#I can feel my biceps sore. that's where I need to aim then. How does one get more bicep strength with no equipment

[milfbro]

I can ALMOST do a pull up.

[knittingdreams]

Fireheart - Chapter 12

Sweet and to the point today: For the masterlist, click HERE :D

Warnings: More violence, because Celaena. 

CHAPTER 12

Reliving Memories

Celeana’s turn came back around in no time, and she was beaming for it. It was the last encounter of the night, and after such a short and boring first fight, she was eager to throw some punches and have some real competition.

Her opponent was the bulky bald man from the first match of the evening, and the same guard came over to get her. 

“What did you mean before?” She asked him as they walked towards the platform. She had managed to cool her anger, and she was now mostly curious about what the guy had said. 

He glanced at her through the corner of his eye, and then looked up to the audience, not answering her question. Celaena followed his gaze and was surprised to find a figure sitting in a dark corner, barely visible against the lights that were shining in front of her. From the curves of the body, she could tell it was a woman, but she couldn’t see her face. There were two more security guards propped close to her, and Celaena couldn’t help but wonder if that was her aunt. It had to be, right? 

As she stepped onto the platform, she looked to the corner again, trying to see any further details, but the lights were right on her eyes, and she couldn’t make up more than a silhouette. There was no doubt the woman had positioned herself right under the headlights on purpose, trying to be inconspicuous. 

“You know the rules,” the judge repeated. “Now, fight, make it fun,” he finished.

Only a second later, her opponent was already on her, throwing a punch aimed straight at her face. She ducked under his arm and took a step to the side. He turned to face her again with another punch aimed at her jaw. He was too slow. She ducked, took a step to the side, and punched him on the pit of the stomach. He took a step back and charged again. He was slow, but he was solid, and she knew her punches wouldn’t do much damage. 

As he tried to take another jab with his right, she crouched and rolled to the left. She was on her feet in the blink of an eye, jumping on the guy's exposed back and trapping him in a headlock. His biceps were so big, that he struggled to try and get a grip on her. His arms flew around trying to catch onto something fruitlessly while Celaena kept squeezing. 

The guy reached back and managed to grab her ankle, squeezing tight with one hand as he tried to reach her with the other too. She felt her ankle heat up, and pain wrapped around her leg. Her right arm was throbbing at the effort of being wrapped around the guy's thick neck, but she didn’t let go, she squeezed tighter, ignoring the pain in her ankle. She knew how much damage that guy could do if he got another hand on her. 

After a minute that felt like an eternity, her bicep almost cramping at the effort, her opponent finally stopped fighting her and dropped to his knees. She stood behind him, pushing the weight onto one leg, and released the lock slowly when his head lolled to one side. He slumped with a loud thump that resonated in the silent room. Once again, the crowd was mostly silent as the judge proclaimed her the winner.

She jumped down and walked towards the back, making sure not to show how much pain she was in. The guard was stepping on her heels, silent for the first few steps. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” he hissed behind her.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, mate,” she hissed back over her shoulder. The guy flinched, and shook his head, as if annoyed. 

“I’m not your fucking mate,” he said under his breath.

His green eyes were still digging a hole into her soul as she stepped into the back room. She watched him quickly walk away and trailed his steps as he made his way to the lady in the shadows. He nodded a few times, then shook his head and walked away from the woman. Celaena wasn’t sure why she kept looking at him, but there was something intriguing about the guy and the way he seemed to be trying to warn her about something. There was something in his eyes that didn’t match the place, like he didn’t belong. And maybe that’s what got her attention, because Celaena knew a whole lot about not belonging. 

She sat down and rolled her ankle slowly. It wasn't broken, she could work with that. She picked her bag up and headed towards the back door, where Sam was already waiting for her. 

***

Sunday came and went in the blink of an eye as Celaena used half the day to exercise, and the other half to sleep, rest, and ice her swollen ankle. Arobynn had had Sam doing a few jobs in the past few days but had told Celaena he wanted all her energy focused on the tournament, which was why she wouldn’t have any extra assignments until that was over. No assignments meant no pocket money from the percentage she always got for the jobs, but it also meant more time to investigate her parent’s deaths. 

She was finally set on a plan to infiltrate Dorian’s penthouse on the 25th floor on Monday night. 

When morning broke, she was already eager to come back from school and get it done. Her ankle wasn't as sore, and she could walk normally if she made an effort. She didn't think anybody would notice her slight limp and was confident the painkillers would make the pain completely disappear soon enough. 

The morning seemed to go by too slowly as Celaena just wanted to head back to the hotel.

“Hey there,” Nehemia greeted her as she joined her in their usual spot in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Celaena had socialized with the cheerleaders during practices but was still unsure about joining them during lunch. Even if it wasn’t the best for her plans, she had to admit she enjoyed spending that time with Nehemia rather than with the bees; and she would have felt guilty leaving her alone. 

“How’s it going?” She asked as she watched Nehemia plummet onto the seat.

“I have an assignment due Wednesday that’s driving me crazy,” the dark-haired girl played with one of the rings on her dreads as she spoke.

“What is it about? Maybe I could give you a hand,” Celaena replied before thinking about it.

“Could you?” Nahemia turned to face her and grabbed her from the shoulders, shaking her lightly. “Please, please, could you?” 

“Chill down, I can.” Nehemia let go of her and analyzed her features.

“Did something happen this weekend? You’re being nice, offering help and there’s some kind of… glow in your eyes.” Celaena blinked, scared that her contacts might have shifted. “Did you meet someone this weekend? Did you go on a date?” Nehemia asked excitedly, making Celaena’s worries wash away.

“No, I didn’t.” She took a bite of her pizza as she laughed to herself. Meet someone? She had met a couple of guys and had beaten them both unconscious if that counted. She almost choked on the pizza at the thought of using that as her answer.

“Why are you lying to me? You did meet someone, didn’t you? What is he like? Does he come to Adarlan Elite?”

“Enough, I didn’t meet anybody, come on, I got the next period free and so do you, so let’s head to the library and start with that project of yours.” Celaena stood up, taking the last bite of her pizza and walking away as she ate her pudding on the go.

Nehemia rushed behind her, a slice of pizza in each hand.

“The library? That’s for the lame kids,” Nehemia pouted, and Celaena stopped on her tracks, turning around to fully face her friend.

“Excuse me? I thought you were better than that.” She said, suddenly feeling hurt. “Libraries are full of books and ideas, which are perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons, you know.”

“I’m sorry,” Nehemia was quick to reply and lift her hands in apology, “I didn’t mean to upset you. And you’re right, it was a stupid comment to make. It’s just that… don’t worry. It’s nothing, and I apologize again.” She said as they started walking towards the library again. 

“It’s okay, I accept your apology." Nehemia was looking down, her usual cheerfulness gone. “We all make mistakes,” Celaena added as she rested a hand on the other girl’s shoulder.

Looking up at her, Nehemia smiled again. “Thanks.”

The library was almost empty, as usual. Celaena thought it was such a shame that kids in the school weren’t enjoying this marvelous and astonishing library. There were so many books piled up on shelves that were as high as the ceiling. She would’ve needed at least ten lifetimes to go through the entire collection. 

The two girls walked to the back of the room, where a few low round tables lay surrounded by couches. They dropped onto the cushions and got their notebooks and pens out. 

“Okay, what’s the subject?” Celaena asked.

“Biology, I really do suck at it.”

Celaena stretched forward and grabbed the essay that Nehemia had started writing. She had a fair idea of what they needed to write about, but there were a few details she was going to need help with. 

“Okay, there’s one book I want to go look for. Wait here, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Celaena disappeared between the shelves, running her fingers through the oldest book’s spines and reading titles as she went. She knew she wasn’t even close to the section she needed to head to for the biology book, but she’d been meaning to go to the library for weeks. She had been in during the night a few times, but it was the first time she was watching the place in the light of the day. The yellow sunbeams were dancing in the air and giving the whole place a golden glow, making it seem almost magical.   

She picked a hardcover book and pulled it out. There was a white circle on the black front cover, with a geometrical representation of mountains, and three little stars on top. She ran a finger through the spine and read the name again. A court of mist and fury. Looking at the back cover, she read the words out loud.

“Good. I was not good. I was nothing, and my soul, my eternal soul, was damned…” She could relate to that. 

She was about to keep reading when someone showed up in the hall. The short girl walked her way and looked at the book she was holding.

“Have you already read it? I absolutely love that saga!”

“Oh, is it a saga?” Celeana hadn't realized that before.

“It is, that’s the second book, the first one should be here…” the girl stood on her tiptoes, looking at the shelf and then grunting. “I hate people that don’t leave the books where they belong. Don’t worry, it will probably be back there tomorrow if you come looking for it, books don’t stay lost for long here.” The girl smiled shyly, and Celaena thought there was something familiar about her light brown eyes and the way she carried herself.

“That’s okay, I was meant to be looking for a biology book anyways, I got sidetracked.”

“I know that feeling all too well, we are so incredibly lucky that Adarlan Elite has a fiction section in the library. It only took me a few years of pleading to the student’s council,” she finished with a bigger and more confident smile.

“That’s great,” she replied as she put the book back on the shelf, ready to keep going.

“By the way, I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” the short girl extended a hand towards her. “I’m Elide Lochan.”

Concentrating not to flinch at the memories, Celaena stretched her hand and shook the girl’s one quickly. “Nice to meet you, I’m Celaena.”

“I’m so happy to see there’s another bookworm in school, maybe we should hang out sometime, you could maybe join the book club if you want, we're starting a read-along of 'a court of thorns and roses' next month, which is the first book of the saga,” Elide added, her cheeks blushing slightly when she finished talking. 

“Yeah, I’ll look into it, thanks.” She turned around and backed through the hall, turning into the first corner and moving away as fast as she could. 

Before she could process her actions, she was out of the library and locked inside a cubicle in the closest bathroom. Lowering the seat, she sat down and rested her head on her palms. How come she had missed her name on the database? She had been so stupid. She had only looked at the database for seniors, and Elide had to be a junior. Celaena had always thought Elide was still living in Terrasen and had never given any second thought to her or her mother. 

She let herself get lost in the memories, remembering the way Marion Lorchan used to look after her when her parents were away on business trips. How she and Elide have played together as little kids, braided each other’s hairs, and slept among a thousand pillows during sleepovers. Evalin Ashryver and Marion Lochan had been close friends since they were little girls, and both of them had always dreamed their daughters would grow to be as close as they were. 

Thinking about it, Celaena wasn’t surprised that Marion would’ve decided to move away when Evalin passed away, she had had to be one of the most affected people by the tragedy. 

Taking a deep breath, she came out of the cubicle and headed back to the library, where she found the book as fast as possible and reunited with Nehemia by the couches. She’d look through the whole database that night after getting into the penthouse. She wouldn’t be caught off guard again. 

“What took you so long?” Nehemia asked, barely lifting her head from the essay she was trying to write.

“Sorry, got sidetracked,” she said as she plummeted on her seat. “Let’s finish that essay and get out of here.”

[fantasyfandommaiden]

Counsellor/Adrien’s Mentorship AU: Bombay

Adrien is the sickest he has ever been, but he still tries to attend his lessons with Carmine regardless. When an akuma alert goes off, what is our blonde model to do when he can barely think straight let alone transform? He has to go because Ladybug needs him, but Plagg has other ideas…

Adrien was laying on Carmine’s cough with a thermometer in his mouth, Carmine, Gladiolus, Plagg and Zeus all looking at him when the small plastic device beeped. 

Carmine took the thermometer out, looking at the small display with a slight scowl “101 Degrees. You my boy are sick.” she said, looking down at him in a sympathy expression on her face. 

Adrien let out a small, pathetic cough, his cheeks still flushed. How could he feel so hot and yet so cold at the same time? “Not sick.” Adrien said lamely, which caused everyone else in the room besides him to raise a brow and give him a ‘Really?’ expression, and he couldn't blame them. His head was pounding, his face was flushed, his throat was sore and he felt so, so tired that he felt like he was going to fall asleep at any moment.

“But you are Adrien, and I’m surprised Nathalie let you out of the house, much less go to school and then comes here afterwards for your ��session’.” Carmine stated to him as she placed the thermometer back into the first aid kit, closing it. 

“I ran out of the house this morning before she saw me, and I had lunch in my room…” Adrien said, trying to sit up, only for Carmine’s familiar, Gladiolus the ferret, to pounce on his chest, and Adrien fell back onto the couch as if Adrien couldn’t handle the weight of the small ferret. 

“You should be in bed, sleeping.” Carmine explained to him, “Your body is telling you to rest, and the fact that you can't even sit up with Gladio sitting on your chest, shows that you have no strength.”

“He weighs a ton…” Adrien stated lamely, not even attempting to get up.

“He currently weighs four pounds.” Carmine retorted back, picking up the first aid kit. “Don't worry. One bowl of Grandmama Seraphina’s ‘Kick Sickness in the Ass’ soup and you’ll feel right as rain. You get some rest and I’ll get started on it, than wake you when you are done.”

“But my lesson…” Adrien said, letting out several loud coughs.

“Your lesson today is to know your limit.” Plagg stated to him, looking down at Adrien “Kid, you were almost falling asleep in class, you have a fever, and you can't even bring yourself to sit up because you think the ferret on your chest weighs a ton.” Plagg told him, before floating down and patting his forehead “You need sleep. Just rest, and let the mage handle this.” 

Adrien looked at Plagg, slightly wide eyed “... I must be sick if Plagg is making sense.” he said, letting out a groan as Plagg scowled slightly with an eye roll.

“This is what I get for showing I care.” Plagg muttered darkly, beginning to float over to Carmine to watch her make this so called soup when both Carmine and Adrien’s phone went off at the same time, causing everyone in the room to freeze. 

The Akuma alert had just went off. 

~~~~~

Ladybug narrowly avoided a chunk of large ice that was aimed at her as she glared at the akuma before her, panting slightly.

Princess Ice wore a long, pale blue gown that reminded Ladybug of Princess Ariel’s, only the skirt ended at the knees, and each tear had small ice crystals on it. The girl’s skin was a pale blue, making her snow white hair stand out even more. Her eyes were the palest blue, and it matched her heeled shoes. The most eeriest thing about this akuma however was that she didn’t yell, or shout, or even glare. If anything her face remained completely stoic. 

However, what she lacked in dramatic flare, she made up for in power. Similar to Stormy Weather, once you were trapped in her ice, you couldn’t get out. Most of Paris’s buildings were covered in a thick layer of ice, the Eiffel Tower looked like a giant ice pike.

“Chat Noir where are you?” she whispered softly. She could really use her kitty’s help right now, this fight was proving to be a difficult one. She hadn’t even had a chance to summon her Lucky Charm yet!

“Ladybug, hand over the Miraculous and this will all be over.” Ladybug’s eyes widened as she spun around, the Princess Ice having snuck up on her, akuma's hand out and ready to fire.

Ladybug leaped back to try and avoid it but it was too late. Princess Ice fired, and Ladybug shut her eyes, getting ready for the cold impact. 

Instead of a cold impact from her front, she felt a warm impact on her side, forcing her out of the way of the ice beam. She felt the person hold her in their arms, and felt a low purr from their chest. Ladybug felt herself relax, looks like Chat Noir made it after all. She felt her partner leap and bound away, most likely so they could regroup before finally stopping.

She opened her eyes, looking up “Took you long enough Chatton-” Ladybug froze mid sentence as she saw a pair of yellow eyes look down at her instead of green.

~~~~~

20 Minutes Earlier

Adrien, seeming to find new strength, attempted to get off the couch, which turned into him rolling off the couch as he tried to get up “Plagg, Cla-” he started to say only to fall into a coughing fit. Carmine ran up and helped Adrien get back on the couch, looking at him sternly.

“You are not going out there as Chat Noir.”

“But Ladybug needs me!” Adrien insisted, his voice feeling horsed and raw from him attempting to yell his transformation phrase.

