An hour later, Vincent woke up from his nap. He felt odd... almost jumpy. He sat up in bed, and saw that Skylar had left. Vincent got out of bed and sat down at his computer, but found it was hard to focus, for some reason. He fiddled around on the internet for a bit, reading about politics... but for some reason it just couldn't hold his attention. Instead, his mind kept drifting to the renovated areas of the campus fitness center, particularly the weight room. Vincent had only caught a glimpse of it through an open door, and was strangely intrigued by it.
It wouldn't hurt to look it over, would it? Vincent did not plan on working out, of course--he didn't even own gym shorts! He slipped on some regular shorts and an old tee shirt, as well as his comfortable running shoes. He grabbed the bottle of water that Coach had given him and took a few swigs from it before leaving the dorm room.
Once Vincent was outside of the dormitory building he began to jog, finding that the exercise felt good. He was full of energy, and needed to burn some of it off! He ran straight to the fitness center, pausing occasionally to drink from the bottle, until finally it was empty. He tossed the empty container into a recycling bin and entered the fitness center, heading straight for the weight room.
The cavernous space was filled with benches, bars, machines, and a truly astonishing number of weight plates, but Vincent was the only soul within. The computer nerd walked around the huge room, marveling at all the amazing equipment, for the first time in his life wishing he knew how to lift so that he could get a workout in. His run had been good, but he had plenty of energy to spare--he felt like he'd have to run a marathon to burn it all!
Just as Vincent was regretfully heading for the door, Carter Phelps arrived. The man was dressed in gym shorts and a tank top, both of which had "Faux Weston College" written across them, with "ATHLETICS" in large, blocky letters below. The tank top in particular showed off Carter's well-developed arms and chest, while his shorts made it clear that the man most certainly did *not* skip leg day! A full duffel bag had the same writing on one side.
"Vincent! So good to see you here, bro!" the muscular man boomed, reaching out to shake Vincent's hand. "What do you think of the college's new weight room?"
"Well, uh, it looks great and all," Vincent began, "but I really don't know how to lift, you know? I figured I'd watch some vids on the internet, see if I can learn some exercises..."
Carter beamed back at Vincent, smiling broadly. "I have a better idea, Vincent. How about I show you? I'm certified as a personal trainer, you know."
Vincent hesitated for a moment. He'd never lifted weights in all his life! In high school he got out of it by running cross country, and although he no longer ran that much, it was still his go-to exercise, when he felt like doing any. And he was certainly no dumb jock! And yet... the energy within him needed to be released. And he did want to learn to lift...
"That would be great," Vincent said at last, a smile of relief stretching across his face. It had been hard to say, but felt good once he did. "I really want to learn to lift," he added, feeling bolder.
"Awesome!" Carter enthusiastically replied. He zipped his bag open and pulled out another water bottle and a small hand towel, and gave them both to Vincent. "The towels don't have our logo yet, but it's coming," the trainer said, shaking his head. Vincent put it out of his mind. Who cared about logos? He just wanted to lift!
After that, they began to work out. Carter was a fantastic instructor. He demonstrated each exercise for Vincent, emphasizing form and control. He guided Vincent through one exercise after the next, making sure each one was done properly. Vincent was eager to learn, and quickly found that he had a growing aptitude for lifting. He worked out hard, sweating profusely as his coach pushed him harder and harder, adding more weight or more difficult exercises. Between sets Carter would get his own workout in, while discussing the exercises in question and praising Vincent's performance. Slowly he began to talk about football as well, working in how various exercises would build particular muscles that in turn affected various aspects of on-field performance. Vincent drank it all in, swigging from the water bottles between sets, listening to the muscular hunk go on and on; the budding computer programmer was surprised by how interesting exercise science could be!
Between the large number of exercises that Carter demonstrated and Vincent's sky-high energy levels which allowed him to keep up with all of them, the workout lasted over two hours, and Vincent consumed half a dozen water bottles over the course of it. He was drenched with sweat, his shorts and shirt plastered to his body. He was exhausted, but felt amazing at the same time. Vincent looked down at himself, and was surprised to see that he was quite pumped! Although still small, his muscles were clearly visible under his sweat-soaked shirt, and the veins in his arms and legs were more prominent than he'd ever seen before! He had finally exhausted his huge store of energy, but he felt good--like he had accomplished something.
Carter disappeared for a moment while Vincent sat on a bench, recuperating. The trainer reappeared soon thereafter, a large tumbler of some sort of protein drink in one hand. "Gotta get that protein in after you lift," he explained, handing it to Vincent. Realizing he was ravenous, the exhausted nerd gulped down the thick sludge. It didn't taste great, but it wasn't unbearable. In a weird sort of way, it was exactly what he needed. He finished it quickly, then handed the empty container back to his new coach.
"Let me show you to the showers, bro," Carter said, slapping Vincent on the back.
"Oh, I think I'll just go back to the dorms. I didn't bring anything to change into," Vincent replied. He felt a bit sheepish for forgetting to bring a clean set of clothes.
"Don't worry! Coach has you covered!" Carter laughed. He reached into his bag and pulled out gym shorts and a baggy tee shirt, both with the athletics department logo on them, both much too large for Vincent. A plain towel and some ordinary socks followed.
Vincent grinned as he stood up from the bench, taking his new clothes gratefully. They were too big, but at least they were clean. "Lead the way, Coach!" he said, following Vincent into the locker rooms just off of the weight room.