[Gideon's Glory] Make It or Break It

by **Aoren** on March 23rd, 2015, 11:42 pm

14th of Spring, 515 AV

Gideon’s Glory was an intimidating thing to behold. The interior housed a plethora of tools that could be used to hone one’s strength and body. The sight of the towering Akalak making use of this equipment almost made Aoren turn around and exist the facility. He pushed aside his nervousness however and continued with his trek into the building. Aoren hadn’t ever really used actual weight training equipment to strengthen himself. His weights had been the stones he’d found in the natural world. His tools had been his own body but he was finding that wasn’t enough to achieve the level of strength he currently desired. He’d seen both men and women utilize such equipment to great effect. He supposed it was time he joined them.

“You seem lost.” Aoren’s eyes came to rest on a tall, powerfully built Akalak who was observing him with patient eyes. The Drykas man inclined his head offering a half-smile.

“Is it that obvious?” A smirk touched the lips of the Akalak. He gave a gruff chuckle.

“Only to someone who has seen warriors begin their journey time and time again. I am Melanos.” He extended a hand which Aoren took clasping it firmly. The strength in that single gesture took Aoren aback. Though it was friendly he felt as if the Akalak could have crushed his hand had he chosen to squeeze a little harder.

“I am Aoren.” Melanos nodded releasing Aoren’s hand then gesturing to the gymnasium.

“What is it that you are here for, Aoren?” The Drykas considered Melanos’s question. There were several ways he could have answered it. From the intense look in the Akalak’s eyes it was obvious that he was aware of the question’s dual meaning as well. Aoren answered as honestly as he could at that time. He would get nowhere by pretending to be more than what he was or that he knew more than he did.

“I am here to get stronger. To gain the strength I need to earn my place in Riverfall.” Aoren held up his hands displaying the fact that he had yet to gain Kuvan status in the city. Melanos nodded in understanding. He gestured for the young man to follow him. Aoren did not hesitate. If this Melanos was going to show him how to begin his journey then he would follow gladly. As they made their way through the facility, Melanos occasionally stopped speaking to several people along the way. He offered tips or encouragement to those he passed until they came to a set of weights aligned on a stand near a bench. Melanos pointed to the bench. Understanding his meaning, Aoren took a seat on the edge. He watched the broad shouldered Akalak for a moment as he seemed to survey the set of weights. Reaching some unknown conclusion, Melanos grabbed two of them then walked up to Aoren extending one. Aoren took hold of the weight. His eyebrows rose slightly. It was heavier than it appeared to be. He made sure his grasp on the weight was firm so as not to drop it.

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by **Aoren** on March 23rd, 2015, 11:48 pm

“This is called a free weight. You look like you’ve got some strength to you already so I’ve chosen one that might present a bit of challenge for you. You perform what is called a curl with this weight.” Melanos took a seat on the bench beside Aoren. He demonstrated with the other weight by first resting his forearm parallel atop his thigh then raising it. Aoren watched as the muscles in Melanos’s bicep bunched up though he doubted it was any real strain for the Akalak.

“Now you try.” Making certain he had a firm grasp on the weight, Aoren leaned forward intent on repeating the motion. He was about to raise the weight when he felt a hand on his lower back.

“Sit up straight. Avoid using other muscle groups to assist in lifting the weight. The point is to train that single muscle with this particular exercise. You do not want it supplemented by other muscles as that would detract from the training of this one.” Melanos pat Aoren’s bicep and back nudging the Drykas into the proper position. Aoren obliged before raising the weight. The motion was much more difficult than it would have seemed. He immediately felt the resistance against the muscles in his arm. The majority of the stress was in his bicep.

“Like this?” Melanos nodded.

“Very good. Starting out you should focus on getting a moderate amount of what are called “repetitions” or “reps”. This is how many times you can perform the exercise while maintaining the proper form before having to modify it with different muscle groups. When you reach that point, switch to the other arm.” Melanos set the other weight on the floor. He stood up crossing his arms over his chest watching Aoren perform the exercise.

Raising the weight, Aoren focused on performing the exercise properly. He could feel the stress of the weight instantly. Performing movements with disciplined precision wasn’t something Aoren was unfamiliar with. As a man who had spent a large portion of his adult life doing acrobatic maneuvers in conjunction with his hand to hand combat he understood the principle. Aoren glanced over at another weightlifter. He saw that this man seemed to have a much heavier weight compared to Aoren’s. The lapse in his attention caused him to lean forward slightly.

“Don’t lose focus, Aoren.” Aoren blinked returning his attention to the movement of the weight in unison with his arm.