“Ladybug needs a partner who knows when he isn’t fit for battle, and who can walk more than ten feet without needing to sit down!” Carmine stated sternly to him, staring him down “Ladybug will have to just get someone else to fight with her today, maybe Queen Bee, or Carapace-”

“But Ladybug needs me to distract the akuma in order to even GET the other miraculous!” Adrien said, attempting to get up, only for him to be pushed back down onto the couch, Carmine now glaring at him.

“And you think you can fight the akuma like this?!” she stated to him “At least let me finish making the soup, then you'll be able to fight better!”

“And how long will that take?!” Adrien barked back, glaring at Carmine “An hour?! Two?! Ladybug needs me NOW! Ladybug cant fight without Chat Noir! What would you know, you’ve never even fought an akuma, you don’t know what it’s like to have to fight against one or be in the middle of a fight!” 

Carmine looked at him, a cold expression spreading across her face “Your right Adrien, I have no idea what it's like to be in the middle of an akuma battle, why would I? It’s not like I’ve ever been akumatized…” Carmie stated to him evenly, looking Adrien right in the eyes as the memory of Royal Harmine entered his mind “Right?”

Adrien felt the immense guilt at his words as he looked at Carmine, who only had been trying to help, and he threw that back in her face and brought up a terrible memory. “Mlle-” 

“Just lay down Adrien, your not fit to fight.” she interrupted him, standing up as she brought out her phone, no doubt bringing up the Ladyblog.

“But Ladybug needs Chat Noir-”

“I know that Ladybug needs someone for support Adrien, but you aren’t fit for battling.” Carmine repeated again patiently. 

“Well…” Plagg finally spoke, looking at everyone in the room “... Ladybug does need a Black Cat to fight better, but it doesn’t have to be Chat Noir…” 

Everyone in the room, seeming to follow the kwame's train of thought, every single being looked towards Carmine, who simply blinked before a small scowl spread across her face. 

~~~~

Present

Ladybug leaped out of the person’s arms, glaring at them. The person before her was a woman, most likely an adult if her hourglass figure gave anything away. Her suite was black like Chat Noir’s, and she had the black cat ears on the top of her head, but that was where the similarities ended. 

Her hair was a warm brown colour that almost reminded her of Alya’s, and it was done in a high ponytail that reached all the way to her mid-back, a fringe framing her face and hiding her human ears. Her suite was a high collared with green piping around the neck, and on the shoulders as if she were wearing a vest. Her black gloves reached all the way up to her mid bicep, and fingers ended in sharp green claws. Her lips, Ladybug noted, appeared to have dark emerald lipstick on with black lip liner.

Her boots were thigh high, with a sharp angle off to the side, the top and bottom were bright green, her belt tail had a bit more of a green tinge to it as well, not having the buckle like Chat’s or the rivets at the end, but still swayed back and forth like a cat’s tail.

Her mask reminded her a bit of Viperion’s if it was solid black, where there was a bit of curved spike at the bottom to give off a more intimidating effect than usual. The white parts of her eyes were green, however her irises were a bright, vibrant yellow.

Ladybug looked at the woman with a look between a scowl and surprise, opening her mouth only for the woman to raise her hand in the ‘Stop’ motion before speaking herself, her voice even, and calm, in a voice that almost reminded Ladybug of her mothers.

“No, I am not Chat Noir. No, I did not steal the Miraculous. Yes he is safe. No, you don't need to worry.” the woman stated, looking back at Ladybug with a calm expression.

“I AM going to worry! That is my partner and I don't even know who you are!” Ladybug countered back hotly. “You can't just take his ring and be a hero!”

“Trust me Ladybug, this was not my idea in the slightest. It was actually Plagg’s.” the cat themed superhero stated, not looking the least bit annoyed at the young spotted hero’s accusation.

“Chat Noir is extremely sick and unable to fight. I had to stop him from coming because he was five steps away from collapsing.” she stated “He is safe at my home, with mine and his familiar. I will return the ring to him once we have dealt with the akuma.”

Ladybug blinked several times, looking at the woman in front of her. Chat Noir was staying at her home, and she knew her partners identity.. That meant…

“Your Kiki?” Ladybug asked, her eyes wide as she looked at the woman with new interest. After Chat had told her about his magic teacher, he would tell her bits and pieces, not enough that would reveal identity stuff, but she knew a bit. 

‘Kiki’ blinked at the name, before letting out a soft groan, face palming “...I forgot about that name…” she murmured softly, looking at Ladybug “Perhaps you shouldn’t address me as such well I am dressed… like this.” the woman stated, gesturing towards the ring on her finger.

Ladybug, who seemed to snap out of it, looked at her with a new determination, a plan forming in her head “What should I call you than?”

‘Kiki’ thought it over for a moment, glancing at the window beside them which showed her appearance, noting the black suite with her bright yellow eyes. A wide, almost feline like smile spread across her features.

“Call me Bombay. Now, what’s the plan?”

~~~~~~

Ladybug had been surprised that Bombay had so readily prepared to allow Ladybug to take the lead and make the plan. She had expected her to try and pull the ‘I'm a grown up’ card, but she didn’t. Than again, Chat Noir had stated that his magic teacher was always willing to listen to suggestions and give input when it was asked of her. 

The plan was simple, they had to figure out what the akuma item was, Ladybug was having a hard time identifying it since nothing seemed out of place, so they were both going to appear in the middle of the street, and wait for the akuma to appear. Than Bombay was going to distract the akuma… somehow. They were not sure yet, but they didn't have time to formulate a proper place.

The two heroes stood in the open when Princess Ice appeared, walking slowly towards them. Bombay, who had been brought out her baton and brought it into a staff mode, looking at the expressionless girl with a look of a small, thoughtful expression.

“Oh sweetie… who hurt you?” Bombay asked as she walked up to akuma, the staff still at her side, but non-threatening. 

Princess Ice stopped momentarily, looking at Bombay with slight confusion. “...No one can hurt me, I am made of ice. You are not Chat Noir.”

“No I am not, my name is Bombay, and you are not made of ice sweetie.” Bombay insisted, still walking up. 

“Yes, I am.” Princess Ice insisted, a slight glare appearing on her face, as she brought up her sceptre and shooting another ray of ice at Bombay “I will make all of Paris as cold and heartless as I am!”

Bombay moved quickly and gracefully out of the way of the ray of ice, still walking up. “The only one who is heartless here is Hawkmoth for taking advantage of whatever emotion made you feel like you had to accept his offer.” she stated her.

“I. Do. Not. Feel. Emotions!” Princess Ice yelled, charging at Bombay, her spectre raised to strike, but Bombay managed to parry it with her staff, looking at the akuma straight in the eyes.

“Yes you do!” Bombay countered “If You didn’t, you wouldn’t be an akuma right now!” 

Ladybug, who had been watching from the sidelines finally saw what she believed to be the akuma item. Well most of Princess Ice’s outfit had a frosty sheen to it, her shoes were almost matte compared to the rest, and had purple piping along the edges. 

“Bombay! Her shoes!” Ladybug yelled out, before bringing up her hand and yelling “Lucky Charm!” A giant horseshoe shaped magnet appeared, Ladybug looked around a plan formulating in her plan. 

Bombay looked down at the shoes well continuing to counter and parrying Princess Ice’s advances, noticing the slight colour difference compared to the rest of the costume. 

“Looks like I have to sweep this Princess off her feet!” Bombay said, smiling widely as she suddenly went down and swept at the akuma’s legs. Princess Ice fell backwards, clearly having not expected that, but shot another ice beam at Bombay.

Not having time to dodge, Bombay instead brought her staff up, having it take the hit instead. The entire staff turned into ice, and the ice traveled up a good partition of her arm, ending at her elbow. However, with her other hand, Bombay grabbed a hold of Princess Ice’s feet, her claws digging into the shoes. Princess Ice scowled slightly, pointing her spectre straight at Bombay’s face, the cat superheroine looking straight at her with a hard expression

Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around the magnet, swinging it around and around, her plan ready for action. She shot her yo-yo out, it wrapped around and around a light post before it pointed straight down at the Akuma and Bombay.

“Bombay! Don't let go!” yelled Ladybug as the magnet pulled the spectre out of Princess Ice’s hand, and pulled Bombay’s froze staff (and by extension her) up and away from the akuma. Bombay, who was still gripping the shoes with her claws, brought them with her as she was pulled up and away, the magnet bringing them both back towards Ladybug. 

Bombay looked down at the shoes, smirking slightly as she landed on her feet “...I’ve always wanted to do this.” she said, looking at Ladybug before looking back at the shoes “Cataclysm!” she said, the black energy dissolving the shoes to nothing and the butterfly coming out, which Ladybug quickly caught it with her yo-yo.

“Miraculous Ladybug!!!”

The swarm of magical ladybugs flew over Paris, and with that all the damage was undone. The block of ice that had encased Bombay’s entire arm also disappeared, and the woman flexed and unflexed her hand several times, smiling as the full frame of motion returned to her. 

Ladybug, upon reflex, held out her hand to do the signature ‘Pound it!’ before feeling somewhat embarrassed remembering that the woman before her was a) much older than her and b) not her partner. Bombay however, smiled warmly at Ladybug, bringing up her own fist, causing Ladybug to smile as they both bumped fists and stated;

“Pound it!”

Bombay, how had used her powers later, stayed with the akuma victim, a girl by the name of Giselle. She was speaking to the girl softly, finding out that because she wasn’t very expressive, people thought she was heartless, and called her ‘The Ice Queen’, but never got to know her.

“Just because you dont smile as wide, or cry at sad movies doesn’t mean you don't have feelings dear.” Bombay told her softly, the girl giving a small, sad smile. “I'm sure you’ll be able to find someone that understands you, just hang in there a bit longer. Ladybug and I believe in you.” 

“Excuse me!” Bombay’s ear twitched towards the sound of the voice, and looked over her shoulder to see none other than the Ladyblogger, Alya, running up, phone in hand towards her. 

Bombay stood up, turning to face Alya who was about to ask a question but the hero interrupted her “I would love to answer any and all questions you have, but I only have another three minutes before I detransform, so whatever you are going to ask, make them count dear.” Bombay stated, smiling warmly at Alya.

“Are you replacing Chat Noir?” Alya asked, her phone pointed straight at Bombay’s face.

“No, Chat Noir had something unexpected come up in his civilian life, and thus needed me to partner with Ladybug for both her and Paris’s safety.” Bombay replied “And before you ask, no I will not divulge what happened on the count of the fact it would be an invasion of Chat’s privacy. He will return, however I will not say anymore on the matter.” 

Alya nodded enthusiastically “Okay! What’s your hero name than? Would you continue to use the Black Cat Miraculous if Chat isn’t able to?”

“You and Paris may address me as Bombay, and this should be a one time thing provided nothing else happens in Chat’s civilian life to prevent him from continuing his duties as a superhero, which he does take seriously.” 

“Any messages for Hawkmoth?” Alya asked, clearly very excited about talking to an adult superhero, she had to stop herself from bouncing, to make sure that the footage was shaky.

Bombay paused for a moment, deep in thought before she glared at the phone “... You keep trying to hurt my kids. I don't like it when people hurt my kids. So, Hawk Moth, here is my message to you. Stop hurting my kids, or for every bruise, scrape, bump or broken bone they get, I WILL make you feel all of that at once, and I won’t need a Miraculous to do so.” she stated, a slight growl in her throat as she spoke.

Alya blinked at the statement “...Wait, are you Chat’s mom?!”  she asked, her eyes wide. 

Bombay blinked at the question, eyebrow raised “...No, I’m not.” the beeping from her ring was getting louder, causing her to sigh “I’m terribly sorry Mlle Ladyblogger, but I must run. Hope that interview was enough.” she stated, giving a small smile and a wave before leaping away, Alya waving frantically at her departing figure. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Carmine walked into her apartment, closing the door behind her, she walked to the loveseat and falling face first into it, letting out a loud groan into the pillows. 

“You okay?” Adrien asked slowly. Carmine looked over at the blonde, seeing that he was sitting up, wrapped up in several blankets, and eating soup. Princess Monoka was playing on the TV, and he was already looking better. Gladio, although not as proficient in the art of brewing, was still quite good, and the only one Carmine trusted to make her Grandmama’s soup.

“Im fine… I’m REALLY craving dairy for some reason, but I’ll live.”

“Side-effect of the Miraculous.” Adrien said, taking another sip of the soup “I wanted grilled cheese and cheese danishes everyday for almost two weeks when I first started, but I’ve got it mostly under control now.” he said softly, looking at Carmine as she took off the ring, Plagg taking it and bringing it over to Adrien. Adrien took the ring and placed it back on his finger, he looked over at Carmine, who still layed on the loveseat, either trying to come down from an adrenaline high or just exhausted from using the Miraculous who could say. “...I think you did great as Bombay.” he said softly.

Carmine looked over at Adrien, a small smile on her face “... thanks, but I think you are still the better Black Cat between the two of us.”

“Woah, Alya already posted the article and your interview.” Plagg stated, looking at Adrien’s phone. 

Carmine didn't have the energy to bring out her phone groaned “Is she insisting that I’m Chat’s mom?” she asked.

Adrien read through the article quickly, smiling “No, she says that your very mother-like, however she chooses to believe the source that stated you weren't until proven otherwise.” Adrien informed her, causing Carmine to smile slightly. Seems like Alya was taking her journalism lessons to heart.

Plagg was looking at the phone still, an eyebrow raised “... Woah, they are coming up with some ‘creative’ nicknames for you though. ‘Mama Chat’, ‘BomBae’ ‘Bomb Babe’...?” Plagg looked at one in confusion “What the heck is a MILF?”

In one second after Plagg stated that word Adrien’s face became a scarlet red colour, Carmine fell off the love seat, Gladiolus began to let out loud, annoying chirps, and Zeus and Plagg who had no idea what the term meant just raised a brow in confusion about the whole thing.

[saultnpeppah]

Day 1: Please help me.

Woohoo. New WonderBat event!! Here’s my Day 1 submission for @fyeahwonderbat‘s WonderBat Key Phrases event.

"Please help me."

Diana continues to glare my way, the smirk on her face betraying her threatening tone. She watches as I roll my eyes, throwing a smirk her way, before I stand from the chair I have been seated on, and make my way to her. She watches as I walk towards her. Her bright blue eyes continue to stare at me, the color magnified by the dark frames that have been thrown across her face.

"I thought you had it," I say playfully, watching as her smirk disappears. Her biceps tighten as she attempts to keep the items in her hand from falling. "Thought an Amazon could do anything."

She carefully places the items in her hands on the table besides her hip, before she turns to me. "Bruce," she begins, her eyebrows furrowing. "We agreed to help."

I shake my head and cross my arms over my chest. "No, Princess," I begin, "You agreed to do this for Lois. I simply got dragged along." 

I watch as Diana mulls over my words, before an exasperated sigh leaves her lips. A year ago, when Clark had asked me to be his best man, I hadn't expected there would be much responsibilities. Lois had taken charge of nearly all the planning, and in her words, my only job was to make sure Clark "made it to the church on time." Of course I would make sure that happened. If there was one person I didn't want to upset, it was Lois. What I hadn't expected was for Lois to turn around and ask Diana to be one of her bridesmaids, stating she wanted to share this experience with the woman who had become like a sister to her - after she got over the initial fear that Clark would want to pursue things with Diana. Diana was all too thrilled to be as involved as she could.

Which is why we found ourselves in Lois' apartment, decorating for Lois' last minute bridal shower. "You made a deal with me, Wayne," Diana says, her voice lowering into a whisper, even though we are the only two in the room, "Or do you not remember what I said last night."

