2nd Day of Fall, 513 AV
Anthonious Training Grounds
8th Bell
Anthonious Training Grounds
8th Bell
Thing were muddled now between he and Dinah. What was once an almost friendship, almost something more, was not any more, instead now something cold and professional. He was her squire and she his patron knight. Nothing more. Nothing less. If you asked Orion, it was nearly perfect. Perhaps a closer relationship was expected, but with the way things had gone, with how everything had nearly fallen apart, it was hardly a possibility. All pretenses of anything more could be shoved aside. It was all too tiresome anyways. Now they could just focus on what mattered. Training. Training Orion that he could be ready for knighthood and finish this transformation from playboy to guardian.
"I want you to be stronger, Orion," Dinah began. "You can hold your own in a fight fairly well at this point, so now I want to change our focus a little bit. Hone your body. In a battle of equal skill, the one in better shape is bound to be victor." Orion nodded in understanding. If there is one thing he understood, it was the importance of stamina. "You have more of a runners' body, but I'd like to put more muscle on you. There's an Akalak knight who always spoke of the importance of bodybuilding. 'The answer is more bodybuilding,' I believe is what he would always say." Dinah smiled softly, guiding her squire over to an area in the grounds which was full of bars, benches, circular metal plates, and chains throughout it. "While I always found his emphasis on pure strength a bit much at times, Orion, I do believe the answer in this case is indeed 'more bodybuilding'. So let us go."
Orion scanned the area taking in the most unfamiliar sights. While he had viewed others at work her, he'd never ventured over to the particular area they stood in, choosing instead to focus on his martial training. "So what are we doing, exactly?" The squire wandered over to and unoccupied bench, running a finger along the cool metal bar placed in the hold above it. "I'm no expert," she began, stepping up next to Orion. "But the basic idea is that if you push your limits, your limits will expand. Lift heavy weights and you'll get stronger over time, being able to lift more. In this case, more lifting could translate to hitting harder. A good thing, no? It's just like anything else. You swing your weapon with much more ease. You move in plate with an almost confidence. If you continue, it simply gets easier." It made sense enough. Everything worked more or less the same way, though Orion had observed that everyone had very real limits as well. "So go ahead and lay down on the bench. I'll load you up some weight and we can begin."
Orion complied with Dinah's request, taking his place on the cold stone bench. Dinah grabbed a few of the circular plates and slid them onto the bar above him, locking them in place with simple clamps. "This is one hundred and fifty pounds. It should be a good warmup, though it might be a bit tough on you because it's a new workout." Standing over Orion, Dinah touched the bar, looking down at him. Demonstrating as she spoke, Dinah explained the proper positioning and technique. "This is the standard bench press. Keeping your arms a bit more than shoulder width apart, you'll grasp the bar, lift it up and lower it to your chest before driving it back up. Be careful not to bounce it off your chest, though. I don't want you injuring yourself." Taking a step back, the knight motioned for Orion to begin. "You'll star with ten repetitions at this weight."
Orion took a deep breath, wrapped his fingers around the bar, and pushed up. The weight was manageable, but he could feel the fibers of his muscles tense up as he lifted; it was clear they weren't used to this sort of use. "Make sure you breathe on the way down and exhale as you come back up." The center of the bar caressed Orion's chest and he exploded upward, his arms shooting up to their initial position. "One. Keep going." Orion swallowed, adjusted his grip, and complied with Dinah's command. Downward he brought the bar, touching it to chis chest, then he forced it upward, back above him, ready to go again. "Two. Three. Four. Five." The unusual motion would quickly begin to take it's toll on Orion,as he adjusted to an unfamiliar exercise. "Six . . Seven . . Come on!" Orion again brought the weight down to his body, his upper arms bending nearly parallel to the ground. "Don't forget to breathe," she corrected as Orion completed another repetition. "Eight. Two more, come on, Orion! Nine. Last one. You've got this!" Sucking in another breath as he lowered the bar, Orion dug deep, thrusting the bar skyward again after it touched his chest again. "Good job," Dinah said, grabbing the bar and helping him set it down in the holders. "Take a couple minutes. Then we'll add some more weight and try for seven."
Great. She was trying to kill him again.