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by **Aoren** on March 23rd, 2015, 11:50 pm

“Sorry.” Melanos exuded a patient air giving Aoren a nod.

“It is alright that you are not using heavier weights. You are beginning. Do not focus on how strong you are not, focus on how strong you will become by training properly. Like all things, it will take time.” Nodding Aoren continued the curls with his right arm for a few more minutes before he felt his arm grow fatigued. When that happened he switched to the other arm. He adjusted his position and with Melanos there to guide him he managed to maintain the proper form as he raised and lowered his left arm.

“Very good, Aoren. Now place the weights back on the proper stand.” Grabbing the weights, Aoren walked over to the rack placing the weights back where he’d seen Melanos grab them.

“It is important to remember etiquette. Always return the weights where you found them when you have finished the exercise. That way when the one who follows you in using the weights does not have to clean up after you.” Being polite in his proper training was not something Aoren would have a problem with. He nodded to Melanos who gestured for him to follow. They came to another set of weights much different from the free weights he’d just been using. It was a bench situated between two sturdy poles with a single pole resting horizontally atop pegs between them.

Along the sides of the poles were various circular weights. Melanos grabbed two of the weights and affixed them to the ends of the horizontal pole. He lay atop the bench spreading his legs and grasping the pole, his hands roughly shoulder width apart. Melanos took in a breath then lift the bar letting it hang in the air above his chest for a moment before bringing it down the raising it again. With that motion done he set the bar back in its place. Sitting up he gestured to the weight set.

“This is called a bench press. The goal here is to strengthen the chest, shoulders, biceps and deltoid muscles.” As he spoke, Melanos pointed to each muscle group. He stood up from the bench and Aoren took his place. He made sure to get his footing in place spreading his legs like he’d seen Melanos do. He grasped the bar shoulder width apart.

“Like this?” Melanos nodded.

“You don’t want to begin pushing the weight up using the muscles in your lower body. If you feel yourself begin to do that, lessen the weight or stop the exercise. Remember, you want to focus the strengthening of the intended muscle groups.” Aoren nodded. He took in a deep breath then pushed up lifting the bar. He didn’t feel the strain right away but as he lowered the bar to his chest it became apparent as he raised the bar. His muscles met resistance. It wasn’t uncomfortable but it was certainly enough that after a respectable set of reps he would feel the results. Under the watchful gaze of Melanos, Aoren continued the exercise. When he felt himself having to use more than just the muscles in his chest and arms to raise the bar he lifted it one last time before setting it on the pegs.

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by **Aoren** on March 23rd, 2015, 11:54 pm

“I can see how that is going to be effective.” Aoren rubbed his shoulders and chest. Melanos chuckled.

“Your muscles are feeling strained? Good. The key is to push yourself to an acceptable level of discomfort over time. Push too far and you’ll injure yourself. Push too little and you’ll gain no more strength than you already have.” Rising to his feet Aoren nodded in understanding going to place the weights back to their proper place. Next they made their way to a rope that was affixed to the ceiling. It hung, swaying slightly back and forth. There were a few others nearby, each with a person pulling themselves up the length of the rope and slowly lowering themselves back down.The intent here was obvious.

“Climbing?” Melanos nodded.

“To help strength both your upper body and your torso.” Melanos stepped up to the rope. He pulled himself up only a few inches off of the floor. The Akalak held the rope firmly and also squeezed the base of it with both feet.

“If you can, try to use only your upper body strength to climb the rope. If you cannot then assist yourself by using your feet to push yourself up the rope. It is better that you build yourself up to the point of being able to use only your arms than to try it outright and hurt yourself.” Melanos demonstrated going only a foot or so off the ground performing both methods of climbing.

“Got it.” Aoren stepped up to the rope as the Akalak released it. He took a calming breath. Fortunately for Aoren, he was not afraid of heights otherwise this would have been a very daunting exercise. Gripping the rope in his hands he was about to climb up when he felt a tapping on his shoulder. Melanos offered him a pair of fingerless leather gloves.

“I would recommend using these to prevent yourself from rubbing your hands raw. In time you may find you don’t need them but for now I think you should use them.” Accepting the gloves, Aoren gave the instructor a grateful nod.

“You’ve trained a lot of people then, have you?” Melanos nodded watching Aoren slip the gloves on. The Drykas flexed his fingers and rotated his wrists to make sure they fit properly.

“Many, for a very long time. There is just as much to learn through teaching as there is to impart by doing so.” Having been in the role of a teacher himself, Aoren could agree wholeheartedly.
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by **Aoren** on March 23rd, 2015, 11:56 pm

Looking up at the ceiling he nodded to himself grasping the rope. Keeping his arms tucked into his sides he wrapped a leg around the rope and began the journey of climbing the rope. It was slow going and the strain of carrying the whole of his body weight with just his arms immediately became evident. He paused when he was half-way up the rope catching his breath momentarily.