I am unable to help the chuckle that leaves my lips, as I take a step towards Diana and place my hand on her hip. "I remember everything that was said last night," I whisper back, pulling her close. Her chest hits mine and my smirk grows as she chuckles, shaking her head. My unoccupied hand reaches up and gently pulls the glasses off her face, allowing me to see her beautiful face unobstructed. I hate that she feels the need to hide who she really is, but I understand why she does it. Clark Kent knowing Bruce Wayne was easy to explain, as both Clark and Lois have been seen speaking with me in public numerous times. There was no easy way to explain why Diana, Wonder Woman to the rest of the world, was at the wedding of a simple farm boy. So Diana wore glasses, kept her hair tied up and out of her face, and had left the bracers on the Watchtower. If Clark could get away with it, then so could Diana. Only problem was Clark is not nearly as beautiful as Diana.

"Bruce," she says as she reaches for the glasses.

"There's no one here," I explain. I watch as she lets out a sigh, defeated, before she relaxes. Without another word, I lean in to kiss her, letting my lips gently brush up against hers. She lets her body respond, pressing her lips into mine as her arms wrap around my neck. She smiles against my lips as one of her hands runs through my hair, and I am unable to help the chill that rolls down my spine. Kissing Diana always does this to me. There's something about her that drives me crazy, makes me unable to think straight. I knew she had an effect on me, which is why I had been so hesitant on becoming more with her. But Diana is persistent to say the least. She clawed her way past the wall that had been built since my parents' deaths, and the more I fought it, the harder she dug, until finally I caved. I haven't been able to keep my hands off her since our first kiss - not that she minds.

My hand runs up from her hip to the small of her back as her body tenses, trying to decide how to proceed. She wants me to continue, it's evident in the way she gently bites my bottom lip, but she's made a promise to Lois that the apartment will be ready by six. Diana gently tugs on my hair and I have to pull away to avoid continuing this any further. She lets out a small pout and I chuckle. "We have tonight," I whisper to her, knowing she will be back in my bed tonight after I come home from a night out with Clark.

"Don't get too drunk," she responds. "I have plans for you." She flashes me a wink and I have to clear my throat, afraid if I say anything she'll hear the slight rasp in my voice.

I lean in to kiss her once more, letting her know she can have her way with me when I get back to the manor, when someone is behind us clearing their throat. I instantly turn, my eyebrows furrowing as the instinct I have perfected for years takes over. I can see Diana from the corner of my eye, as she snatches the glasses from my hand and places them back on her face, before she turns to face Lois.

"Whatever you do, don't ruin my couch," Lois says with a smirk. She watches as Diana chuckles nervously, turning to grab one of the items from the pile on the table.

I only shrug. "I would buy you a new one," I say, watching as Diana attempts to not respond to my comment. She fails when I hear her chuckle once more. I watch as Lois shakes her head, rubbing her temples, as she steps next to Diana. The two begin to work quietly, finishing the task that should have been done ten minutes ago. "Where's Clark?" I ask. He is supposed to meet me here before I take him out for the night.

"He'll be right in," Lois explains over her shoulder.

No sooner have the words left her mouth, is Clark walking into the apartment. His hand gently swoops the curl from his forehead, letting it join the rest of his bangs, before it moves to his crooked glasses. He fixes them, a smirk on his face when he sees Diana standing across from him in her own disguise. "Diana," Clark says, nodding towards the taller woman.

Diana nods and pushes the glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose, making Clark laugh, before his attention turns to me. "Bruce," he greets.

I nod his way, silently greeting him, before my hand finds his shoulder. "Kent," I begin, "Now that you've made it, I suggest we get going. Let the ladies get rid of us for a few hours." I watch as Diana raises an eyebrow as she stops her work and glances my way. Lois only nods as she continues to arrange the items on the table, stopping only to grab one of the finger sandwiches. She begins to nibble on it, ignoring the three of us as she indulges in what is probably her first meal all day.

"Please be careful," Diana says. It's aimed more towards me, as there are still people out in the world that love to prey on Bruce Wayne's old bachelor ways. Diana and I aren't public yet, as it has only been a few months, and besides Clark and Lois, only a few members of the League know. I'd like to keep it that way.

"Don't get him too drunk," Lois says as she plops the rest of the sandwich into her mouth.

"I won't," is all I say as I pick up my coat and pull it on.

Lois only chuckles. "I was talking to Clark," she replies, chuckling once more when Diana lets out a laugh of her own. Of course.

Without a word I walk out of the apartment, Clark following close behind. He shuts the door, closing us off from the giggles still coming from the two women, before he turns to me and offers me a wide smile. "Don't worry," he begins, "I won't let you do anything stupid." He gives me a wink and I only roll my eyes before I begin to walk down the hall, away from him.

Two Weeks Later

I continue to stare at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes narrow in concentration as they roam over the blue and purple blotches across my abdomen - momentos from my last moments with Diana. My hand gently runs over the bruises and I try my hardest not to wince when my fingers hit a particularly sore spot. The bruises hurt just as bad as they look, but they don't hurt nearly as much as my ego. I look at the bruising along my side and I let out a quiet groan as I turn my body, trying to make my body endure the least amount of pain.

In all the years we had sparred, never had I received anything of the sort. Diana was careful. Diana held back. Diana always took into consideration that I wasn't a meta. But I knew how to push her buttons. I knew how to get her angry. I knew how to make her lose her restraint, and I had done so without thought of the repercussions. As I continue to stare at the bruising along my ribs, I now realize what a mistake that had been.

The door behind me opens and Clark walks in. He is dressed in his tux and although he wears a smile, I can see his hands are shaking. He is nervous. "What if she changes her mind?" he asks, glancing up to see me pulling down my white undershirt.

"She won't," I say, trying to convince him he is worrying for no reason. Lois loves him. The two of them are perfect for each other, destined to be together. Clark isn't an idiot who hides his feelings and pushes away the woman he's in love with. No, that's just me.

Clark ignores my answer as he rushes up to me and places a hand on my shoulder. "What happened to you?" he asks. I wave off his question without a word, grabbing my shirt from the hanger near the mirror, and slide it on. "Rough patrol?" he asks, tilting his head as he continues to stare at my abdomen; he is x raying my ribs and although I appreciate his friendly gesture, I don't particularly care for his over protecting nature at the moment.

"Sure," is all I say, as I begin to button my shirt. My hands are finishing the last button when Clark slaps my hand, forcing me to stop.

"You have two cracked ribs," he says. I only stare at him. That is not news to me. I know what happened. "What did you do, Bruce?"

I only shrug my shoulders. Clark is a super powered alien. His body doesn't have the limits mine does. He doesn't understand this is something I go through daily. The cuts. The bruises - he will never understand. "It doesn't matter, Clark," I say, letting the lie slip through my teeth. I finish buttoning my shirt, quickly closing the cuffs, before I slip the red tie around my neck. "You're getting married today," I say, trying to switch the conversation. "And if you continue to shake from your nerves, we're going to have to fix a hole in the ground."

I watch as Clark glares at me. He knows I'm messing with him, trying to get him to stop over thinking. This is what he wants. This is what Lois wants. He has no reason to be nervous.

Clark fidgets as he watches me finish tying the accessory around my neck. He messes with his glasses, gently pulling them off his face as his hand wipes the unseen sweat from his brow. I adjust my shirt, pulling it free of any wrinkles, watching as Clark places his glasses back on the bridge of his nose. Without another word, I grab my jacket that has been hanging by the mirror and slip it on. "I'm going to go check on Lois," I say, buttoning the jacket close. I watch as Clark only nods, taking a seat in the chair at the end of the room. He pulls the paper his vows are written on from inside his jacket and begins to read them to himself. I shake my head slowly and turn to walk out of the room.

The hallway is uncharacteristically quiet, and I begin to wonder if the band has made it. The slow sound of the piano begins to fill my ears as I approach the corner, and I am relieved to realize they had just been taking a break- one less thing for Clark to be nervous about. I turn the corner, a small smile on my face as I realize my best friend is going to do something I never could; he's going to tell the woman he loves just how much she means to him, in front of everyone. For Clark it is easy. He never had a wall, never needed it. When a man is able to fly and snap a car in half, the thought of having your heart broken becomes an unrealistic fear.

As I reach the room Lois is in, my heart begins to speed up. I hear her voice on the other side of the wooden door, laughing and conversing with what I assume is Lucy, her sister. I carefully reach up and knock on the door, waiting for a few moments before the door opens and my heart stops.

She stares at me silently, her hands finding her hips. I watch as her fingers try their hardest not to tear into the red dress that hugs every curve; she is trying her hardest to control the anger brought upon by seeing me. Her blue eyes glance down to see the tux I am wearing, before they carefully move up, meeting mine. She wears the same thick framed glasses she has worn for months, and her hair is tied up into a neat bun. She is so different from the woman who used to share my bed, the one I haven't seen in two weeks, and the woman I can't help but miss. "Diana," I whisper, finally acknowledging her presence.

Her shoulders tighten and she bites her bottom lip in an attempt to silence herself. She wants to say something but knows she shouldn't. I continue to stare at her, unsure whether I should wrap my arms around her and hug her, pull her in for a kiss, or do nothing and stare silently at the woman who had my heart.

Her arms cross over her chest and she raises an eyebrow, tilting her head. "Bruce," she finally says and I can see her arms tense with the sound of my name. I continue to stare at her, hoping if there is a god he would help me, as there was nothing else I wanted to do than pull her into my arms and kiss her senseless. But as she continues to stare at me, the glare on her face stone cold, I know there is no chance that would be a welcomed advance.

She hears Lois ask something and she turns to answer. The dress she wears sways with every movement and the fabric sticks to her muscular legs. 'God,' I think to myself, watching as the muscles in her back tense even more as she senses my stare, 'Please help me.'

[vamprnce]

Gatboss week day 3: Blood

Boss promised he'd take a bullet for any of the Saints, he always keeps his promises

(blood and violence warning for this one of course)

ao3 | Day 1 - Day 2

Shots rang out everywhere, a big mess of a gang fight was happening, everyone clashing together and falling. It felt like a tiny war was happening right now. Boss was mowing through majority of the rival gang members with such swiftness, he was used to handling big crowds of people attacking and shooting at him alone. Johnny, Shaundi and Pierce were back up plus a whole shit load of other Saints that were called in. Boss effortlessly managed to shoot at targets with his AR-50 XMAC and dodge returning bullets fastly flying towards him. He was such a sharp shooter in battle, accuracy on point and never missed a shot when in focus. It was like watching a god work if you had time to sit and watch him in action, he was majestic honestly.

Boss did get hit heavily in this fight but he wasn't out yet, he managed to get cover behind one parked car, still shooting. He lined up his aim leaning over the hood of the car and shot at least five people in one go before dropping down for cover to reload. Johnny made his way over towards where he was covering, squatting down beside him.

Man, ain't Johnny a beast in the thick of the battle either. Large automatic rifle in one hand mowing down the poor fuckers who thought it was a good idea to step up to the Saints. "Yo, Boss you okay?" Johnny asked, looking him over and seeing blood run down his left arm plus other blood marks on his shirt. Chris clicked in the new magazine with shaky hands, either from some blood loss or just high adrenaline -- who knows maybe both. His face was serious as always when he's gunning down people but the tone in his voice always never matched.

"Yeah, just fucking peachy." He said, sarcasm in his tone, his body took a lot of damage and just sitting there for a couple of minutes he can feel it all over, he was throbbing. His arm was so sore and his side ached horribly, but he had to keep going, backing down from a fight wasn't something he does and he's not gonna start now. He poked his head out to look around the corner and saw a lot of the rival gang just scattered including his own but a group a few yards away were in front of them shooting at someone else, totally blind to notice them. He chuckled at how stupid they are. He looked back behind him to see Johnny there, looking ready as ever, that made his confidence grow. "I'll start shooting and you cover me, alright?" Chris said, Johnny nodded at him in agreement readying his gun to shoot.

Chris stood up and shot at the gang of assholes on their turf, stepping out away from the car. Johnny followed suit, shooting as back up cover. The group crashed down to the ground like a sack of bricks immediately. "Nice one, Boss!" Johnny came up to stand more closer to him giving him a quick high five, Chris high fived back slightly smiling. He looked around the area and the color he saw most was purple, and that made him happy to see, they were winning as usual. They were still some dumbasses who didn't get the message and still continued to fight back, he had to hand it to them they were pretty fucking bold. He saw Shaundi and Pierce taking the reins this time, surprisingly actually working together instead bickering at together, maybe being in the action you forget about killing each other. He was proud of them, they grew up a lot through these past months.

Everyone was busy shooting at someone, Chris was aiming at someone until he caught something in the corner of his eye. Someone hidden way in the back from everyone, he was aimed at Johnny ready to shoot, no one else saw him for some reason. Everything went in slow motion at that point, the gun went off and Johnny was aimed in another direction, he would definitely get hit. He had to do something, his eyes widen and it felt like he stopped breathing during that whole minute. Not hesitating, he ran straight towards Johnny as the bullet flew closer, pushing him hard out of the way the bullet struck his stomach instead. He winced as a sharp pain filled his body before he collapsed to the ground.

"Boss?!" The other two yelled, witnessing their own boss fall to the ground in horror.

Johnny groaned rubbing his head when he hit the ground. "Motherfucker." He propped himself up off the ground to see the Boss lying facedown on the pavement. Something striked painfully in his chest as he looked at his motionless body. He was at his side in a flash, every thought ran through his head making him not able to think straight. Did he got shot? Is he dead? Don't fucking dare tell me he's dead. Did he really took a bullet for me? These thoughts ran through his mind quickly, panic settling in him and making his heart race rapidly.

Shaundi and Pierce made their way over as Johnny carefully rolled him over on his back, he was met with moaning and a lot of blood rushing out of his gut. Johnny's stomach dropped witnessing him like that, all he could think to do is press his hands on the wound to stop the bleeding, making Chris groan loudly with the pain. He was conscious, thank god, but he was really out of it and mumbling something incoherent.

The other two watched not knowing what to do exactly, seeing their leader injured left them standing there helpless. Johnny's anger rise fast. "What are you guys fuckin' standing there for?! Help get him to the car!" Johnny yelled loudly, making the two flinch for a second. "The cops are gonna come soon, we gotta go quickly." Johnny lifted up his upper body as Pierce lifted up his legs, both carrying and hurrying to the car, Shaundi was close behind running near them. Chris' head lulled to the side as they carried him, eyes closed and blood dripping down the side of his mouth.

They got him to the car, lying him down in the backseat. Shaundi was back there with him, she pressed down some cloth on the wound to keep the blood from rushing. Johnny jumped in the driver's seat and Pierce in the passagers, ready to keep look out for anyone who wants to tail them. Leaving when some stragglers were left was unusual for them but they had to act fast, killing all of them were useless. Johnny sped fast towards the Purgatory instead, going straight to the hospital was risky since some gang members could be following them. He doesn't want that repeating again. He'll get help there and be save, at least they had some medical help.

------

Chris woke up suddenly to so many voices arguing about something he couldn't make out, his head hurt so much to process anything. His heavy lidded eyes slowly opened and he saw Johnny standing next to the bed on the right side of him, Shaundi and Pierce were standing at the end. He noticed that they all were in his room finally. "The fuck you guys yelling for?" Chris groans, making everyone stop what they were doing. "Why am I in bed?" He looks around more trying to remember what happened.

"Boss, your okay!" Shaundi exclaimed happily with relief.

"Yo, can guys head outside, I wanna talk to the Boss alone." Johnny ordered, his voice sounded like he wasn't as happy as Shaundi. Pierce and Shaundi left quickly after. As the door clicked shut Johnny stood facing towards Chris, face showing he was in fact pissed off. "Quick question, are you really that stupid? The fuck is the matter with you that you lunge yourself in front of a fuckin' bullet?!" Johnny was seething. Chris slowly propped himself so he was sitting up, he didn't understand why he was so angry at him for, it made him frown back at him. "Jeez, maybe because you'd be the one in this bed instead of me, dumbass." Chris bites back. Johnny exhaled loudly rubbing his hands on his face, messing up his glasses. "Well you didn't have to go and get shot because of me!" Johnny yelled.

