Giving In

Chapter 1

The winter holidays had come and gone, and it was time for Michael to head back into the gym. Filled with new year resolutioners, he shuddered at the thought of the inexperienced gym goers crowding his happy place. This was his sacred place, how dare these out-of-shape newbies get in the way of his work out.

As he walked out of the changing room, he took in the sight ahead of him. The gym was packed with newbies, full of fleeting aspiration and temporary motivation. Many of them looked out of place in the gym. Sure, some of them would remain in February, but the brunt of the group would lose interest and accept that their widening ass was more comfortable on the couch than a treadmill. “Not me” he thought “I have spent far too long working on this body to give up now.”

As Michael continued to scan the landscape, continuing to feel high and mighty about his dedication, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He looked down and sighed, realizing that a crowded gym might be the place he needed to hide amongst the crowd.

It had been 3 months since he and his girlfriend Maxine had agreed to commit to a dirty bulk this winter. They both were avid gym goers, spending countless evenings in the gym chasing their dream bodies. After meeting each other in this very gym a year and a half ago, they had spent many an evening working out together. Sure, yes, they had spent just as many evenings having dinner and drinking wine, but who was counting.

In the fall, Michael had come to Maxine complaining about his strength stalling in the gym. He had been trying to break his PR on the bench press for the past couple months and couldn’t break through the plateau.

“Well, have you ever considered bulking up?” she had asked him “I’ve hit a bit of a wall myself, and would love to focus on my strength this winter.”

He had never fully committed to bulking up before, spending the last couple years gaining and losing the same 10 lbs throughout the summer and winter seasons. Every time he had started to gain a bit or momentum in the gym (and a little bit of weight), he had chickened out and cut his calories.

He had been worried that he wouldn’t be able to find a girlfriend if he put on weight. Despite the fact that he himself was a fat admirer and closeted mutual gaining enthusiast, he couldn’t get over that mental hurdle. Yet, here was this beautiful woman, who loved him unapologetically, encouraging him to eat without abandon to reach his goals. He couldn’t say no! If only because she would be eating right alongside him.