JP (2004)

JP’s Basement Gym

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By luvyalots

JP flicked on the light switch to reveal a well-stocked workout room, containing nearly every sort of exercise machine you could think of. JP didn’t have a weight bench and only a couple of other pieces of equipment, he had a whole @#%$ gym! “This is where it all happened.” JP said to me, sounding very proud of himself. Who wouldn’t be? I could no longer contain my disbelief. “Jesus Christ!” I exclaimed nearly breathless. “You got almost as much stuff down here as the high school has!” His parents must’ve spent a fortune on it all. “Yeah, I guess my mom and dad really trusted my determination.” His eyes were swollen with pride as he was talking. “The bigger I got, the harder I worked out. Once they noticed how big I was getting, they made the investment.” He suddenly stopped at the bench press and looked down at the weights on the barbell. After a few seconds hesitation, JP shook his head and said, “Ryan’s been upping his poundages again. That son of a bitch.” JP looked up at me. “Ryan’s the one who started me on this, really pushed me too. But when I started making the gains I did, he got jealous. It took like five years before he had a body like mine. I haven’t even been training for two years yet.” He kneeled down behind the bench, eyeing the weights suspiciously, but continued talking. “I was getting big so fast, I was out-growing everything I wore.” He quickly stood up and peered over at me. “Like this shirt, for instance. It’s brand new, that’s why it’s so big on me, but by the end of next summer, it’ll probably be getting small.” He took off his shirt and moved toward the bench to sit down. His chiseled upper body seemed even more impressive in the dim light; his pecs cast small shadows over the crevices of his abs. He lay down on the bench, grabbed the bar with his hands and said, “Spot me.” I still remembered how to spot from my crew days so I obeyed. JP lifted the bar from its rack and lowered it to his chest. With a slight grunt, the bar slowly moved up until his arms were straight. Then, he lowered the bar and started pushing up again. This time, JP had a little more trouble with it. He let out a slightly louder grunt, arched his upper body a little more and raised the bar. The muscles in his chest were working hard and his abs were amazingly tight. His arms started shaking a bit as they neared the straightening position. Finally, he reached the top and took a few quick breaths. I re-positioned my hands to prepare for putting the bar in the rack, but JP jerked his head no and signaled for one more rep. This kid really pushed himself! He lowered the bar to his chest one more time. Then, after a moment’s pause, begin pushing once more. Eyes squeezed shut, body shaking, veins pulsing, JP let out a loud grunt and the bar slowly moved up. My eyes were bulging out of their sockets in amazement at his determination. His shoulders were quivering like mad, his arm muscles were bugling out of the skin and his pecs were engorged with blood. After what seemed like an interminably long time, JP finally straightened his arms and jerked his head yes. I helped him guide the bar back into the rack. JP immediately dropped his arms to his sides and breathed heavily. He sat up and motioned toward the squat machine, “Get me that towel over there.” I grabbed the towel and gave it to him. He wiped his face and slid the towel down his upper body and along his arms, which were red and glistening with sweat. “You alright, man?” I asked him. “Never felt better,” he assured me, smiling. “How much weight was that?“ It looked like more than I had ever benched. “205 pounds,“ JP answered. My mouth dropped open. This 130-pound kid had just benched 205 pounds three times in a row! “Ryan used to bench 195 regularly,“ he said in between breaths. “But apparently, he’s gotten stronger.“ Then, he looked up at me and gave me that look that made me melt. “Well, I have to.“ He got up and walked over to a mirror on the wall. He still was breathing pretty heavily so his arms were moving up and down and his inflated chest was heaving along. He looked at his body in the mirror with satisfaction. Suddenly, he did a most-muscular pose in the mirror and I almost wet my pants. JP was getting HUGE! “Every rep makes me stronger,“ he said hauntingly. He must’ve caught my expression in the mirror because he turned around and, with a smirk, jerked his head toward a door at the other end of the room. “You wanna see something kinda cool?” He once again grabbed my arm and pulled toward the door. “Are you prepared?” I nodded my head yes, still a little shocked at my best friend’s strength. What was in that room? JP opened the door, turned on the light and led me in. "Check it out," he said. I gasped. It was the most unbelievable sight I had ever seen. •


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