Tony’s jaw dropped when Dr. Gustafson ushered him into the shiny new facility that was the sports performance lab. It was a wet dream of a gym, with every piece of equipment imaginable. Tony headed immediately for the dumbbells. For whatever reasons shrugs had always been one of his favorite exercises. He grabbed a pair of 140 pounders – pleased to see that the lab had them all the way up to kingsize 200 pounders – and did a few shrugs.

“This used to be my max, Doc. Now they’re light as a feather.”

Then he had an idea.

He started CURLING the 140 lb. dumbbells, strict reps with perfect form. When he got to 20, Gustafson let out a whistle.

“OK, son, that’s enough. I think it’s pretty clear that 140 is NOT your single rep max on dumbbell curls. Let’s try bench press.”

Tony stretched – Gustafson was sure his arms had inflated another inch or two, after all they’d measured at 21 inches cold! – then headed for the Smith machine.

“How much shall we start with?” Gustafson wanted to know.

“I could do six plates for reps before,” Tony pointed out. “My single rep max was 405.”

Gustafson looked Tony up and down.

“And you were WHAT before, 195 lbs? That’s pretty danged impressive for 195 lbs, ya know.”

Tony laughed.

“Well, yeah. Anyway, let’s START with eight plates, OK? I’m feeling STRONG today.”

Gustafson helped him load on the plates, then Tony settled down on the bench.

“Uh, Doc, do you mind if I take this sweater off? It’s wool, ya know, and those Greek sheep are hot little fuckers.”

Tony removed the sweater and Gustafson immediately started getting a chubby. “Shit,” he thought, “this boy has NO bodyfat. One more thing to check!”

Back on the bench, Tony took a breath, lifted off – then cranked out 20 perfect reps.

“Uh, I think I could use some more weight, Doc.”

Gustafson’s chubby turned into a full blow hardon. This guy was fucking awesome.

They went up in 90 lb. increments, 2 plates at a time

495 lbs. – another 20 reps 585 lbs. – 15 reps 675 lbs. – 10 reps 765 lbs. – 5 reps

By the end of the fifth set Tony was sweating like a racehorse, a thought reinforced by the fact that his massive schlong was a steel girder running up along his rippled abs, barely contained by the tough elastic of his sweatpants.

“Let’s try two more plates, Doc.”

“Here goes nothing,” Gustafson thought, adding another 90 lbs. to the bar.

Tony settled back down but before he could begin his last assault Gustafson said, “Hang on a minute,” then slipped two 25 lb. weights on the bar.

Tony’s intake of breath was like an industrial strength vacuum. He nudged the bar up, let it slam down to with a quarter inch of his massive, fur-covered pecs, then slowly, evenly, without pause lifted all 915 lbs. back to the starting position. The huge assemblage of weight crashed back into the supports, and Tony sat up, looking totally wired.

“Man, what a pump!”

Gustafson’s hand trembled as he did some math on his clipboard.

“Uh, Tony, do you realize that you just bench more than 3 ½ times your own weight? I think it’s quite probable that pound for pound you’re the world’s strongest man….”

Without saying a word, Tony took Gustafson’s clipboard, set it on the bench, then before Gustafson realized what was happening, picked the big man up, laid him out flat, and started curling the big doc, rep after rep, his dark Mediterranean eyes locked with Gustafson’s pale blues the whole time.

“Uh, Tony,” Gustafson said around the 30th rep, “this is cool and all but I’m getting seasick.”

Tony switched his grip, squeezing Gustafson up in a big bear hug. Without thinking Gustafson wrapped his thick thighs around Tony’s impossibly small waist. Tony pinned the big doc against the concrete wall of the lab and started nuzzling Gustafson’s chest.

“Tony, Tony, what are you doin’, son?”

Tony looked up into Gustafson’s eyes with an intensity Gustafson had never seen before in his life.

“You know you want this.”

Gustafson stammered his reply

“Oh, G-g-god, y-yes, I really DO want this, dude. But not like THIS, OK?”

Tony put Gustafson down.

“Now about that PATIO, Doc. Still need some help with it?”

Gustafson didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“I just have some really BIG pieces left to install. I just haven’t found someone strong enough to help me put ‘em in place.”

Tony lifted an eyebrow.

“Before NOW, that is.” •