ruff_patch | Overflow

From:

((Continued from here))

Typically Sunday is thought to be a day of rest but let's face it, for an unemployed slug like Richard, most days are kind of like Sunday's. Usually he sleeps in until noon and then drags his ass out of bed long enough to make coffee and turn on the TV or his computer. But today he is rudely woken up at 8:30am by his alarm so that he can meet Max at the gym for 9am.

He's still half asleep and as he looks around the gym for his friend he resembles a mole rat, one who has popped up from a long slumber underground only to look bleary eyed up at the sun.

"Jesus. Are all these people on speed?" He muses out loud as he looks at all the gym-goers who are already working out on the floor. It's the only thing that makes sense right? Who naturally has this much energy?

From:

writorwrong

If he's being honest, Max was half expecting Richard to try and bail out - but he receives no such text or call, and thus, here he is, arriving on the main gym floor just a minute or so after him. He gives a few of the other men and women there a nod or a greeting, but soon he's clapping Richard on the shoulder.

"Y'alright, sunshine? Glad you made it."

It's clear the poor guy's still half asleep, but Max doesn't have torture planned for him; he'll go easy on him. He wants him to come back, after all.

From:

ruff_patch

The thought of bailing did occur to Richard and the night before their meet up he even drafted a text to send but after reading it out loud he realized it made him sound extra pathetic and even more of an asshole than usual so he deleted it and set his alarm instead.

"Not really, I'm getting tired just looking at these people." He says dryly and follows Max further into the gym, feeling very much like an outsider. Everyone is dressed in tight yoga pants, crop top bras, muscle shirts and shorts and here he is in an old pair of black sweat pants and a band T-shirt that has a stain at the bottom.

"How often are you here?" Because it seems that Max knows quite a few of the others which would imply he's a regular.

From:

writorwrong

If it helps much, Max is wearing much the same; sweats, a tee that's certainly seen better days. It's not his usual attire most of the time, but then this isn't a usual session for him. This is for Richard, and everything he can do to help him feel less like a sore thumb, the better.

"Four times a week. One lower body day, one upper, two full. Bit of cardio on all of them, sorted. But you don't need to do all that to see benefits from it, I just enjoy it. Bit of time to myself, doing somethin' for myself. Feels good."

He leads him past rows of treadmills, off to the far corner where the free weights and mats are neatly laid out, clean and organised.

"I'm not gonna be cruel and chuck you on the stairmaster for forty minutes; we'll get you warmed up a bit, see what kind of weight you can comfortably hold, and go from there. Give me your best effort for half an hour, and there's coffee in it for you."

From:

ruff_patch

If Richard knew that Max had tried to dress down for him he would appreciate it, although he would also argue that even in sweats and an old t-shirt Max looks like a model for a fireman's calendar and not an average joe.

"FOUR times A WEEK!" Richard exclaims loudly, causing a few people to look at them curiously as they head over to the free weight corner.

"Guess that explains why you're built like a brick shit-house." He muses as he peers at the weights, "And I appreciate you not making me climb stairs. I would probably puke my guts out if you did."

A pause and then, "Uh. So. How do I get warmed up?"

From:

writorwrong

(ooc: PLEASE KNOW that Max being a firefighter/becoming one to sell calendars is a running joke for him on plurk, so that made me laugh out loud )

The exclamation only makes him snort. "Some of this lot are here every day, four days is pretty average."

He doesn't need to tell him that a big part of his session involves hauling 350lb sandbags about or deadlifting near double that. The quantity of sessions is average; the content is fucking mental.

"A lot've it's genetic - something like 70%, I dunno. My sister's the scientist." And then, in reply to Richard's next question, comes the part that so many people hate doing in front of others. Easy enough to get into a set once you've got the weights in hand, but warming up can feel like you're back in P.E class.

Max just starts rolling his shoulders back, motioning for Richard to copy him.

"Just start with thirty seconds-ish of these one way, then again going the other way. Some of these you'll feel like a bit of a pillock, but it's important."

And then it's arm circles, band pull-aparts with a resistance band, thoracic twists, and some unfortunately named shoulder-dislocates. The usual, all easy enough, but also telling about his general upper mobility.

Edited Date: 2025-11-18 10:16 pm (UTC)