Chris didn't respond, he was distracted as he was trying to fix the pillow behind him to get more comfortable. "You really are an idiot." Johnny sighed, stomping towards him, lifting the pillow and fixing it for him, huffing. Chris leaned back into the fluffy pillow, a bit stunned that Johnny would help him even though he's yelling at him. "Thanks." He said softly. He then grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer to him, before he tried to pace around his room to yell at him some more. "Look, I promised I'd take a bullet for any of my Saints, especially for you and I always keep my promises." Chris said quietly looking up at Johnny.

Johnny stared down at him, not knowing what to say after that, he couldn't believe he'd just throw himself in front of bullets like that even for him. He is so stupid. "Just don't do that again, smartass." He grunts, still feeling mad about what he did and at himself. Chris rubbed his hand up and down on his arm as Johnny sat on the bed next to him. "I won't, I promise. Hey, you wanna take a peak?" Chris says as he carefully lifted his shirt showing his bandages wrapped around his stomach, there was one wrapped on his bicep, too. Johnny leaned closer to look at them, his heart stung staring at it, making him sigh. "Does it hurt?" Johnny asked, not looking away. "It's a bit sore, but I'm fine." Chris said, smiling at him. He looked tired and a like wreck.

"You need anything, want something to eat?" Johnny asked.

"I can go for some fries and a blunt if I'm gonna be honest." Chris laughed, settling down more in the covers, fatigue starting to take him over.

Johnny leaned over him to kiss him, Chris kissed back eagerly, putting both his hands on his cheeks, pulling him closer into the kiss. Johnny could feel him smiling, making all his previous anger melt away.

[jj-ktae]

Millennials - Part 2 -

Title: Millennials Genre: Fluff, romance Pairing: Kim Yugyeom x You Summary: Life is made of stages and each of them is a hard push on the back, forcing you to forge ahead. You’re facing your biggest crisis, and then there’s him, who lives from day to day. Of course he does, he is just a kid. Words: 5910 Warning: Small age difference. Yugyeom x Noona Reader.

- Teaser - Part 1 - 

-- 

Part II 

“I swear I’ll make it up to you, just for tonight. Please, Y/N.” Your boss barely asks for you to come when you’re not supposed to work, but it seems his wife is close to get a divorce so he needs take her to the restaurant or something like that.

You stop listening because you don’t care, and you nod absentmindedly, greeting a customer and typing on the cash register. You don’t mind coming; you don’t pay attention to this job anymore. You’re used to feel dull by now, so another night here won’t hurt.

“Ah, I asked Yugyeom if he could come to help. There is going to be a concert not far so it’ll probably be busy.” Your boss adds, feeling proud for thinking about his employee.

To this, you stop typing, eyeing him weirdly. “I can manage on my own.” It’s crazy, out of all people, he only thought of Yugyeom. Out of all the damned employees. Your boss shrugs, his smile growing, “He’ll just be there If any weird people come and make a fuss.” He raises his arm and shows his bicep. “He will take care of unwanted customers.”

You laugh. You laugh so hard the customer blinks at you, his hand still waiting for the money you’re supposed to give him back. “Yugyeom? He will probably hide behind me so I can kick whoever tries to mess this place.”

Your boss giggles, before going back on serious mode. “You’ll see.” He grabs his phone and stuff, before tapping your shoulder, “thanks!” and like this he flies away, already calling his wife and moaning like a little kid at whatever she is saying.

You don’t want to do this. You don’t care coming but heck, spend a night with Yugyeom? Ever since that weird moment at the bar, you ignored him like the plague. He’s been the same annoying brat, he keeps on acting like he is perfect and you don’t think you’ll be able to hold your anger, tonight.

“My…cash?” the customer speaks and startles you, but when you look at your hand, you notice you’re still holding on his change and bow, giving it to him with a bow.

“Thank you for coming.”

--

Yugyeom arrives at eight. It’s dark outside and you’re reading a magazine. A few people came, took instant ramen and left. Other than that, it’s dead, and you contemplate telling him to go back home, but then you see his happy face and give up.

You’re just too soft, sometimes.

“How is it going, noona?” He asks, his cheeks red and breath short. Did he run or something?

“The usual.” You keep it cool and focus on reading. He hums and lets his backpack fall on the ground, before taking his jacket off.

“The boss said to come because it would be busy, I see he was right, as usual.” He complains and for the first time, you feel like he doesn’t want to be here.

It feels weird to hear him complain.

“He knows nothing about what happens here.” You conclude, turning the pages but not really reading anymore.

“You’re working overtime? I’ll stay, you can go.” He proposes, but you dismiss him without much of a warning, you hand up to stop him from talking more.

“It’s fine, I agreed to stay so might as well do it. You can go, though.” You say back and Yugyeom flinches when he hears your tone.

Why is it that you want him away so much?

“It-it’s fine. I agreed, too.” He tries, stretching his sore limbs. “Just finished with school, I had to run here since he only called me two hours ago.” Yugyeom sighs, not fine with the idea of a night of work.

“You should have refused, then.” It seems like you’re scolding him, but you’re not even that mean. You’re just trying to tell him he needs to rest, but it comes out as harsh.

You wonder why you can’t talk to him normally.

Yugyeom laughs “I can’t, I asked for a day off next week.” He sits on the chair next to yours and yawns. “I’m exhausted, though.”

You look up from your magazine and finally notice that he looks awfully sleep-deprived.

It’s almost heart-breaking. Almost.

“Gosh, go home and sleep. I don’t want you to sleep here.” You furrow your brows and Yugyeom looks hurt, now.

“I’m fine. I’m not going to collapse.” He blames his own harsh tone on the lack of sleep, and tries to keep a soft expression but today, it seems to be harder than usual.

“You better not.” You warn, getting up when a customer enters. “Welcome.” You bow, your face blank. “I can manage without you.” You add when you sit back.

Yugyeom shrugs, his face half-pouting, half-annoyed. “I know you can. I know you’d rather not see my damn face but you’re stuck here with me.”

He regrets it instantly when you turn slowly, your eyes wide opened. “What did you say?” you ask. You’re quite sure you didn’t hear what you’ve just heard.

Did Yugyeom…talked back?

“I don’t get it,” He continues between two yawns, his head resting on his arm. “but if you want me to go, I’ll go. I don’t want to ruin your night.” Yugyeom doesn’t know why he feels so angry tonight. He has a big exam and didn’t even had time to prepare for it, and while he thought it would help him to see you, it’s making him feel even worse.

Maybe Bambam is right after all. You’ve been ignoring him for the past week, merely answering and mostly spitting venom to everything he said. Maybe Yugyeom should stop. It’s only a part-time job, he might as well quit and ask Jinyoung for a job at his bookstore.

Well, maybe not ask Jinyoung, but simply find a job at another grocery store.

You honestly don’t want to snap at him. Yugyeom seems to be bothered by something because usually he would have blushed and asked to stay using his disgusting cute voice, but tonight is different.

Yugyeom seems…strained?

“Forget about it, I just thought you’d rather rest than be here.” You mumble, bowing again when the customer leaves without buying anything.

Yugyeom rolls his eyes.

People progressively come. The concert must be over, because numerous people enter, yelling and laughing. They all buy soft drinks and make so much noise your head starts throbbing.

Yugyeom ignores you, going to the aisles to clean their mess.

It feels different with him being cold and bothered. You’re very disturbed by his behaviour, almost realising your mean actions and blaming yourself for not being nicer with a student who just came to help.

You blink a couple of times, almost forgetting about the customers until you see one of the teens who just entered put a can of soda into his bomber jacket.

You sigh, really not in the mood to play cop with stupid teenagers when you already have one very big kid pouting in the store. You walk toward him, your neck painfully cracking from frustration.

“Put that down.” You forget about whatever tone you’re supposed to use with customers and even the boy is surprised, like he was not expecting you to snap at him.

But that doesn’t stop him from raising his brows, looking annoyed. “Put what down?” he dares, hoping you’d let it go and looking at the other customers from afar. “You must be crazy; I’m just looking around!”

You scoff, your finger pointing right at the spot where a tiny bump can be seen, in the middle of his chest. “The can. You have just put it in your jacket, pay for it or I’ll call the police.” It’s too late to try to be nice. What’s up with these kids being rebellious tonight?

“Do you even have a proof? Are you going to come and look for the can yourself? Get out of my face.” He brushes you off and walks toward the exit, hoping you wouldn’t run after him but you do, you follow him and grab the hood of his jacket, pulling him back into the shop like a puppet.

“I said, you either pay for that can or I’ll call the police.” He jerks and slaps your hand away. His face appears, red with anger and you almost feel like a mother dealing with a very spoiled kid.

“So what? You’re going to cuff me until the cops arrive? Try me, bitch.” He takes a step toward you and raises a hand but you don’t even blink, too used to this type of people who think they can spit on everyone.

“How were you even raised? Shoplifting and hitting women? I bet your parents would be proud.” You hate talking like you’re sixty but at some point, there’s nothing else you can do. This kid will probably slap you and run away, and there’s nothing you can do because your fighting skills are close to non-existent.

“Don’t talk about my education!” He is ready to hit you, but before you can flinch he stops, his eyes growing wide. “What now? Who the fuck are you?” His arm is still in the air, but this time Yugyeom’s hand is around it, and you can see his knuckles turning white from how tight he is gripping it.

Yugyeom sighs and cocks his head to the side. He still looks like he wants to murder someone and the kid sees it, but still laughs. “You’re going to save that bitch?”

He obviously thinks Yugyeom is a mere customer trying to save a lady in distress, but when the latter smirks, it almost scares you.

Yugyeom approaches the teen and you notice their height difference. He looks huge next to the young thief, even though they seem to be close in age.

“Listen,” Yugyeom starts and throws the boy’s arm in the air, making the guy stumble. “You either pay for the can, or I’ll beat you up.”

Your eyes grow big.

“Beat me up?” the boy scoffs, bewildered. “You’re seriously thinking I’ll let you hit me and say nothing?”

“I don’t have the time to deal with you, what do you pick?” Yugyeom starts folding his sleeves, ready to fight. “My hand is the size of your face, by the way.”

The kid waits, looks at you, then at Yugyeom, then at the customers who stopped everything they were doing, ready to film whatever action was going to happen.

He tries his luck though, and aims for Yugyeom who looks surprised for a minute, but pushes him away before he can get too close. The guy falls right on his butt, and everyone laugh, filming his pitiful attempt at fighting. The can falls and you grab the chance to pick it up.

He gets up, as red as a tomato and runs away.

Yugyeom is about to run after him but you stop him, showing him the can, proud.

The other customers drunkenly cheer for Yugyeom, and a girl even whistles, yelling about tall guys being cool and strong.

Yugyeom bows, clearly embarrassed and goes back to his job before you can scold him. He knows what is about to happen, you are going to tell him he was unprofessional and that he should mind his own business.

He doesn’t even let you thank him for saving the situation.

You run to the counter and take the payments, bowing and apologizing for the fuss. One of the guy seems pleased with what he filmed while a girl asks for Yugyeom’s number.

So much for a can of soda.

When the last customer leaves, you contemplate whether you should go and thank Yugyeom. Maybe you could wait for him to finish with the cleaning, but then again he seemed bothered earlier, so he might not talk to you until he leaves. Come to think of it, he only did his job so why would you even thank him for stopping a guy who was about to steal? You should just let him be until your job is done and escape as soon as your boss comes back.

On the other hand, you were about to get hit.

You sigh inwardly and aim for the part-timer, looking between aisles and finding him sorting bags of chips.

Yugyeom looks at you when he feels someone next to him, and his face seems to be back on normal, because he lets go of the bag, before kneeling to grab it. “Do you need something?” his voice sounds scared, like you’re about to yell at him. “I’m almost done here.”

You blink, blaming yourself for not being able to thank him. It suddenly hits you that you never said anything nice to him, hence the uneasiness.

“Thank you for taking care of the kid earlier.” You say fast, no used to praising him.

Yugyeom is more than surprised, because he opens his mouth for a moment, but nothing comes out of it.  He faintly blushes, nodding. “It’s fine, It’s my job. He was about to hit you.” The words are careful, ashamed.

“I didn’t know you could fight.” You smile, trying to ease the tension because as much as you’d like to hate him, you’re not that mean. You can’t be a bitch when he took care of a guy who was about to slap the shit out of you.

Yugyeom blushes even harder, and you don’t understand why, until he speaks. “I don’t.” His palms turn wet with stress, and he can only rub them against his black tight pants. “I hoped he would go away if I pushed him hard enough.”

Yugyeom purses his lips, blinking fast. Why did he even say that? He knows what Bambam is going to say, he’ll tell him he is stupid for not acting cocky. Why is he always so dumbly honest? He knows he is strong, he has a huge strength but he can’t fight. He doesn’t even know how to punch anything else than the punching balls in arcades. He can flick foreheads pretty damn well, though.

He waits for your answer but you say nothing.

And then you burst out laughing.  You laugh hard for a good minute and you almost choke on your own saliva.

Is this kid for real?

“So you almost got yourself kicked, too. Thank god he decided not to try harder.” You tease him and he scoffs, almost hurt by how you’re suddenly mocking him.

“Next time, if there is any, let’s just call the police.” You laugh again and go back to the counter, leaving the poor Yugyeom in the middle of the bag of chips, ears deep red.

Then is hits him.

You smiled at him.

You sit behind the counter and greet another customer.

It’s the first time you find Kim Yugyeom adorable.

--

“Why did you open your damn mouth!” Bambam is outraged, in the middle of his living-room. “Why did you say that?”

Yugyeom shrugs, bringing the bottle of beer he was holding to his mouth.

“I mean,” his friend continues, his head shaking. “is there any filter in your brain? Do you just say things the way they come?”

“I was surprised! She thanked me for helping her! What was I even supposed to do? Let her think I’m a professional fighter?” Yugyeom knew it. Bambam never lets him live.

“A simple “you’re welcome” would have been great. Honestly gyeom, you’re a lost cause.” Bambam is a drama queen, but he isn’t wrong.

Yugyeom sighs, nodding. “I get it. I need to be a cocky bastard for her to like me. What do I do if I’m not a cocky bastard? I mean, she smiled, she smiled at me. She never smiled, not even once.”

“Maybe we should ask Jinyoung for advices. He knows how to be a cocky bastard.” Bambam adds, laughing at his own bitchy self. “He’d kill me if he hears that. No, seriously. You need to stop acting like she is scaring the shit out of you. Just be normal, man.” Bambam sits next to him, before patting his friend’s back, who didn’t stop smiling ever since he arrived.

“You should have seen her smile. She is so beautiful.” Yugyeom whines, eyes closed and brows furrowed. “I am screwed. I’ll never stop loving her and she will be the end of me.”

Bambam merely hums, “Of course, you’re screwed. I told you the exact same thing the first time you talked about her.”

Yugyeom grunts, getting up, “You’re such a good friend. I have to go; my exam is tomorrow and I still need to rehearse.”

Bambam waves at him from afar, not even bothered by the situation anymore. It’s always the same, whenever Yugyeom is frustrated he comes and whines for a good hour, talking about how he will never find love, how pained he is by the situation, how annoyed he is at himself for being so lame.

But somehow, he can’t find it in himself to stop loving you.

--

Yugyeom isn’t an unusual kid. He has the life of every boy in his twenties, with worries and joys. He studies dancing, and goes to a school of street art and dance where he can do what he loves. Dancing came naturally to him, like an implied agreement in his life. Ever since he remembers, he has been moving around, yelling about how much of a skilled dancer he will become and making his parents go crazy for not picking a more stable job.

But Yugyeom doesn’t care. He lives on passion and envy. He doesn’t care about rationality because it’s a pain in the butt. It belongs to people who don’t know how to enjoy life and he wants nothing more but live to the fullest.

