never seem to learn,” comment scientists. “One difference, perhaps, between those who do and don’t is whether they have cultivated the habit of reflection (What happened? What did I do? How did it work out?), enhanced with elaboration (What would I do differently next time?).”

German experts recommend performing this after-action review within the first minute after the set, when it is still fresh in your memory.

“Why lift small weights with the technique of a caveman?” commented Kono’s friend. “Be an athlete or be nothing.”