"It's not a reflection on your performance," Stildyne said mildly. "It's good practice. And you're going to feel it in your neck tomorrow if you don't straighten out your form."
"My neck?" For all of Rex's knowledge of the human body, it didn't really extend to... well, actual physical activities. At least, not when he was the one performing them. There was some massive cognitive dissonance going on. "But I'm not straining my neck."
Or was he... To be honest, he hadn't been paying attention to what he was feeling and where.
"Mind if I-?" Stildyne knelt beside him, thrusting a large finger against the muscles of kneck and shoulder that Rex was flexing-- nothing to do with lifting the weight, but everyone tried to lift weights with their head when they were starting out. Something psychological.
"Look. Here." He shifted Rex's elbows and shoulders down a little. "And lift the small of your back, stop trying to curl into it." Which wouldn't make the boy's life any easier but it would mean he didn't hate himself so much in the morning.
"Uh..." He nodded wordlessly, then winced awkwardly at the poking. Still, Stildyne seemed to know a lot more about this than Rex, who could count the number of times he's lifted weights on both hands, so he complied, trying to go through the range of motions while following the older man's instruction. "This feels--" Exhale, inhale. "Strange. Am I doing it right?"
Stildyne nodded. "It feels odd because you're engaging the muscles that need work. Which consequently makes things less easy. Unfortunately." He watched a bit, frowning. Not at Rex's inexperience-- as head of security for Ragnarok's Chief Medical Officer, and there had been lots of those in his interim, he'd patiently dealt with quite a few officers who'd never had to pass PT in their lives. He'd seen as bad. No, it was because the face was familiar. One of those twinned faces.
"Mm. I think I preferred it the other way." But Rex was nothing if not stubborn, so he was keeping at it despite the discomfort. It was just... easy to let his form slip when he wasn't being completely attentive.
"Which--? Oh." He frowned. "Dr. Lewis." Arthur, he was sure, would never struggle with the bar like this. And with that, Rex hated him all the more.
Ah. The one Hoffman had found enough of a threat to put in the infirmary. Stildyne suppressed a wince of second-hand embarrassment.
"Because it's easier, that's why you prefer it," he said, instead, with good-natured scolding. "But you'll actually make progress this way. Try to keep it up till you can't lift the bar. I'll be right behind."
It was pretty sad when anyone considered Rex a threat-- at least, when he didn't have massively destructive technology on his side.
"But what if I drop--" He slowly lowered the bar again letting out a hiss of a breath as he tried to straighten his arms without shaking too much. He was a little skeptical about Stildyne's assurance, since... well, he'd gotten a lot of promises for support in his time. They tended to end in his death or disfigurement.
He couldn't exactly apologize for Hoffman's lapse of judgment and attack on someone so unready to fight back, but he could help the young man lift weights at least.
"That's what I'm here for," Stildyne said stolidly. "It's not signing up to marry me, I'm only your spotter. But with the bar alone, your back's strong enough to take it. And when you're up to adding ewights, leave them loose; when it tips to one side, the weight'll slide off and you'll be able to get out just the same."
"My back? I thought this was supposed to work my arms," he said, between huffs as he brought the bar down and up again. Of course, he'd probably read up on what muscles were worked with each activity before, but now that he was actually doing it? He couldn't remember what was what. It was like Rex's brain failed to absorb knowledge when it came to anything remotely athletic.
Rex gave it a few more lifts, but the burn was starting to kick in, and after a while, he was fairly certain his arms were just going to give out and he'd wind up with a face full of metal.
"Um-- um!" And he was super articulate. Unfortunately, because he was convincing himself that his arms were going to fail, they were starting to do just that.
...
It's not going very well. The bar may be besting his attempts at bench pressing.
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"Spotter?" he offered.
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"Huh?"
And with that distraction came a wobble in the bar, and Rex let out a yelp and struggled to keep it balanced.
"I'm fine!" He wasn't.
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Or was he... To be honest, he hadn't been paying attention to what he was feeling and where.
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"Look. Here." He shifted Rex's elbows and shoulders down a little. "And lift the small of your back, stop trying to curl into it." Which wouldn't make the boy's life any easier but it would mean he didn't hate himself so much in the morning.
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Well, at the very least, his form had improved.
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"If you don't mind me asking, which one are you?"
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"Which--? Oh." He frowned. "Dr. Lewis." Arthur, he was sure, would never struggle with the bar like this. And with that, Rex hated him all the more.
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"Because it's easier, that's why you prefer it," he said, instead, with good-natured scolding. "But you'll actually make progress this way. Try to keep it up till you can't lift the bar. I'll be right behind."
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"But what if I drop--" He slowly lowered the bar again letting out a hiss of a breath as he tried to straighten his arms without shaking too much. He was a little skeptical about Stildyne's assurance, since... well, he'd gotten a lot of promises for support in his time. They tended to end in his death or disfigurement.
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"That's what I'm here for," Stildyne said stolidly. "It's not signing up to marry me, I'm only your spotter. But with the bar alone, your back's strong enough to take it. And when you're up to adding ewights, leave them loose; when it tips to one side, the weight'll slide off and you'll be able to get out just the same."
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"Um-- um!" And he was super articulate. Unfortunately, because he was convincing himself that his arms were going to fail, they were starting to do just that.
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