His friends often say he lives like there is no tomorrow. He doesn’t know if it’s a good thing or if it’s because they find him unbearable, though. He has quite the temper, and hates when people step on him. Just for that reason he loves that his body is wide enough to have enough strength on its own. He can fight for what he believes and never once did people try to mess with him.

But today, as he wakes up with a sore body and a very painful ankle, he regrets relaying so much on his thick skeleton.

He groans as soon as his foot touches the ground and sighs when he understands he will have to go to his exam with a bad injury. The skin of his ankle looks awfully red and swollen, but he gets up and grabs the almost empty tube of ointment and a band aid, too used to be in pain not to own these items. When he is done, his ankle is tightly wrapped and it gets a bit more bearable as he starts aiming for his clothes, almost late for a choreography he isn’t even sure he mastered.

He rushes to eat and ignores his mother’s calls when he grabs his long coat and sports bag before aiming for the front door. She rolls her eyes at his son’s antics and complains about kids not eating breakfast properly these days.

Yugyeom decides to take his bike, even though he knows he is going to hurt his ankle even more. He flies on it, his long legs pressing the pedals to go faster. He sniffs when the cold hits his face and prays all the gods that he won’t fail because he obviously rehearsed way too much yesterday.

He changes at the speed of light and appears in the huge studio right before the teacher calls him. He steps on the floor lightly, silently wincing and starts dancing.

He can’t fail.

--

“You know what, maybe you’re developing feelings for this kid.”

You scoff. Why did you even invite Naya over? You roll your eyes, head covered with a towel as you’re barely out of the shower and she already bothers you with her nonsense.

“I don’t get it. You told me he was adorable. From what I saw he is also good-looking. He seems to be very attentive to you and does his best to help. I mean, he doesn’t even know how to fight and was ready to get hit for you.” Naya presses on the coffee machine’s button, an exasperated sigh leaving her deep red lips. “He looks at you like you’re the most precious thing, too. I don’t get how you can stay so cold toward him when he made me melt already. He is so cute!”

You laugh before you can stop yourself and lean against the fridge, observing her. “He is a kid. He is five years younger than me. Even if he does like me, it’s a mere crush. I don’t want to play games, not when my own parents want me to have kids already.”

Naya clicks her tongue, taking the first cup and handing it to you, “You’re so stubborn. Why can’t you simply enjoy?” she turns around and you see her head shaking, like you’re the most stupid person on earth. “Five years is nothing. What makes you think someone your age would be any better?”

It’s obvious though, and Naya reads it on your face as soon as she turns around with her own cup. “We will never have the same expectations in life. He is a brat; he wants to have fun and party while I just want to settle. Wait, do I even want to settle at all? I don’t even want a relationship!”

“Ah!” Naya points her cup at you and laughs. “So you do want to settle! You can’t possibly know what he wants before he even told you. You’re unbelievable, give that kid some credit.”

“See? You’re calling him a kid.” You add, proud to prove your point. Even your best friend refers to him as a “kid”, yet you can’t consider him that way. For you he is barely a kid, and you don’t even understand why you’re having a whole long ass talk about him with Naya when you have to leave for work in an hour.

“It’s affectionate. Listen, I just want you to stop thinking so low of him. If he really likes you, maybe you’re hurting him and I don’t think he deserves it. Also, you’re the one who told me about how adorable he was yesterday, I wasn’t the one who mentioned him first. I know something’s bothering you but you won’t admit it. All I’m saying is that even though you don’t feel anything for him, you should stop acting so superior around him.” Naya shrugs like she didn’t just totally took Yugyeom’s side.

You lift your arms, speechless, but collect yourself before she thinks she can win the argument. “What I meant was that it was the first time I saw him differently. I never implied I had feelings or anything. Why are we still talking about him anyways?” you sigh loudly, putting your cup on the living-room’s table and aiming for the bathroom “I should go soon, I need to get prepared.”

You had enough of her for today. As much as you love Naya, you don’t understand why she always implies you’re the bad person. You were simply telling her about your day, and mentioned that moment Yugyeom tried to act tough and how it was the first time he looked like a man instead of a kid. There’s no reason to jump to conclusions and decide you’re falling in love with him.

You plug in the hairdryer, not getting why you’re suddenly feeling mad over such a petty reason. Naya stays until she finishes her cup of coffee and you understand she isn’t even bothered when you hear her yell “Don’t hurt the kid at work tonight! Love you!” before the door closes behind her.

You arrive at work with a blank face and no will to do anything. It’s getting too cold for you to go out of your flat, but you have to earn money so you’re here, behind the counter, bored and stressed for absolutely no reason.

You refuse to believe it’s because Yugyeom is supposed to arrive soon.

“The boss said you have to sort the alcohol aisle. It’s a mess.” Your colleague runs away at the speed of light, leaving you with another task that you obviously must do.

Out of everyone here, why are you the one who always ends up with the most annoying tasks?

You decide it can wait for you to be fully motivated and stay on your chair, greeting customers after customers and grunting when some of them call you over for advices.

You’re talking with a middle-aged man about wine when Yugyeom arrives. He barely greets you and runs toward the tiny staff-room.

The middle-aged man takes another twenty minutes of your time talking about how red wine isn’t good for health and how people should stop focusing on trend and focus on liquor only. You nod from time to time, and notice Yugyeom is already taking care of the other customers’ payments.

He leaves with a bag of instant noodle only and you wonder why the hell did he even spend so much time talking about alcohol if he wasn’t about to buy any.

You go back to the counter and yawn, already exhausted and on the verge of developing a massive headache. Yugyeom’s face looks like something’s bothering him, because he keeps on shifting on his seat.

He slowly gets up when a customer calls for help, and you notice the slight limp when he walks toward them, even though he smiling despite the evident pain on his face. He comes back with the same slow pace but stops in front of you, his arm on the counter for support. “Did the boss leave any instructions?” He tries to sound neutral, but you can see him shift from one foot to another, like he can’t find a good way to stand up without being in pain.

You could ignore it. You could simply tell him the boss wants the alcohol aisle to be cleaned and let him to the heavy work while you clean the floor. You could focus on yourself and ignore his pain. You could totally act like you didn’t notice anything and sit behind the counter.

You’re a senior after all.

But for the very first time ever since you learnt how to use your brain, it doesn’t follow your mouth and speaks before you can reason yourself. “Are you hurt somewhere?” the question comes out harsher than you thought it would, but you’re more shocked about the fact that you actually asked, than the way you did.

“Wh-what?” Yugyeom stammers, head tilted to the side. “No, no I’m fine!” he shifts fast, from leg to leg, and bites his lip when a pang of pain hits his whole ankle.

You purse your lips, eyeing him from head to toe and Yugyeom suddenly feels so small.

“There’s something wrong with your leg.” You conclude, but Yugyeom raises his arms in a defensive manner, while no words come out of his mouth. “What happened?”

You don’t know why you ask what happened. You have no right to ask about it. But something, maybe related to the fact that Yugyeom always asks if you’re okay, makes you speak.

Yugyeom feels guilty for being discovered so easily. It’s not like it’s a big injury but still, it hurts like hell. He leans totally toward the counter when he understands he won’t be able to hide it anymore, a pained sigh leaving his lips and relieving him of all the pain he had accumulated so far. “I guess I danced too much” He admits, jaw clenched.

You make a face, turning around to grab a chair so he can sit on it. You signal for him to sit and stay in front of him, puzzled. It’s so typical of Yugyeom to goof around and hurt himself. “Why would you even dance if you’re about to hurt yourself?”

Yugyeom sits but looks up at you, horrified. “Noona, I’m a dancer. I study dancing.” He says, bewildered. He told you once, but he never thought you wouldn’t even remember.

Great, now even his heart hurts.

You stop moving, Naya’s words instantly echoing in your mind. You can’t believe you’ve been working with him but never even asked about his occupation. “Oh...” You mutter, almost embarrassed because Yugyeom suddenly looks very down. “I... didn’t know.”

“It’s fine. I told you when we first met. It’s not that interesting.” Of course it isn’t interesting to you. You don’t even care about him. Why do you even talk to him anyways? It’s true that he loves to goof around, but he never mentioned about his own education. It’s been a long time since Yugyeom gave up on trying to interact with you.

Sure, he is polite, he always tries to be nice, always takes care of the most difficult tasks so you don’t have to do it, but never talks about himself.

Kim Yugyeom is stupid, not delusional.

You feel guilty. You hate to admit it, but you do. Yugyeom looks at you expectantly when you don’t move from your spot in front of him, but you keep silent and go around the store. Yugyeom sighs loudly when you leave, his hand gripping the counter so he can get up.

“Don’t move!” He hears you speak loudly and even the customer who is about to pay jumps at your tone. Yugyeom bows, taking her money without even moving from his chair.

You come back a bit later with a couple of supplies and stop in front of a very puzzled Yugyeom. “I’ll pay for this later.” You explain, taking another chair and sitting in front of him. “It’s your right ankle? Show me.” You’re about to grab his leg when he stays frozen in front of you but Yugyeom stops you, his hands reaching for your own.

He ignores how warm they are, too shocked to even function clearly. “I’m fine!” he tries, but you lift a brow at him, taking a deep breath, and Yugyeom gives up.

He takes off his shoe and looks around the shop, glad that no customer is here to witness anything. He lifts his foot in the air and takes off his sock, revealing a poorly bandaged ankle. He lets it hang in the air for a moment, his hands under his thigh for support.

“What are you doing?” You ask after a while. You sit better on your chair and grab his leg, pulling it down on your lap. “I can’t do anything with your leg up there.” You don’t look at him, fighting with your own blood pressure so your cheeks won’t turn into deep shade of red.

Yugyeom hisses when you pull on the bandage but at some point, he isn’t present anymore. His soul just jumped out of the window, along with his tongue, and he can only nod in appreciation, a hand covering half of his face in hope you won’t notice how flustered he is.

You let the bandage fall and gasp when you notice how red and swollen it is. “This is not fine. You should see a doctor.” You sound like a robot right now.

Yugyeom melts on his chair, forcing himself not to whine at how fast his heart is beating. “I will, noona.” He agrees with everything. He wouldn’t even mind if you decided to cut his leg.

You apply a heavy layer of ointment, trying your best not to apply too much pressure on the inflamed flesh. You apologize almost inaudibly when Yugyeom hisses a couple of times, and you guess Yugyeom is already bowing on his chair and apologising too for making you do this.

Yugyeom takes a couple of payments while he is sitting, bowing to the customers who simply smile at him fondly. One of the lady mouths a small “lovely” to him and his blush deepens. He grins so hard his cheeks hurts, but recovers as soon as you lift your head.

“Done! I have painkillers in my bag, I’ll give you one and you should be okay until your shift is done. You honestly shouldn’t have come.” You scold him, your cold tone suddenly replaced with a way softer one, and Yugyeom bows again, putting his sock back on.

He doesn’t know what to answer. Yugyeom loves coming here, he loves coming even if it means him just staring at you until his shift is over. “I needed the money…” he whispers, hoping you’d buy it.

You just nod. “Yeah...I get it. At least get your ankle checked.” You try to sound nonchalant and rush to the staff-room to clean your hands before coming back. “Here’s the painkiller. The boss wants me to clean the alcohol aisle so I’ll start now. Just sit and take the payments.” You don’t even let him answer and rush to the said aisle, releasing a long sigh.

Why are you even flustered?

Yugyeom says nothing and pinches his lips to keep silent. He wants to yell and jump, dance and laugh. He takes another payment and smiles at the customer way too brightly.

He can still feel your fingers around his skin and it eases the pain way better than any medication.

--

You’re spent when your colleague comes for her shift. You explain to her what you did and didn’t do, while Yugyeom stays put next to you. He acts like he didn’t sit during his whole shift and bows too many times when he exits the shops with you.

“it’s nothing.” You tell him a couple of times, wondering why he is making such a big deal out of it.

But you know, you know you never acted this way with him. You’re frightened by how soft you’re suddenly being.

Yugyeom shakes his head when you brush his attempts to thank you and grabs your arm before you can run away from the messy situation.

He prepares for the worst, but he must do something. You being like this is not only a discovery to him, it’s also a way too enjoyable situation. Inwardly, he wants you to stay cold toward him so he can stop loving you, but what can he do when you suddenly took care of him like you actually care about him?

You wait for Yugyeom to speak, surprising both of you because you didn’t jerk your arm away from him.

So Yugyeom takes it a sign that he is being lucky, and decides to thank you properly once and for all.

He hopes you won’t notice his heart drumming inside his chest when he hugs you slowly. You don’t even find the motivation to reject him, astonished by his sudden move. It’s not an intimate hug, but Yugyeom is fine with it. On the other hand, you can only let your body go limp. He feels huge around you, his arms circling your shoulders and back totally bent so he can be at your level.

Why the hell is Kim Yugyeom hugging you?

He smiles to himself when he doesn’t feel any kick or slap coming his way and parts away from you.

“Thank you, noona.”

[coffee-scribbles]

A Kingdom of Ash

Chapter Two, Hearts in Contrast

(also on Ao3)

“And that thing you did with the flip? That was amazing!” The farm boy who had stood up for himself —she had learned him to be named Clark— continued to ramble. Eyes alight with excitement and awe as he paced in front of where Diana was being treated. The woman tending to her, Martha Kent, a short elderly woman with a certain fondness to her, chuckled mildly. Her blonde hair tussling slightly as she shook her head, smiling to the boy’s actions as a younger woman handed her bandages.

Diana focused on her breathing, in and out, of the musty, sun-soaked air as she held her forearm steady for the elder, Martha, to bandage.

She was gentle as she dabbed at the newly clean, sluggishly bleeding wound. Diana hissed lightly as the soreness and sharp pain intermingled, as, with a slow sort of grace, Martha wrapped the soft linen bandages around her wound.

“And how you snatched his knife with the whip? That was so cool!” Clark rambled, his voice was excited, yet somehow soothing. Though he was surely wearing a trail in the floor at how he paced.

“And-and how did you learn all those fighting moves? Oh please, you’ve got to teach me!”

The older woman, Clark’s mother, shook her head with a slight titter forming. She waved off her younger aid in a fluid movement, and the young girl was quick to stumble from the room. Quite clearly shaken, likely from their encounter that morning.

Martha stood slowly, pausing for a moment before raising her hand and ruffling Clark’s hair, a motion he helped by tilting his head down.

“Now now sugarplum, don’ get too excited. The lil’missie needs ‘er rest,” Martha tutted at her boy, who pretended to pout. The sheer maternity of the situation filled Diana’s senses, and she found her heart longing for home, and though Martha acted nothing like her mother, queen of the amazons, built of strength and immortality, this stubby, sweetheart of a woman reminded Diana of home.

Of her sisters.

Of a family with which she was no longer welcome.

“Ms. Diana…? Are you okay? Is your wound acting up?” Clark was by her side in an instant, startling the warrior. She hadn’t heard him approach.

Martha watched her, and when Diana was a bit too quick to shake her head and insist that she was fine, her once fond smile twitched to a frown.

Diana stood, grabbing the knapsack which Mr. Kent had insisted she use to store her things, and throwing it over her shoulder with maybe a bit too much force.

“I should be going,” Diana spoke, not noticing how Clark’s eyes went wide and brow furrowed, “it’ll be dusk soon and-“

“Yes, it will be dusk soon.” Martha stated, voice firm and tone eerily similar to the one her own mother would use when Diana was about to do something indescribably stupid.

“And that is exactly why you’re staying.”

The room itself paused. The only movement, that of a slow wind and the darkness of an approaching storm, fluttering through the curtains and the trees. And somewhere in the distance, there was thunder.

“Clark, be a dear and fix up a room for-”

“Already on it ‘Ma,” Clark smiled, rushing from the room with a spring in his step.

“I admire your open hospitality, but I really must be on my way.” Diana tried to move toward the door, only to find the doorway blocked by Martha’s determined form.