“Keep going, Aoren. There will be time to stretch and rest soon.” Glancing down to the Akalak on the floor, he nodded then gripped the rope once again. Aoren continued his journey up the rope slowly. When finally he reached the top he paused letting out a steady breath. Not wanting to disappoint the man who was taking time to teach him so diligently he began his descent.

The journey down the rope was no easier than the trip up it. Though his body was compelled to fall back down to the ground it took just as much strength to keep himself steady as it did to pull himself up. When he was nearer to the floor Melanos folded his arms over his chest.

“Don’t jump off. Finish the journey all the way until your feet touch the ground.” Diligence. Discipline. Aoren understood that. That was what it would take to increase his strength and ability. He would get nowhere by leaping forward because it was easy. He would have to make the slow trek to get there just like all of the great warriors. He grunted bringing his hands down one final time before he touched down on the floor.

“I’m going to have to work on that one.” Melanos laughed jerking his head in the direction back toward most of the equipment. He came to two bars jutting out from the wall with enough space between them to fit a person. Melanos turned so that he was facing Aoren. He rest his back against the wall then raised himself up so that his feet dangled slightly off the ground.

“Two things can be done here. You can either do what dips.” Melanos bent his legs at the knees behind him. He lowered himself on the pegs dipping down. The muscles in his shoulders, at the base of his neck and along his arms all bunched and rippled. He then pushed himself up. From that position he unbent his knees letting his legs dangle.

“Or you can do raises.” Melanos lifted his legs upward until they were at a ninety degree angle in front of him. The muscles in his core tightened and flexed. With those two demonstrations done, Melanos lowered himself down to the floor. He quirked an eyebrow at Aoren inviting questions. Aoren had none. The exercises were fairly self-explanatory. Taking up his position between the pegs, Aoren lifted himself up off the floor.

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by **Aoren** on March 23rd, 2015, 11:59 pm

“May I do both exercises?” Melanos inclined his head.

“If you feel you have the strength.” Aoren smirked.

“I have some left.” He would admit that the exercises were challenging. He considered himself a decently strong man but this was different. These exercises were completely intended to push him to his limits and when he’d reached them, push him further. He began with the dips feeling the strain of the exercise in his shoulders and upper body. He repeated the motion doing his best to lower himself all the way like he’d seen Melanos do and return to fully raised position. Melanos occasionally pointed out errors in his technique which he remedied to the best of his ability. When he felt himself straining to do the dips, Aoren switched to the leg raises. He could feel the stress of bringing his legs up to a complete ninety degree angle instantly.

Aoren knew just how heavy his body was. In attempting to do flips and running exercises he often misjudged either how much strength it took to pull off a maneuver or he simply wasn’t balanced enough. He repeated the leg raises as much as he could before his form began to falter. When that happened he lowered himself slowly to the floor. He was sweating fairly steadily at this point. The aching he felt in his muscles was both painful and satisfying. Melanos observed him for a moment before nodding.

“Well done. I think that’s enough for today. There is a well in the far corner there. Make sure you get plenty of water. Stretch your muscles. It will keep you from being as pained and cramped.” Aoren gave Melanos a grateful bow bending at the waist in a show of respect. When he returned to his upright position he was surprised to see the bow was returned.

“Thank you, Melanos. I realize I have a long ways to go before I am completely learned in these techniques but your patience has helped.” The Akalak stepped forward clasping Aoren on the shoulder.

“I will give as much time as needed for a student who shows the effort.” Aoren turned to head in the direction of the well to get a drink of water. As he did so, Melanos called to him.

“May I ask something?” Aoren stopped turning to face the Akalak. He nodded.

“Of course.”

“What strengths do you intend to use to become Kuvan?” Aoren raised his hands in answer. A smile touched the man’s lips.

“Might I suggest that you pay a visit to the Tuvya Sasaran? If it’s your hands you fight with, you’ll find masters there who can teach you.” Aoren smiled at Melanos.

“Then they will have gained an eager student if they’ll have me.” Melanos laughed.

“I have a feeling they will.” With that the instructor turned going to mingle with other prospective students in need of his attention. Making his way to the well, Aoren thought on the Tuvya Sasaran. If Melanos was kind enough to recommend it then he would most certainly pay it a visit.

Note-5 GM for use of equipment and training.

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by **Rosela** on April 5th, 2015, 12:02 am

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