AMRAP
If you are wondering what is an AMRAP, well you are in good company. If you already know what it is, then you are already ahead of the curve and I congratulate you. My first thought was a misspelled “arm wrap”. My second thought was this is not going to bode well for me. So let us dispel the mystery behind this word. When participating in an exercise program the term AMRAP refers to As Many Reps As Possible. The word is usually followed by a number like 20 or some interval of time, denoting that I would need to do a predetermined group of movements ( for example pushups, situps, pull ups, runs etc.) a certain number of times each movement and that completed sequence will count as one Rep. ( These are always outlined carefully on the gym’s white board). Then do as many of these “Reps” as you can humanly do in the given amount of time, such as 20minutes. The one guarantee that my coach always gives me is that “this work out will end in 20minutes” for say an AMRAP 20. Well true, yet I am more concerned if I will survive the 20minutes and if by some divine miracle I do, then what condition I will i succumb to at the very end of the AMRAP. Most of the time if I can catch my breath I feebly remark ” Thank you” to the coach as I exit the gym, hobbling, waddling or sometimes crawling out.
My life is like an AMRAP. Sometimes I think about this concept when I am completing my “reps.” I try to do as many things as I can each day, each week, each month and then each year. The object of the AMRAP is to push me into trying to do more and more reps each time. So that the next time the similar or same AMRAP comes along I am able to handle it better with more reps. I Push myself and I challenge myself and I better myself. This applies to my life every day as I try to see new things, every week as I learn new tasks, every month as I engage in newer hobbies, and every year as I master newer skills. I do not know when my AMRAP of life is going to end so I keep chipping away at my tasks, hobbies and skills. The more I do in the gym, the stronger I become. The more I do in my life, the more experienced I become. In the gym, my muscles are learning to become more efficient in the movement and more accustomed to the repetition. In life my muscles of “doing” become more experienced in “being.” I try to daily condition mySelf to do more connection with others, embrace the moment more fully, and unconditionally love even more. I am hoping to recondition my Self to do these things more efficiently, more productively, and more with ease. All these count as one rep. Do As Many Reps As Possible. That’s the name of the game.
It is not about doing more and more chores and mundane things faster and trying to cram more rubbish into my life. In fact it is just the opposite. I could look at it from the perspective of trying to eliminate As Many Redundant chores As Possible. Even that would be a good work out for the day. Simple elimination of unnecessary and useless mind numbing and brain cell consuming repetitions will strengthen my force of will to do better. Eliminating the not so positive emotions faster and faster is a great exercise. Hate, anger, prejudice, judgements are all emotions that are within us all, and we strive to be better and remove As Many Ridiculous emotions As Possible.
All AMRAPs end. They all have a designated time interval to complete the work out. In this case, my Work Out of the Soul. I am still somewhere in my own personal AMRAP of my life. I seem to have not looked at the ending number for this AMRAP. Just keeping doing it. Just keep sweating and enjoying the moment. I keep using this AMRAP concept to build on the “repetitions” of not just getting more done, but experiencing more of what life has to offer as many times as possible. In the process eliminate more non fruitful states of being as many as possible in my day.
How is your AMRAP # going? Sweating? Good you are making progress.