Diana blinked a bit.

“When you’ve healed, maybe.” Her words left no room for argument, and despite herself, Diana slowly felt the fight seeping from her bones.

She was so tired.

“I wouldn’t wish to intrude…” It was a last ditch attempt really, and she didn’t even really mean it.

Martha seemed proud of her victory, and smiled, then instead of simply moving aside like Diana had expected, she opened her arms.

“Come’ere,” she beckoned, and Diana could only nod and carefully embrace the shorter woman.

There was a pause, Diana’s breathing slowed as the tightness in her chest slowly melted. A dusty scent like fresh dough and dried herbs, soft and sweet, embraced her just as tightly as Martha’s arms did; and Diana found her stomach twisting and pressure behind her eyes tingling as she forced herself to stay steady and to stop thinking about a home that was no longer hers.

To stop thinking about the months she had spent, wandering, lost, devoid of all care and contact.

“Please darlin’, stay as long as you need.” Her embrace was so unlike Diana’s own mother, a woman of tight muscle and godly strength. While Martha’s was soft, like hugging a warm pillow, Diana breathed in her warm apple butter and cinnamon scent.

The arms that encircled her were frail, but no less comforting as they slowly slid, holding Diana by her biceps before one hand lifted to grasp her cheek.

Diana bent down as to make it easier for her.

“You saved my boy,” she smiled, and the expression reminded her of home. Of white sand beaches and the warmth of the sun, and suddenly she felt the need to be outside, to flee the confined space and feel the sun on her skin.

“I’ll stay,” Diana finally allowed, her voice a hoarse whisper.

“Good,” Martha smiled, patting her on the arm.

As if on cue, Clark knocked on the doorframe with a smile.

“Pa says it’s almost supper time, and wants to know where you put the-“

“Bread’s in the left cupboard hun,” Martha called, Clark shouted a short thanks before echoing it back to his ‘Pa’. Diana smiled for a moment as Martha shook her head fondly and rushed to the kitchen herself, smiling as she was greeted with a peck on the cheek from her husband, who’s arms bore the missing edibles.

"Thank ya sugar,” he smiled, a loving expression. Diana, despite having yet to be formally introduced to the trim, aged man, assumed him to be Clark’s ‘Pa’.

“Now you two head over to the hall, while yer’ pa and I pack the food for the potluck,” Martha ushered them both out, ruffling both Clark and Diana’s hair without hesitation.

Clark smiled and laughed into the action, making a joke that Diana couldn’t quite process, far to lost in the sensation of the kindness so readily offered to her, even though in another time, she would have killed them without hesitation.

They had only taken a few steps out the door, Clark in the lead, before he realized something was wrong, and slowed his pace to walk beside her. It was not the easiest task to do without trampling the wheat that grew from the earth around them, but he managed; even plucking one of the wheat stalks and chewing on the end.

“Hey, ya alright?” Clark asked slowly shifting between looking where they were going and watching Diana as they padded down the dirt road.

“How do you mean?” Diana hadn’t thought she’d been displaying any emotions besides thoughtfulness.

Clark, however, seemed to disagree.

“I dunno, ya just… seem down.” Diana paused as Clark wrapped an arm around her shoulder, a careful, kindness in the gesture.

“Jus’ wanna let you know I’m here if ya need a friendly ear,” he smiled, chewing mindlessly on the stalk, causing the end to bob ever so slightly.

Diana felt ashamed that her first instinct was to flinch at the contact, even after they had helped her, bandaged her wounds and gifted her a place to rest, the stories of Man’s world’s barbaric tendencies were ingrained deep into her mind.

And yet, as Clark pulled her just bare inches closer, she couldn’t help but think of the only other man who had ever held her so sweetly.

Diana shook her head, as if to forcibly dispel the intrusive thoughts of Steve from her mind.

“M’kay?” Clark asked, eyes narrowed in the sun, but sharp in their concern.

Diana blinked, taking a moment to remember what he had last said.

“Apologies, I… didn’t mean to worry you,” Diana affirmed, the villagers here had already done so much for her, she wouldn’t want to cause them unnecessary stress.

Besides, it wasn’t like it mattered anymore.

“Naw, it’s no fuss.” Clark waved his hand dismissively, but smiled at Diana anyway. The expression was somehow… reassuring.

The feeling coiled in her stomach like guilt.

“Jus’ lettin’ ya know that if you wan’, you can always tell me what’s on yer mind,” Clark assured.

Diana let out a dwindling sigh, and their pace slowed further as they made a turn, dawdling such as to have a more private conversation.

But the closer they got to ‘the hall’ as Martha had called it, the more people loitered around, chatting with each-other or just generally moving toward ‘the hall’.

“I suppose I am a bit… homesick,” Diana muttered, eyes downcast.

Clark paused mid-step, backtracking a few before pausing, surveying the area.

Diana blinked as the farm-boy lead her off the side of what seemed to be another home, sturdy wooden planks with a straw roof, similar to the Kent’s cottage, if a bit smaller. He leaned up against the wall, bringing her to do the same; his arm still weighed heavy, though pleasantly warm, around her shoulder.

“Oh?” Clark spoke prolixly, not looking at her, not as though through shame, more... a kindness, knowing with his gaze he brought the pressure to answer. Instead, he simply watched forward, voice calm as he spoke again, a tone with which one would assure a forrest doe.

“Is that where yer headin’?” Clark asked, eyes distant across the open distance of fields, hemmed with trees and gentle brush.

Instead of answering, Diana watched the man for a moment.

Clark, a farm boy, muscular and tall, chewing on the end wheat stalk and looking so, uncannily... unnatural. His personality married to the warm, kind, sun-soaked atmosphere, scented of dry grass and fertile earth.

And yet, there was also something… off.

About him, the way he stood just a bit too attentive, the way his gaze seemed so far off, distant, like looking for something greater.

Clark, she realized, though not consciously aiming to compare, looked absolutely nothing like Steve.

Her breath caught at the thought, and the small sound seemed to snap the farm-boy from his revery, turning to face her. His face, impossibly close, his breath warm and cautionary, tickling the tip of her nose.

That distance in his eyes glittered up close, Diana stared deeply into his eyes, that distance was closer now, physically. And yet.. an asymptote. Closer and closer and closer still, but somehow still impossibly far, her finger tips grazing the eternity.

It was so unlike the blond-haired, brown-eyed martyr she had once... cared for. And so unlike anyone else in the quaint little town.

Clark, with his mid-length, dark curly hair, hidden from view by frayed a straw hat. Clark with his strong, clean-shaven jawline of tanned skin, gentle accent, and slightly musty scent, like oats and wheat and open fields.

Clark, and the fact that he was absolutely nothing like Steve, and yet, when he smiled...

Hera damn his smile. Lopsided and familiar, she knew in her heart that the gods forged his damn his smile the exact same way.

And it was killing her, slowly.

"Diana?" Clark asked, voice tepid and caring. Not entirely unlike the warm gust of air that fluttered the tan dress Martha Kent had gifted her.

“Hm?” Diana hummed, she really needed to stop getting lost in thought.

He seemed to take this as an answer to his question, as he gave a slightly flustered laugh and rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand.

“Well... I jus’ assumed ya were headin’ home, ya seemed in a pretty good rush,” he defended.

Diana's stomach plummeted, she looked away.

“Oh… no. I’m not- I can’t really go back,” she paused, taking a deep breath and settling into the silence once more.

Only for it to be broken moments later.

“Why?" Clark asked, "if ya don’ mind me askin’."

Diana swallowed heavily, taking in another deep breath, so heavy she could almost taste it on her tongue. The scent, of dry hay and wood in the air, dull and nearly unnoticeable, but it stood out because it wasn't of burnt flesh, nor of sulphur or ash.

It was the scent of good because it was like nothing even went wrong.

“I was a bad person, did some… bad things.” Diana wrapped her arms around herself, pausing, waiting for the warmth of his arm to be torn away, for him to drop the conversation and realize her truth.

“Ya were,” Clark said. It was not a question, nor a confirmation.

It was like he was expecting her to understand something about her sentence, something she couldn't quite see.

It was all she could do to nod, their faces still gently close, but Clark was back to watching the distance, even though his gaze continued to flicker between her and the verdant horizon.

“Ya were, that there’s a past tense,” Clark said again, as if expecting her to get it.

Whatever 'it' was.

“So," he paused, as if scrounging for the right words, "ya wouldn’t do wha’ever bad stuff ya did then, now." He paused,  right?”

“…Yes?”

Diana was officially confused.

“Well Pa says the past’s behind us, and tha's where it's meant to stay," Clark smiled, just a twitch to the edge of his lips.

Diana watched him intently, and sure enough, he explained further.

“See," he gestured with his free hand, "if ya keep thinkin' ‘bout the past, you'll never see the good ’n the future, so you'll never move on ta’ see the good person we can be.”

There was a rather sizable pause after that, and Clark, though he could never prove it, would bet the farm that Diana nuzzled just an inch closer after that, and smiled.

“Your father is very intelligent, for a man.” Diana said, still smiling, ever so slightly.

It was a warm, comfortable expression, even if Clark could only get glimpses of it due to not wanting the other to feel awkward at their proximity.

“Er, thanks?” Clark asked, laughing a little bit.

Diana nodded in acceptance, and Clark was sure this would make one heck of a story.

I TOLD Y’ALL IT’D BE LATE!! again, sorry ‘bout that. But, as always, credit for the au goes to the beautiful, the talented *drum roll* @causeimanartist!!!! She’s amazing! her art is the best!!

But anyway, pls reblog, i am sad and smol. thank.

[lindafrancois]

The Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle Fast (Training & Workouts)

Want to build muscle like this guy?

(Leopard print unitard optional but encouraged)

In this guide, we’ll provide step by step instruction that will help you start building muscle immediately! Like, today!

We’ll explore:

How do you build muscle?

What’s a sample routine for muscle training?

How many sets and reps should I do?

Muscle training weightlifting tips.

What’s the proper diet to gain muscle? (which supplements)

Calculating calorie consumption to build muscle and strength.

Will I get too bulky lifting weights? 

Can you lose weight and gain muscle at the same time?

Rest days for building muscle and strength.

That may seem like a lot of topics to cover. DON’T PANIC!

Because gaining muscle and strength really comes down to three things.

If you’re looking to start building muscle, getting bigger, and becoming stronger, these are the things you need to do:

Lift heavy things

Eat a diet based on your goals

Get enough rest

I realize doing those three things is much easier said than done – I struggled with progress for a decade and know exactly what you’re going through if you’re feeling unsure.

You probably don’t have years to make the mistakes that I did, and you just want to start getting results today. In addition to the free resources below, we also offer 1-on-1 Online Coaching, where you’ll get personalized instruction for your body type and goals, and professional accountability from a Coach on Team Nerd Fitness!

But enough of that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to get started with strength training!

How do you build muscle and Strength? Lift Heavy Things

If you are going to build muscle, you’re going to need to lift heavy things.

This means you’ll most likely need access to a gym with a great free-weight section.

Bodyweight exercises can be fantastic for weight loss and keeping the muscle you already have, but if you’re serious about weight training you’ll need a gym with a squat rack, bench, barbells, and a spot to do pull-ups, chin-ups, and dips to be most efficient.

Got access to a decent gym? If so, good, it’ll help us get started.

Gym closed because of COVID? No problem, here’s how to build a gym in your own home. 

Because we’re looking to create functional strength and size, we’ll be doing lots of full-body routines with compound exercises that train multiple muscle groups at once.

They’re more efficient, they create solid growth and stimulation, and they will keep you safe.

Why is that?

Well, when you spend all of your time doing stupid isolation exercises on weight machines (ugh), you’re only working those specific muscles and not working any of your stabilizer muscles (because the machine is doing all of the stabilization work).

On the other hand, when you do compound exercises like barbell squats, you work pretty much EVERY muscle in your body, setting yourself up to be strong and injury-free.

Stay away from machines if you can and focus on dumbbells and barbell exercises.

If you’re going to do a full-body routine each workout (which is what I would recommend for ANY beginner), each routine can have one leg exercise, push exercise, pull exercise, and a core exercise:

Leg Exercises: Squats, Deadlifts, or Lunges

Push Exercises: Bench Press, Overhead Press, or Dips

Pull Exercises: Inverted Rows, Pull-Ups, or Chin Ups

Core Exercises: Reverse Crunches, Hanging Knee Raises, or Planks

That’s IT. Don’t worry about adding in any ridiculous machine shoulder shrugs, iso-chest flys, preacher bicep curls, calf-raises, whatever.

Learn these few exercises, get really good at them, and your entire body will get stronger and bigger. Focus each week on adding more weight to each exercise.

For example, from one week to the next you could do:

Week 1 Barbell Squat: 3 sets of 5 at 150 lbs.

Week 2 Barbell Squat: 3 sets of 5 at 155 lbs.

If you do that, you’ve gotten stronger. Then, repeat next week. Eat right, and you’ll get bigger too.

what’s a sample routine for building muscle?

Using the principles I’ve laid out in my “how to build a workout routine” article, here’s a three-day routine I’ve created for myself recently:

Monday: Squats, Benchpress, Wide Grip Pull-Ups, Planks

Wednesday: Deadlift, Overhead Press, Inverted Rows, Hanging Knee Raises

Friday: Weighted Lunges, Weighted Dips, Weighted Chin Ups, Reverse Crunches.

Each day has a leg exercise, push exercise, pull exercise, and some core work.

While it’s possible to build out the perfect routine on your own, many of our Rebels end up spending hours and hours building something custom – only to realize it isn’t what they need (or isn’t effective) weeks and months later for their goals.

For people who want to avoid that altogether, we built the solution – our uber-popular 1-on-1 Nerd Fitness coaching program pairs you with your own Nerd Fitness Coach who will get to know you, your goals, and your lifestyle, and handcraft a workout plan that’s specific to not only your body, but also to your schedule and life. Click on the image below to schedule a call with our team to see if we’re a good fit for each other!

How many sets and reps should I do?

We have a MASSIVE guide on the exact number of sets and reps you should focus on based on your goals, but you can follow the basics here.

If you’re just interested in getting stronger, you can do: 3-5 sets of 5 reps, with a focus on lifting heavier and heavier each week.

If you’re looking to add more size along with strength, mix up your rep ranges. Sets of 5 reps will build compact explosive strength, while sets of 6-12 reps will build more size but less concentrated strength.

If you get bored, want to change things up, or you’re looking to bust through a plateau, you can do the following:

This week, I might do 3 sets of 5 reps for each exercise (other than the core exercises), adding enough weight to each exercise so that it’s incredibly taxing.

Next week, I’ll do four sets for each exercise, adding weight each time and doing less reps. For example, I’ll do an overhead press in the following sequence:

100 pounds: 12 reps

105 pounds: 10 reps

110 pounds: 8 reps

115 pounds: 6 reps

The good news is that no matter which path you take (pure strength, size, or a mix of both), as long as you are adding weight each week – and eating enough – you WILL be getting stronger.

ANY path will work, provided you are progressively overloading your muscles with an increased challenge!

So if you do 5 sets of 5 squats at 140 pounds this week, aim for 5 sets of 5 of 145 pounds next week. Or 3 sets of 10 at 100 pounds, then next week try for 3 sets of 10 at 105 pounds.

Get stronger, which is 20% of the puzzle. The other 80% is nutrition (which I cover later)!

As I said before, if you want even more info, you can head to our article “Determining the Correct Number of Reps and Sets” for a deep dive into the subject.

Any other Muscle Training and weight-lifting tips?

#1) Warm-up before exercising – don’t walk into a gym, slap 45-pound plates on the bar, and then start your routine.

Get your heart rate up and muscles warm first by doing a dynamic warm-up of jumping jacks, lunges, bodyweight squats, hip raises, push-ups, leg swings, jumps, etc.

After that, always start with doing a set or two of lifting JUST THE BAR. Only then should you start adding weight for some warm-up sets before moving into your real sets.

