A Prayer Before The Struggle
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:24 am
((Continued from For the Kingdom, The Power And Glory Are Yours))
Walking into the gym always made Dan feel a little queasy. He didn't know why, since he had no problem with pumping iron to stay in shape, but there was something about the experience of entering a gym that made him a little nervous. Whatever the reason, he often got over it quickly just by looking down at his stomach, which up until last year always stuck out like a beer belly. Now, however, it only bulged out slightly under his T-shirt, though he was still determined to flatten it out, no matter what it took. His gut had even gotten him a few looks from the coach who'd overseen his first tryout for the wrestling team. The guy had undoubtedly mistaken him for being all flab and little muscle, but after benching 208, he'd quickly proven himself to be just as powerful as anyone else on the team.
After that, on the advice of his coaches he'd started placing a heavy emphasis on his cardio, which had initially proved to be a major hindrance to his progress on the wrestling team. Taking it upon himself to stay in shape, he'd started going on daily jogs after school, and started a new routine where he'd do at least half an hour on the treadmill before starting on the weights. Sure, it had taken him a while, but after a few months of puffing and gasping on the track, he'd eventually slimmed down enough to where he was able to run at a pretty steady pace for a couple of miles before having to stop and catch his breath. Training camp had been nothing short of hell on Earth, and he'd gotten the nickname "Fatso" for the way he'd always found himself struggling to keep up with the other team members, but in the long run it had helped place him in a better state of health than he'd even been in his entire life.
Now though, he had to gain more weight, which he considered to be pretty ironic -- or at least coincidental, he sometimes had trouble distinguishing the two. Seeing a few guys he'd talked to in the cafeteria, he waved to them and mustered a few general greetings before heading over to the bench. Slipping a few 45's onto the bar, he flexed his arms a bit before lying down on the bench. Muttering his customary prayer for a preservation of his safety, he reach out and grabbed hold of the bar. Without much effort, he pushed off and carefully began his reps.
After he finished the first set, he set the bar back into place and sat up, his breath a little heavy, but not nearly as much as it would get later on, when he started on the harder stuff. Taking a few looks around the weight room, he started thinking about what had gone on at the last GODspeed meeting. The first half he remembered as being fairly uneventful, but after the group prayer was over, he was delighted to find a few freshmen in with the rest of the crowd. He'd introduced himself to them, even managed to get a few of them to tell him their Myspace profile names. Speaking of which, he'd have to remember to check his e-mails for messages from Jackie or one of the other organizers when he got home.
Walking into the gym always made Dan feel a little queasy. He didn't know why, since he had no problem with pumping iron to stay in shape, but there was something about the experience of entering a gym that made him a little nervous. Whatever the reason, he often got over it quickly just by looking down at his stomach, which up until last year always stuck out like a beer belly. Now, however, it only bulged out slightly under his T-shirt, though he was still determined to flatten it out, no matter what it took. His gut had even gotten him a few looks from the coach who'd overseen his first tryout for the wrestling team. The guy had undoubtedly mistaken him for being all flab and little muscle, but after benching 208, he'd quickly proven himself to be just as powerful as anyone else on the team.
After that, on the advice of his coaches he'd started placing a heavy emphasis on his cardio, which had initially proved to be a major hindrance to his progress on the wrestling team. Taking it upon himself to stay in shape, he'd started going on daily jogs after school, and started a new routine where he'd do at least half an hour on the treadmill before starting on the weights. Sure, it had taken him a while, but after a few months of puffing and gasping on the track, he'd eventually slimmed down enough to where he was able to run at a pretty steady pace for a couple of miles before having to stop and catch his breath. Training camp had been nothing short of hell on Earth, and he'd gotten the nickname "Fatso" for the way he'd always found himself struggling to keep up with the other team members, but in the long run it had helped place him in a better state of health than he'd even been in his entire life.
Now though, he had to gain more weight, which he considered to be pretty ironic -- or at least coincidental, he sometimes had trouble distinguishing the two. Seeing a few guys he'd talked to in the cafeteria, he waved to them and mustered a few general greetings before heading over to the bench. Slipping a few 45's onto the bar, he flexed his arms a bit before lying down on the bench. Muttering his customary prayer for a preservation of his safety, he reach out and grabbed hold of the bar. Without much effort, he pushed off and carefully began his reps.
After he finished the first set, he set the bar back into place and sat up, his breath a little heavy, but not nearly as much as it would get later on, when he started on the harder stuff. Taking a few looks around the weight room, he started thinking about what had gone on at the last GODspeed meeting. The first half he remembered as being fairly uneventful, but after the group prayer was over, he was delighted to find a few freshmen in with the rest of the crowd. He'd introduced himself to them, even managed to get a few of them to tell him their Myspace profile names. Speaking of which, he'd have to remember to check his e-mails for messages from Jackie or one of the other organizers when he got home.