AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 21
SETH
Myfirstshadowingexperience entails watching my personal trainer mentor, Matt, help this sixty-year-old—if not older—man squat and do several lunges. When I first met Matt, I thought we would be training a bodybuilder. The guy is built. He’s at least a foot taller than me, about Lucas’s height, with chiseled arms. I don’t think there’s an inch of fat on him. He looks like the type of guy who would be training the next bodybuilder.
When I met who we would be working with today, I was completely shocked. The man is pretty out of shape with skinny legs and a large gut. I think he said his name is Peter. And I think his lifestyle is pretty sedentary. Maybe he’s an accountant. I can hardly remember our introductions due to how nervous I was. I don’t want to fuck this up. After going to college for four years and partying my way through it, I have nothing to show for obtaining my degree. I never studied. I don’t even know how I got in. Perhaps it had more to do with my running than my grades.
Now that I can’t rely on running, I need to rely on my brain, which I have been slowly killing with alcohol. All those brain cells lost to nights at Mike’s house. I kinda wish I had them back now. It certainly would be helpful given Matt will have to repeat everything he’s saying at least ten times during our sessions together. Maybe I’m not cut out for this.
“That’s great,” Matt says cheerfully while Peter (still not quite sure if that’s his name) finishes his set. He carefully lowers his weights onto the ground and grunts as he straightens himself.
“I don’t feel so great,” Peter groans.
I watch him rubbing his back. He should probably do some angels and devils to help with his lower back pain. They’re not that hard to do. It pretty much requires lying on a bench, preferably on the stomach, and using back muscles to raise the legs up. Before I can suggest to Peter to try those out, I hear Matt say, “Why don’t we try some angels and devils next?”
I perk up, feeling happy that my recommendation would be Matt’s first choice, but also remembering I should be shadowing, not adding in my two cents.
“I hate those,” Peter groans, but despite his complaint, he moves to the bench near the stack of weights and the mirror. He puts his weights back, which I’m pretty impressed by, since most people tend to be assholes and leave the dumbbells out for the staff to put away or other clients to find.
It’s interesting that Peter hates angels and devils. I always thought they were easy, I do at least ten every morning. I notice the way Peter holds onto the bench, how he grimaces while slowly raising his legs. It makes me want to do at least twenty a day to make sure I never have to experience the pain he’s clearly going through.
“One,” Matt begins counting. He kneels next to Peter, watching his legs going slowly up and down. “Two.”
Peter grunts. Sweat slips down his face. His hands tighten on the bunch. “How many?” he groans when he lifts his legs for the third time.
“Ten.”
Peter lets out a sound akin to a whimper.
“You can do this,” Matt says, reminding me of one of those old aerobic workout films. “Just five more.”
Peter lifts his legs faster. His calves are quivering. Matt presses his hand on Peter’s back when his hips lift. “Four more. Three, two, one. Great, man. You did it.”
Peter grunts and pushes himself up. He grabs the towel on the floor next to him and wipes the sweat from his face. “I thought you said those would get easier.”
I watch Matt cross his arms and raise an eyebrow. “Have you been doing them every day?”
“No,” Peter says sheepishly.
“They’ll get easier if you do them every day.” Matt nods to me and asks, “How often do you do your angels and devils.”
“Ten times a day, every day,” I say immediately.
Matt shrugs. “See? And do you have any back pain, Seth?”
“Not a one,” I say with a shake of my head.
Peter scoffs. “Well, it’s easy for you two. You’re still young. Wait until you get to be my age.”
Matt chuckles and shake his head. “I hear what you’re saying, but if you do these every day, you will feel at least five years younger. I swear by it. You won’t have that back pain anymore because angels and devils strengthen your lower back muscles. Also, if you work on your abs it will help as well. Currently, what’s keeping you upright is your back, but your abs can help too.”
Peter chuckles and slowly rises from the bench. “So you keep telling me.”
“Hey, I’m here to help you,” Matt says with a shrug. “If you don’t want to do angels and devils anymore, we don’t have to, but at the beginning of our first session you told me you want to be able to walk more with your wife. So we are training your body so you can do that, which includes your back muscles. I know it’s strange, but you don’t need just your legs to get you walking. It involves your whole body.”
Peter chuckles and pats Matt’s shoulder. “I get it. You keep doing what you’re doing, and I’ll keep complaining about it. Eventually, you’ll get rich, and I’ll be able to resolve my back issues.”
“Sounds good to me,” Matt says with a smile.
