5:30 am
A very special time of the day
Especially at West Coast Gym
You’ll find all types of people working out.
Your die-hard bodybuilder,
Business man and career woman
You’ll even find strippers looking to get a workout in after the night shift
As for me and The Squad, we’re just about ready to train chest and triceps.
But first…. Coffee
Our morning coffee is a ritual of sorts. The young lady at the juice bar pours a cup of Joe into cheap styrofoam cups.
There are no fancy Starbucks coffee sleeves at West Coast Gym.
This coffee tastes awful, but it gets the job done.
Kinda like West Coast Gym.
It’s an old school gym with a hodge-podge of vintage exercise equipment.
Drab, void of finesse.
It doesn’t have the fancy equipment you’ll find in some of the downtown upscale fitness clubs.
Nah..
West Coast Gym is located inside of an abandoned factory.
A collection of small businesses rent out commercial space on the same floor as our beloved stomping ground.
On any given day, the smell of sweet chocolate would permeate throughout the gym. Courtesy of the chocolate outlet down the hall. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day Willy Wonka waltzed into West Coast for a quick workout.
Your listening to The Squad an ApresGym.com production and I’m your host Todd Aftermath…
This morning, I’m working out with The Squad.
Training chest with them is always fun. You never know when they will leave you fighting for your life, while pinned under a loaded barbell.
The five of us head over to the incline barbell bench station. We pair up into smaller groups.
Chris, the alpha male of The Squad makes it a point to work on his lagging body parts. He wants his upper chest popping out of his v-neck t shirts when he’s out on a date.
Although he is one of the strongest members of The Squad, his upper chest is weak. He’s got big arms, good wheels and a wide back. But his chest game needs work.
Now Marcus and I, we like training together. We spot each other during most workouts. You see Marcus is one crazy guy who likes training heavy. Technique means nothing to Marcus. He is all about moving the heaviest weight from point A to point B with brute force. Part of his insanity is slowly rubbing off on me.
After some chest stretches, we load up the barbell with a plate. I set myself along the incline bench and apply a wide grip to the bar. I want maximum stretch and a full range of motion when I lower the bar to my upper chest.
Chris, a stickler for technique is the one who showed me that clever wide grip trick. It allows your upper chest to stretch even further on the descent.
You see, Chris gets real finicky regarding exercise technique. You know, the kinda guy who wants things done a certain way. He’d be the first to call you out if ever your form was off.
There is always a sense of competition between Chris and Marcus. They’re roughly the same size and age with Marcus outweighing Chris by at least 10 pounds.
Marcus is a big guy. What you’d call a classic mesomorph. He packs a ton of muscle and is naturally strong. He’s got brawn written all over his body. Big boned, huge set of calves and enormous shoulders. A farmer’s top prize if he were cattle.
Previously, during a conversation that had taken place at Chris’ nutrition pro shop, Chris revealed his suspicions surrounding Marcus’ use of steroids. He flat out told me he didn’t think Marcus was a natural bodybuilder. Good ole Chris…always looking for the chinks in the armour whenever he felt outdone.
Of course, we all had our suspicions about one another. Being the youngest and smallest of the bunch, I was convinced that anyone bigger than me was a steroid user.
So much for brotherly love….
As the workout progresses we make our way to the flat bench. Neither one of The Squad members is particularly crazy about flat barbell bench presses. Instead, we relish in doing the exercises most people avoid like the plague… stiff legged deadlifts, conventional deadlifts and squats. Chris always said, that’s what separates real lifters from the weekend warriors.
Marcus launches into a set of flat bench barbell presses. He’s got over 400 lbs, loaded, onto a collar-free barbell and I’m spotting him. He moves the barbell effortlessly. I look down at him and see that he is focused. Every rep is deliberate and under control. He doesn’t need my assistance for now. The clanging of the weights echo through the gym each time the barbell connects with his chest. That’s the sound of power, the sound of work.
Chris, nonchalantly watches from the corner of his eye.
He remains unimpressed even though he’s incapable of exhibiting such brawn. He is envious…
By the ninth rep, I smell the coffee on Marcus’s breath. He is breathing forcefully. I command him to keep going while ever so slightly nudging (coaxing) the bar past the sticking point. “You got this brother”
He lets out an authoritative grunt, ostensibly solidify his (hierarchy) amongst the members in The Squad.
By this time, Marcus has an audience. Members of the gym turn their attention our way. We are flying now…
By the eleventh rep, Marcus is clenching his teeth. He’s in full beast mode letting out a series of guttural roars.
His chest, swells to Herculean proportions.
Pumped to the max it’s now the main focus of attention of onlookers. Especially females.
Despite all the enthusiasm, surrounding the superhuman feat we’re witnessing his athleticism, Chris walks away to the secluded backroom of the gym. The remaining members of The Squad follow. He can’t stand the attention Marcus is getting…
Marcus completes his final repetitions for a grand total of 15 reps at over 400 lbs. He racks the barbell and has the biggest smile on his face. A personal best. He stands up and I give him a big high five.
“Way to go!”
He looks to high five the other members of The Squad and quickly realizes, they’ve all moved away….
So much for brotherly love…
5:30 am
A very special time of the day
Especially at West Coast Gym