100 times

I worked as a gardener for two seasons and realised I really liked the arms I got from it.

Raking, lifting, moving earth around, planting flowers and trees for two summers had me see that my arms could have some kind of shape.

Before that, my genetic is so that flabby arms were my reality.

Now that I work inside, my arms were losing the bit of definition they started to have.

So I decided to youtube my way into toned arms.

At first I did many different videos, once or twice, some a few times over a week or two.

I did not have a schedule or routine.

I could do a video a few days in a row or I could go a few days without doing anything.

Sometimes days turned into weeks, even months without lifting.

My arms were not getting in any kind of shape, they actually had lost whatever definition they had got from the two summers working in the gardens.

I needed to be more consistent.

Then, I fell on the Tracy Anderson TAM PRECISION TONING 01 Intro & Arms video, published by Maryam Cave.

I loved it right away.

Because I had some ‘experience’ from doing arms videos, I surestimated my capacities and ignored Tracy’s advice to go weightless during the first part of her set and lightweight for the second part.

She does the 3 parts set with 0 lbs, 3 lbs and 5 lbs.

I did dit all three parts with my 5 lbs.

I absolutely killed my arms.

I could not move them for days.

My shoulders were burned out, my biceps barely holding on and my forearms on fire.

Five pounds might not sound very heavy, but her video took me by surprise and showed me that repetition of simple movements had the capacity to wake muscles never known before, with or without weights.

If I was going to do an arm video over and over, it would be that one.

When I finally could move my upper body again, I decided I would do it 100 times.

With enthusiasm, I started my challenge.

Because my arms were still pretty beaten up and I was now much more aware of the power of this particular video, I did the first few of my 100 times with no weights at all, even when she, herself, used 3 and 5 lbs.

After doing the exercises with no weights several times, I used 2 lbs (did not have 3 lbs) for the second and third part of the set.

It took about 20 times, at a rate of 3 to 5 a week, to reach the 0 to 5 lbs in the video.

At about 30 times, I focused on the form.

At 40 times, I regretted the challenge, why the hell did I want to do that?

All this effort and committment and my arms were barely getting toned and defined.

At 50, I thought, hey, I am half way, I did pretty good.

I could totally stop and still be proud.

Doing the same thing 50 times was quite something on its own.

I wanted to get to 100, but I also wanted to just give up.

I needed some convincing to keep going.

Ackowledging how far I had got gave me a boost.

I motivated myself.

What if I tried different ways of doing it.

I went for 5 lbs in the last two round of the set, up the game a bit.

I stayed at 0 lbs for the first round, keeping it safe, killing my arms once was enough.

I could feel the difference and my arms were getting thinner and thinner.

The 60s were pretty fun, my arms were getting toned.

For the 70s I added some more weight, the 2 lbs in the first part of the set, the part where even Tracy had no weight in her hands.

Oh, I felt that too!

The 80s sparked hope, the end was near, only 20 to go.

For the 90s, I was cruising fast.

At my 100 time, I was at 2, 5 and 10 lbs.

I was so proud.

My arms were in the best shape they had ever been.

So was my capacity to focus on a goal.

Doing the same thing over and over again is such an underated powerful way to get to where we want to be.

It allows to become better a little bit at a time.

What have I learned from doing the same exercice video for a 100 times?

That not only does it make you feel good about your physique and grows your confidence, it also makes you bust walls you did not know you could.