#2) Have a focused form – if you’re doing a bodyweight squat incorrectly, you might develop bad habits.

However, if you do a barbell squat incorrectly with 405 pounds on your shoulders, you could do some serious damage. If you’re just starting out, check your ego at the door: start with a VERY light weight and make sure you are doing the exercise properly.

There is NO SHAME in starting with just the bar. You can always add more weight next week if this week is too easy.

#3) Stimulate, don’t annihilate – I try to always have one more rep left when I finish a set.

Some trainers will preach working your muscles to annihilation, but I think that’s just asking for an injury, poor form, and beyond-sore muscles.

Your muscles get built while resting, not in the gym, so don’t worry about destroying them completely each day you step in the gym – it’s not worth it.

#4) Change up the time between sets – if you’re doing 3 sets of 5 reps of a really heavy weight, it’s okay to wait 3-5 minutes between sets – you’re focusing on pure strength here.

If you’re doing sets in the 8-12 range, try to keep the time between sets around a minute or so. This will affect your muscles in different ways.

Learn all about sets and rep ranges.

Just be consistent between sets and when doing the same workout between weeks to track your progress.

#5) Don’t overdo it – More does not mean better in weightlifting. You don’t need to spend two hours in the gym, you don’t need to do 15 different kinds of chest exercises.

My routines last no longer than 45 minutes, I only do three or four sets (after warm up sets) for each exercise, and it’s enough to stimulate muscle growth.

Three routines a week is plenty too – you shouldn’t lift every day, as you need to give your muscles time to regrow bigger – remember muscles are made in the kitchen!

Less is often more – just make your routines really intense and exhausting.

#6) Write down everything – Keep a training journal, and write down exactly how many sets and reps you did for every exercise.

That way, you can compare how you did this time with how you did last time. You’ll know how much more you need to lift this week to make sure you’re stronger than last week.

#7) Follow a routine, have a plan. The best thing you can do is have a plan to follow and stick with it! We provide a free bodyweight routine, and a comprehensive gym training routine to get you started with strength training in our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. Grab your guide when you sign up in the box below:

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

Everything you need to know about getting strong.

Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.

How to find the right gym and train properly in one.

Proper diet to gain muscle (and which Supplements)

If you’re skinny and trying to bulk up, this will be 90% of the battle. 

If you’ve been lifting weights for a while “but can’t seem to gain weight,” then you are not eating enough – it’s that simple.

I thought I was one of those people who just could never gain weight…and then I learned it was all diet, started eating 4,000 calories a day, and I put on 18 pounds in 30 days.

Yeah, I wanted to throw up from always eating along with three Muscle Milk shakes a day, but it worked.

Looking back I would have done things differently (so many calories and so much sugar/carbs), but after 6 years of exercising without putting on any weight, it was great to see so much progress in such a short period of time.

4,000 calories sounds freaking insane, right? I know.

It makes eating a full-time job.

You’ll always either cooking, eating, or cleaning up after yourself.

But if you really want to get bigger and you’re struggling to do so, then all of your effort is going to have to go into eating more, eating healthier, and eating ALL THE TIME.

I’ve since changed my strategies and gotten much more calculated in my approach. It’s how I (jokingly) went from Steve Rogers to Captain America.

Here are a few different techniques for weight gain:

PATH #1: Eat a lot of whatever – this was my first plan years ago: it’s cheapest, the fastest, but probably the least healthy.

Just make sure you get 200+ grams of protein a day and 3,500+ calories in any way that you can: pasta, rice, pizza, milk, hamburgers, chicken, protein shakes, muscle milk shakes, whatever. This is how I went from 162-180 pounds in 30 days. I’m not proud of how I ate, but it produced results and I remained healthy and strong.

PATH #2: Eat a lot of “healthy” stuff – I did this once and put on about 10 pounds in 30 days. Lots of:

Oatmeal

Brown rice

Chicken

My home-made big-ass shake

Almond butter sandwiches on whole-grain wheat bread

Beef

Eggs

Fruits

Veggies

Milk

Still not optimal, but it works and is better for your insides than the previous method. Still relatively cheap, as tubs of oats, brown rice, and bread are inexpensive and can add on a lot of calories quickly.

PATH #3: Eat Paleo – I’ve tried this strategy too, and despite my best efforts to GAIN weight I managed to lose five pounds (all of which was fat).

It’s certainly possible to gain weight on the paleo diet (try adding in three big-ass Primal Shakes per day), but it is tricky and very expensive to get 4,000 calories of paleo-approved food daily. LOTS of nuts, eggs, sweet potatoes, shots of olive oil, and yams along with tons of chicken, grass-fed beef, fruit, and veggies.

PATH #4: GOMAD (Gallon of Milk a Day) – Obviously this method will only work if you’re not lactose intolerant.

Oh, and it has to be whole milk. You’ll definitely put on some fat, but you’ll build muscle and get really strong quickly – and then you’ll adjust the diet to thin out.

I’ve attempted this diet occasionally, as whole milk is certainly a fast path to tons of carbs, fat, protein and calories. Be prepared for your stomach and body to constantly feel bloated. Note: you can adjust the amount of milk you consume daily based on how your body responds.

“Which Supplements Should I Take to Build Muscle Quickly?” 

As we lay out in our Nerd Fitness Supplement Guide, most supplements are a waste of money and completely unnecessary for building muscle.

However, there are two supplements that CAN BE helpful in building muscle quickly:

Protein Shakes: If you are struggling to hit your protein and calorie intake goals for the day, adding in a high-calorie protein shake can be a game-changer.

Creatine Supplements: Creatine helps your muscles retain water and can improve your performance, allowing you to push harder, for longer, in the gym.

Are you vegan and trying to build muscle? Read our full article on how to go plant-based properly!

How many calories should I eat to build muscle?

That’s going to depend on your situation – your age, how much you weigh now, how much you want to weigh, and how fast your metabolism is. For some, just 2,500 calories and strength training will be enough to build muscle.

For others, you might need to eat 4,000+ calories in order to put on weight. The only way to find out is to track your normal calorie intake for a few days, and then start adding on 500 extra calories per day for a week or two and see if you notice any changes.

Want a rough idea of how many calories you should be eating?

Head right here for our calorie requirement calculator.

Bottom line: If you don’t see any change, then you need to eat more.

Yes, it will feel excessive.

Yes, you will feel full all the time.

Yes, it’s a pain in the ass and expensive.

But if you really want to be bigger, then you are going to need to really dedicate yourself in the kitchen.

Unless you’re a genetic mutant, it’s incredibly tough to build muscle and strength without overloading your system with calories and nutrients.

Just keep eating.

Won’t all of this eating make me fat? I don’t want to get bulky.

I get this question all the time in emails, usually from guys who are 6 feet tall and 130 pounds.

Don’t worry, if you can’t gain weight now, putting on extra weight is going to be great for you.

Yes, you will put on SOME fat along with the muscle you’re building if you’re running a calorie surplus.

This is why picking the right amount of calories per day is important:

If you can build muscle at 3,000 calories, but you’re eating 4,000 calories, you’ll put on a pound or two of fat per week along with your muscle.

However, if you need to eat 4,000 calories to build muscle and you’re only eating 3,000, you won’t see any changes.

Everybody is different, so you need to experiment and find out what works best for you.

Once you get to your desired weight (actually, aim for about 10-15 pounds heavier than your goal weight), you can scale back the calories, add in some extra sprints to the end of your workout, and keep lifting heavy – the muscle will remain, the fat will disappear, and you’ll be left with the body you want.

I’m not skinny, I need to LOSE weight – what’s different for me?

You can actually build muscle and lose body fat at the same time.

You just have to be careful about how you do it.

We cover the subject in depth in the post, “Can You Lose Weight and Gain Muscle at the Same Time?”

This gist goes like this:

If you are eating enough protein, and have decent fat stores to pull from for energy needs, you can build muscle even while in a caloric deficit.

As long as you are resting (next section) and strength training (previous section), you can shed body fat while still putting on muscle.

Now, this only works if you have plenty of fat stores to pull from. Once you start to lean out a little, you’ll likely have to increase your calories to start putting on more muscle.

I recently added some strength (and muscle) while losing 22 pounds in 6 months.

Just remember, you can build muscle while losing weight if you:

Sustain a caloric deficit

Lift heavy

Prioritize protein

Rest

Let’s talk about that last one for a bit.

Rest days for building muscle and strength

If you’re skinny and trying to bulk up and build muscle, avoid cardio like the plague (also avoid the plague).

Why? Take a look at the best marathon runners in the world, and compare their physique to somebody like Usain Bolt, the best sprinter in the world – tons of muscle, power, and a body to envy.

There’s nothing wrong with EITHER body – we’re all awesome and are special and blah blah blah.

But you’re reading an article about how to build muscle fast, right? So focus all of your effort on building muscle!

You want all the calories you’re consuming to go towards “building muscle,” and not “fuel my run.”

I will admit that I’m biased against chronic cardio, but mostly because it bores me!

You can be far more effective when you focused on getting stronger and only do ‘cardio’ on things you enjoy – after all, your success will largely depend on your nutrition, NOT your cardio!

Personally, I spend three days a week in the gym, with each workout clocking in at 45 minutes.

I go for long walks on my off days along with a day of sprints to stay active, but I know that my muscles get built while I’m resting, not when I’m working out.

I really focus in on my workouts to make them as exhausting as possible, and then I give my body ample time to recover (while eating enough calories to produce a surplus).

If you’re lifting heavy, and eating enough, make sure you’re also getting enough sleep! 5-6 hours a night isn’t going to cut it – you need to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep per night for optimal muscle-building. Take naps too if you have the opportunity.

Sleep needs to become a priority.

If you’re a big guy/girl trying to slim down, a little extra cardio might speed up your fat loss but if you’re not eating correctly, it might result in losing some of the muscle you already have.

Don’t worry about going for 10 mile runs on your off days – do 20-30 minutes of intervals or go run hill sprints in your park. The weight will come off more slowly, but you’ll only be losing fat, not fat AND muscle.

Once you hit your goal weight and the target amount of muscle mass, I’d recommend adding back in some cardio for your overall conditioning, but keep it varied (sprints and intervals). The focus is to keep building explosive muscle and not long, slow, boring muscle.

If you love going for long runs and aren’t going to give that up, I’m not gonna stop you. Just know that the long hours of cardio will severely inhibit your progress on building strength and size.

Get Started Building Muscle Today

This is a basic overview to get ya started. It really boils down to a few major things:

Lift heavy

Eat lots of good food

Rest

Simple to understand, tough to implement.

Trust me, I know – I’ve been battling this for the past decade.

If you made it this far, and you want more specific instruction, here’s how Nerd Fitness can help!

1) If you are somebody that wants to follow a tailor-made program designed to build muscle and grow strong, check out our popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program.

You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself, check your form, and program your workouts and nutrition for you.

Get step-by-step instruction, form checks, and worldwide accountability in your pocket! Learn about our Coaching Program

2) If you want a snazzy app to teach you exactly how build muscle and strong, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. 

I’ll send you two free resources that will help you reach your goals: our massive Strength Training 101 guide and a Bulk Up Cheat Sheet and Shopping List.

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

Everything you need to know about getting strong.

Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.

How to find the right gym and train properly in one.

So did I miss anything:

Any unanswered muscle building questions?

Do you have any tips or tricks I’m missing?

Any success stories from our community to share?

Post your questions in the comments and I’ll go ahead and answer them.

Let’s hear your strength and muscle stories!

-Steve

PS: Be sure to check out the rest of our Strength Training 101 series:

Strength Training 101

Strength Training 101: Equipment

Strength Training 101: Finding the Right Gym

Strength Training 101: Where do I start?

Strength Training 101: How much weight should I be lifting?

Strength Training 101: Inverted Rows

Strength Training 101: How to Squat Properly

Strength Training 101: The Overhead Press

Strength Training 101: The Deadlift

###

All Photo Sources are found right here.[1]

Footnotes    ( returns to text)

strongman photo, ericmcgregor: getting-huge, W_Minshull Hardcore Stormies Hit The Gym, Day 286, CrossFit, Stormtrooper, Diet Calorie, Four Bricks Tall: Laughing Buddha, LYT, Going to Bed, Achieve.

The Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle Fast (Training & Workouts) published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

[cnstrength]

nSuns 5/3/1

Happy New Year y’all. Thought it’d be nice to kick off 2018 with a review of the routine I’ve been doing the past few months. 

First, some background. nSuns is a pretty popular redditor who built his reputation through his unique spin on the 5/3/1 workout. He even has a subreddit dedicated to his workout routines (r/nSuns), that I frequently browse to share my experiences and also learn from others who are on the very same routine. nSuns 5/3/1 is the toughest program I have ever encountered to date, so the insight I gained from the subreddit was invaluable.  The routine was a natural step to take from my prior experience with the basic 5/3/1, and after seeing nSuns’ own claim that his lifts went from a total of 900 to 1200 in a few months, I was easily convinced this was the right path to take. 

The program begins with some calibration, as does any new routine. However, this program demands an insane (and dare I say sickening) amount of volume, and will not mesh nicely with ego lifting whatsoever. I had to begin at a low weight (85% of my true 1RM) as my 1RM to begin the routine. I chose to go with the 5 day variation as I aimed to hit the gym 5 times a week (difficult af goal). This variation was pretty appealing, as it allows one to hit bench twice a week, and also includes an OHP focused day.  There is a 6 day deadlift or squat variation, but after running this routine for a few months, I don’t want to go near that ever in my life lol (you’d be running either deadlift or squat twice a week which is insane given the volume of this program).

The workouts take a looooong time. Dont go with this program if you’re looking for a quick <1.5 hr workout, because my average workout times have been 2 hours. The Squat/Deadlift days take the longest - spanning about 2 hours, while OHP day is the quickest and can be done within 1.5. The basic premise of this workout is to pair 8 sets of a big lift (T1) with a consequent 7 sets of a complementing compound exercise (T2), which is then followed by accessories. Each of the set follow a different rep scheme, but generally speaking for the big lifts, it revolves around a pyramid of 5/3/1 reps. For the compounds, the scheme is strongly influenced by Sheiko programming (3/5/7/4/6/8 rep progression). The increase in your training max / 1RM numbers each week is determined by your performance in the prior week. There is a concrete way to calculate this increase, as opposed to the more improvised and inconsistent ones I’ve been used to in the past. Here, is a link to the routine to illustrate all that I’m talking about. 

DAY ONE : BENCH / OHP (LIGHT DAY)

So the week starts with a “light” bench day. Your max weight for the day is set  low - about 80% of your true 1RM. However, don’t be fooled about this day being easy whatsoever. Progression was fine for the first few weeks, but as I started at higher weights the 8 sets slowly became immensely difficult to finish.This day doesn’t employ the 5/3/1 rep format - instead it opts for a higher rep scheme. I call the 4 rep sets in the middle of the scheme the “Death Triad”. I honestly am still trying to figure out how to get past 200 lbs 3x4. Standalone those sets would be a breeze, but doing them after 2 sets of 8/6 are killer. Recently, I started doing just every other set bc it was nigh impossible for me to hit all 8 sets successfully. Given my lax adjustment to T1, I would hit my T2 harder. The light OHP sets not only help as an accessory to my bench, but as an accessory to the heavy OHP day coming later in the week. This, alongside all other T2′s utilizes the 3/5/7/4/6/8 rep progression as mentioned before. Alongside the absurd volume of this routine, this unique rep scheme was another refresher. I had a hard time memorizing the scheme, until I realized it was simply odd and even numbers. It’s a challenging scheme, but completely doable. the 7-4 rep transition is kind of like a break, and the 6/8 rep sets are where the challenges really lie, so keep your energy up for those! Really need to work on this day and these high rep ranges. 

ACCESSORIES: Flyes (Cable/DB Variations), Chest Dips, Weighted Pushups to further hit the pecs. Rows (any variation will do) to strengthen the scapula which is underappreciated during the bench. 

