Why the first 100 sessions are the most important!

I was reading an article about investing the other day. The premise was pretty simple: Why your first $100,000 is the hardest — and the most important.

It's an idea famously associated with investor Charlie Munger. Getting to your first $100,000 can feel painfully slow because, particularly in the beginning, YOU are doing most of the work. You're saving the money. You're making the contributions. You're waiting. You're trying not to panic every time the market goes backwards.

But eventually something changes. Your money starts making money. Compound returns become more significant and suddenly getting from $100,000 to $200,000 doesn't take anywhere near as long as getting from zero to $100,000 did.

And while I was reading it, I couldn't stop thinking: This is exactly what happens with training.

Your first 100 sessions are different. At the beginning, YOU are doing all the work. You don't have much fitness helping you yet. You haven't built much strength. You're still learning how to punch, squat, deadlift, row or use half the equipment in the gym. You don't really know how hard to push, you don't really know when to back off, and every time you train there's still a little negotiation going on in your head about whether you're actually going to turn up.

There's no compound interest yet. You're still building the capital.

But keep accumulating sessions and something starts to happen. Your fitness starts helping you get fitter. Your strength allows you to do more work. Your technique lets you move more efficiently. Your recovery improves. And the routine you've spent months building means getting to the gym doesn't require the same mental effort it once did.

Your previous training starts contributing to your current training. Fitness starts to compound.

And that's why I think your first 100 sessions might be the most important 100 sessions you'll ever do.

1. Your Fitness Starts Working For You

When you first start training, a 45-minute session is hard for a pretty simple reason: You're not very fit yet. And that's completely normal. You're stopping more often. You're recovering for longer. You're using lighter weights. You're concentrating on what you're supposed to be doing rather than just getting on with it.

Think about two people doing exactly the same BoxPlus session. One is doing Session 8. The other is doing Session 208.

The person doing Session 208 can punch harder. They can lift more. They can produce more power on the bike. They recover faster between efforts. Their technique is better and they understand how to pace themselves.

They're both in the gym for 45 minutes, but they're not getting the same 45 minutes. The fitter person can simply do more training in that time.

That's the bit I think we sometimes miss. Getting fitter doesn't just mean that today's workout feels easier. It means you're becoming capable of doing more tomorrow.

That's compound interest.

2. You're Building Lifetime Habits

There's another reason that first $100,000 is so important. To accumulate it, you have to develop some habits. You learn to save. You learn to invest regularly. You learn not to spend everything you earn.

Training works the same way. Early on, every gym session can require a decision. Should I train tonight? I'm pretty tired. Work was ridiculous. Maybe I'll go tomorrow.

But if you keep going, those conversations start happening less often. You figure out when you train. Your family knows when you train. Your gym clothes are ready. You know the coaches. You know the people you train with. You know where everything is.

Tuesday at 6pm stops being a time when you might go to the gym. Tuesday at 6pm is when you train.

That's a massive change, because eventually training stops being something you're constantly trying to START. It becomes something you simply do.

3. Your Second 100 Can Come A Lot Faster

This was probably my favourite part of the investing article. Getting from zero to $100,000 can take years. But getting from $100,000 to $200,000 can happen considerably faster because you're no longer starting from nothing. You've got your contributions, you've got your habits, and now you've got your previous investments generating returns as well.

Think about training. Your first 100 sessions might take a while. You start with twice per week. You miss a few because you're sore. Then there's work. Then you go away. Then you get sick. Then it's Christmas. Then you come back.

But somewhere along the way, twice per week becomes three times. Maybe occasionally four. You stop disappearing for three weeks every time life gets busy. Training has found its place. Suddenly your second 100 sessions can arrive a whole lot quicker than your first.

But there's something even better going on: You're capable of getting more from them.

Sessions 101–200 are being completed by a stronger, fitter, more experienced version of the person who completed Sessions 1–100. Your second 100 isn't just potentially faster to accumulate. It's built on the first 100.

4. Small Sessions Have A Massive Impact

This might be my favourite fitness lesson from the whole analogy. Not every investment has to be enormous, and not every workout has to be amazing.

Sometimes you'll walk into the gym feeling fantastic. Everything works. You lift more than you expected. You fly through the cardio. You leave thinking you're an absolute weapon.

Other days? Not so much. You're tired. Your legs feel heavy. You use lighter weights. You spend most of the session wondering who thought putting burpees there was a good idea.

But here's the thing: Session 47 still became Session 48. You made another deposit.

And over a long enough period of time, those ordinary deposits become incredibly important. The workout you nearly skipped because you couldn't give 100%? It counts. The session where you backed the weights off? It counts. The Friday morning you arrived half asleep and wondering why you make these decisions? Yep. That counts too.

You don't need 100 incredible sessions. You need 100 sessions.

Get To 100

Most people start training with an outcome in mind. Lose 10kg. Get stronger. Get fitter. Feel better. Run faster. Do a HYROX. Look better with their shirt off. They're all perfectly good goals.

But maybe we should add another one.

Get to 100.

Don't worry about being amazing at it. Don't worry about being the fittest person in the room. Don't worry if today's session wasn't quite as good as Tuesday's. Just keep making deposits.

Because somewhere between Session 1 and Session 100, something changes. You're stronger. You're fitter. You're more capable. You've learned how to train. You've built relationships with the people you train alongside. And training has started to find a permanent place in your life.

Then Session 101 comes along.

Except this time you're not starting from zero. You've got 100 sessions behind you.

Your fitness has capital.

And now it can start compounding.