DAY TWO: SQUAT / SUMO DEAD 

Ok, on to one of the killer days. 8 sets of heavy squats? Nothing I’ve ever done. Wait, lets add 7 sets of sumo deadlifts right after. This day is great not only for powerlifters but for sadists. You’ll be wondering why you ever chose this program every time after this workout. No joke. I usually have to spend at least an hour in the squat rack, due to the CNS recovery I need to fit this immense scheme - I’d usually rest about 5-10 mins between the super heavy beginning sets, and up to 5 min during the down pyramid sets. I stopped getting sore after leg day for the past few months, but after starting this program, it came back and hit me hard. If you manage to get this day done, you’ll feel very very accomplished with yourself.

ACCESSORIES: Usually just alternate b/w Glute Ham Raises & Leg Curls to  target the glutes and hams.

DAY THREE: OHP / INCLINE BENCH

One of the easier days. It’s a breather in the middle of the week, especially for me as I excel in both of these lifts. I’d say at the moment this is probably my most improved lift after starting nSuns. The amount of OHP volume in this routine really helps, alongside with the incline bench. The rep scheme is very doable, but does lead to some difficulty during the incline bench sets where I needed a spotter even for the lower weights used (your anterior delts will be fried).

ACCESSORIES: Lat Raises, Front Raises, One Handed DB Shoulder Press, Arnold Press for the delts, Face Pulls as well to target the rear delt/traps. They are a great rowing exercise that helps with your bench too. Might throw in some bicep curls too from time to time. 

DAY FOUR: DEADLIFT / FRONT SQUAT

The rep scheme for deadlifts is based primarily on triples, which is appropriate given the exercise’s taxing nature. I excel in this rep range so I do find this day rather enjoyable. I actually yolo’d my 1+ set weight quite a bit throughout the past few weeks since I felt like I could lift much heavier - therefore I only followed the rest of the prescribed weights/sets. I’ve been progressing nicely (hit 425 easily a week ago) so I can’t say this straying off  is hampering me that much. Meanwhile for front squats, I’ve always had difficulty with my grip. My fingers always felt like they would rip off, so I avoided this exercise often. However, I knew it was an essential accessory to deadlifts and so much more like your back squat, core, and posture which made it an exercise I inevitably had to begin doing. Got some advice from a weightlifting friend who specializes in the front squat and started using a three fingered grip which has proven most comfortable. Additionally, I needed to learn not to put all the weight on my fingers (which is what led to the finger ripping sensation) and instead on the collarbone.  I’ve also been told that tricep mobility is important as well and loosening them up did indeed help. 

ACCESSORIES: Lat Pulldown & Trap Raises which hit the much neglected lower traps.  These help improve my lockout. Not necessarily an area which I sought to improve on, but I focused on back accessories since this routine itself doesn’t cater well to addressing the back muscles.

DAY FIVE: BENCH / CLOSE GRIP BENCH (INTENSE DAY)

The second bench day of the week. Benching twice a week definitely helps bench gains ALOT and is probably one of the most suggested tips for increasing numbers in this domain. For me, the lower rep range for this day was more doable than the light day, ironically. The close grip bench press will be light starting out, so I suggest taking extremely short breaks, and pushing yourself to failure here. Otherwise, you won’t feel much. 

ACCESSORIES: Tricep Pushdowns, Rows again. 

BENCH

WHAT I LEARNED:

Correctly breathing and bracing for the lift. Take a deep breath in, unrack, and lift.  I used to take new breaths throughout this process but realized I lost a lot of tightness so opting for keeping my breath in has helped wonders.  Importance of leg drive. Not that I didn’t know that it was important before, but I realized a deeper extent of its necessity for performing this lift. Also, recently realized how detrimental it is to miss out on back work. Rows are so critical for the bench press and it is easy to neglect within this routine. Over the past few BP days, I’ve definitely felt a lack of back stability which had stagnated my bench greatly. Thus, I will be putting much more focus on my back, doing more rows on push days, and even doing full back days (as a bonus day of sorts)

OHP

WHAT I LEARNED:

Same breathing technique learned for bench. 

SQUAT

WHAT I LEARNED: 

 Keep your breath locked in during the whole unrack -> walkout -> first rep. Helped resolve a lack of tightness, as described above.

DEADLIFT

WHAT I LEARNED:

A few weeks into nSuns, I got a callous injury from doing sumos. That led me to realize my grip with deadlifts have been wrong - I didn’t suffer from callouses before since I usually use straps when going heavy, but during sumos I went raw. This killed deadlift progression for a good month or so, sadly. However, I did manage to learn something and be aware of my mistake, which is always a good thing. I needed to put the weight of the bar more onto my fingers instead of my palm. Sounds unstable, but it does work and prevents any ugly callouses.

Conclusions

I’m not quite finished with this routine yet as I haven’t hit my 1K club goal, but I can definitely see it being accomplished very soon. I’d say I will run with it for another month and a half or so. I’ll be frank in that the sheer volume of nSuns has killed my motivation somedays but on the contrary, smashing PR’s is commonplace in this routine and can be a big booster for this rigorous training. As with any other training routine that ever exists, I have come to learn a lot, of which I am extremely grateful. Progression might not have been what I liked, but the nature of the program has given me a chance to demonstrate a larger focus on form rather than numbers. Why? The volume of this program inevitably leads to deterioration of form, thus forcing one to focus and maintain strict form to complete sets, which is a requirement to up the 1RM numbers. In every single lift I have adjusted my form and technique which will help deter injury and ultimately support my lifting career in the long run. 

nSuns has allowed me to finish 2017 strong. It has been a great year for gains overall with me growing the most I ever had in the entire span of my lifting career. Not only have my lifts, strength and physicality improved tremendously, I am grateful to have learned so much about powerlifting training.  I very much am looking forward to 2018 and can’t wait to smash new goals, learn more, and make it an even better year. Once I hit the 1k club using nSuns, I will switch over to what I call “The Triple C’s”, which are Calisthenics, Core, and Conditioning and make those areas a large focus for 2018. Also want to learn more mobility and band work techniques. So, stay tuned, extremely excited about this and will share more details on it later. See yall in the new year. 

[lilyvandersteen]

Hot for Teacher

This is for @aavigueras. Sorry I forgot about your birthday, sweetie! Here’s a slightly smutty Klaine fic to make up for it :-) It belongs in my Coach Hummel verse - Part One can be found here.

Blaine wasn’t happy about having to transfer at the start of his senior year. Everyone else would already know each other, and would be coming to terms with saying goodbye to their friends at the end of the school year, and busy with their college applications and what extra-curriculars would make them look good.

He would be the only new face, and no-one would bother getting to know him just for one year. He hated that thought.

Once he’d parked his car, Blaine hurried inside and tried to locate the classroom he needed to get to for first period, nervously raking a hand through his curls in the hope of taming them at least a little.

Not for the first time, he cursed himself for having overslept on the first day of the school year. That had forced him to come to school with his head a complete riot of curls, wearing an old pair of jeans, a ratty T-shirt, sneakers because those were the first pair of shoes in his size he’d been able to locate and a leather jacket of his brother’s that he’d found hanging over an armchair.

As he walked through the corridor, he noticed that most boys seemed to wear clothes similar to his, minus the leather jacket, and hardly anyone spared him a second glance. That was a welcome change from the public school he’d gone to before he transferred to Dalton, where he’d stood out like a sore thumb and had been bullied relentlessly. Maybe he’d stick to this barely-out-of-bed look, then, if it made him blend in.

Once he’d found the classroom he’d been looking for, he sat down next to a tall blonde guy and introduced himself. He got a smile and a fist-bump in return. The guy’s name was Sam, apparently, and he was the football team’s quarterback. Blaine showed himself suitably impressed, and Sam told him to come to try-outs that afternoon – “You’re not tall, but I bet you’re fast, man. We need a new kicker. The one we had last year sucked. We haven’t had a good kicker since Hummel left.”

Blaine promised to come. He’d never played football before, but he was certainly fast, yes. He’d had to be, to escape his bullies.

Sam was in most of his classes, and introduced him to a few others – Ryder and Jake, also on the football team, Artie, a guy in a wheelchair telling the most sexist jokes Blaine had ever heard, and a group of girls he said were in glee club with him.

Brittany was fun to be around, Marley proved sweet and helpful, Tina was a veritable fountain of gossip, and Unique earned his lifelong gratitude by steering him straight into the girls’ bathroom to comb and spray his curls into submission. Kitty, though, was scary. There was just no other word for it. Every word she said was caustic, and she seemed to be looking right through Blaine. He’d steer clear of her.

The afternoon came, and Sam, now enthusiastically discussing Batman with Blaine, took him to the football field, where Blaine and a dozen or so other hopefuls tried out for a place on the football team.

Blaine made it, and Sam proved right about the position he got – kicker.

“You’re a natural, boy!” Coach Beiste shouted. “Not as good as Hummel yet, but you have potential. And he’s coming in on Friday to coach you guys, so you can learn from him.”

The other guys on the team cheered as if she’d announced a rock star was coming, and Ryder clapped Blaine on the shoulder. “He’ll show you the ropes in no time, and then we’ll have a kick-ass team.”

Blaine, who’d been so happy a few minutes back that he’d made the team, lost his smile. Now didn’t that sound familiar… All his life, he’d been second best to Cooper, who actually WASN’T better, but just charmed everyone into thinking so. If this ‘showing him the ropes’ would be just as much of a farce as it was with Cooper, he’d prick the star kicker’s bubble straightaway. No need to tread lightly because his mother would skin him alive if he hurt Cooper’s feelings. Yep, this ‘Hummel’ – what kind of a name was that, anyway? – had better bring it!

Not as good as Hummel yet, huh? We’ll see about that.

K & B

On Friday, halfway through the training, he had to admit to himself that Coach Hummel was not like Cooper at all.

Oh, the assistant coach was certainly just as striking as Blaine’s older brother, who made everyone swoon with a wink or a smile. Hummel was a bit slighter and shorter, but his eyes were gorgeous, his posture was ramrod straight, his biceps were to die for and he had the finest ass Blaine had ever seen.

Hummel radiated self-confidence, yet his attitude couldn’t have been more different from Cooper’s.

Yes, as soon as Hummel had walked onto the field, the whole team had greeted him with slaps on the back and congratulations for a match he’d won, apparently, but Hummel didn’t soak up the attention as though it was his due. He ducked his head with a barely there smile, and then clapped his hands and announced that it was now their time to shine. “Show me what you’ve got, so that I know what we need to work on to make this team the best it can be. We’re going to make the McKinley Titans go far this year!”

All right, then.

True to his word, Coach Hummel let each member of the team do a series of exercises and then pointed out how they could improve their performance. They took the advice eagerly, all smiles and nods, looking impressed. Blaine rolled his eyes.

Suck-ups.

When it was Blaine’s turn, he gave it his all, and then stared at Hummel defiantly.

“Sheldon is right, you’ll certainly make a good kicker,” Coach Hummel mused. “You’re fast, and you have a strong kick. The only thing you’ll have to improve is your aim. The football lands to the left of the goal every time you kick, and it has to go through it. So we’ll have to work on that.”

Blaine flushed angrily, but kept his mouth shut.

“Okay, try again. I need to see what exactly you’re doing wrong so that we can fix it.”

Blaine gritted his teeth and squared his jaw, kicking again, and swearing under his breath when he saw the football sail in the wrong direction.

Before Coach Hummel could start his critique, Blaine said conversationally. “So, Coach, do you get a kick out of seeing teenage boys in tight pants? Seeing us stick out our butts really doing it for you?”

Hummel snapped his head in Blaine’s direction, his eyes narrowed and hard as flint and his mouth a thin line. That was the only reaction Blaine got to his taunting, though.

Hummel started to list what Blaine had to pay attention to if he wanted to improve his aim. Blaine, not interested in being lectured by a guy barely older than he was, decided to step it up a bit.

“I mean, I can’t imagine anyone would coach the football team for the fun of it. Does it pay well?”

Blaine ran his eyes over Coach Hummel slowly and deliberately and then delivered the punch line. “Going by your outfit, I’d say it doesn’t.”

Hummel went pink in the cheeks – and wasn’t that a sight to see! – but didn’t say any more to Blaine, moving on to the next member of the football team.

Blaine felt rather mean for commenting on Hummel’s outfit, which had clearly seen better days. His ratty trainers, in particular, seemed about to fall off his feet. Was he really that poor that he couldn’t buy himself new ones?

Soon, Coach Hummel had assessed the whole team, and moved on to group exercises, showing once again that he knew his job by making suggestions that did improve the team’s performance.

Blaine, who refused to admit he’d been wrong about Hummel, kept up a steady stream of jabs and taunts. Other than his nostrils flaring, Hummel never let on he’d heard Blaine. It wasn’t until Blaine mentioned Hummel’s parents – “They say people who go to college in state don’t want to move away from home because they’d miss their mommy too much. Are you such a mommy’s boy, Coach?” – that Coach Hummel lost his cool.

“Enough! If you can’t behave yourself during training, you’ll be off the team before you can say ‘Titans’. Is that clear?”

Hummel didn’t raise his voice, nor did he look at all angry, but his eyes pierced through Blaine and his cold tone made the hair on Blaine’s arms prickle uncomfortably.

Blaine nodded.

“Now, you seem bored, so I’m going to give you something more… interesting to do,” Coach Hummel drawled. “Until I dismiss the team, you’re to run laps around the field. After each lap, you will do five squats and sit-ups. You’ll be taking no breaks. Off you go!”

Blaine looked around him to ascertain if this was a normal procedure, but saw only glaring faces. Apparently, his teammates did not take it kindly that Blaine was dissing their hero.

Uh-oh, looks like I’ll have some damage control to do later… Better keep my mouth shut from now on!

Blaine nodded again and took off for his first lap. True to his resolve, he didn’t say another word, and he followed Coach Hummel’s instructions until he was sweating like a pig and his muscles were burning. He didn’t stop until the training was over and the rest of the team had left the field. Only when Coach Bieste and Coach Hummel had left as well did he trudge back to the locker room wearily.

As soon as he came in, a fist grabbed him by the neck and pushed him against the wall.

“What were you playing at, Anderson?” Sam hissed. “Hummel’s a good guy, and a good coach. If you ever diss him again, you’re off the team. We’ll all tell Coach Bieste we’d rather have NO kicker than a jerk who thinks he’s all that.”

Sam looked over his shoulder at the others. “Am I right, guys?”

“Too right, captain!” Ryder said, and everyone hummed in agreement, still glaring at Blaine.

Sam turned back to Blaine. “Seriously, what were you thinking?”

Blaine sagged a little, and blurted out the first thing that popped into his mind, “That he’s so hot.”

Uh-oh, I should not have said that. I should NOT have said that. I just made everything a thousand times worse. I probably won’t make it out of the locker room alive.

Sam blinked, his glare sliding off his face and leaving only confusion. The other guys, too, had clearly not been expecting this answer from Blaine.

And then Jake threw his head back and laughed, and in no time, the others followed suit.

“Dude,” Jake managed to get out between two guffaws. “You know… I get… you want his attention… but… you’re going about this… all wrong. Dissing Kurt… won’t make him… like you… at all…”

Blaine turned his head to the side. “His name is Kurt?”

Sam threw the jock strap he’d just taken off right into Blaine’s face. “Yes, asshat! It’s Kurt. And Jake’s right. Better take his advice. Puckster Junior is the biggest girl magnet in school.”

Blaine, feeling comfortable enough now to start stripping off his football gear, made a face. “Girls don’t really do it for me.”

That made Jake throw his jock strap at Blaine too. “Yep, we got that when you called Kurt hot. But what I told you goes for guys, too. Basic rule. Don’t be a dick if you want them to like you. It’s as easy as that. There are… other ways to catch their attention.”

Jake gave Blaine a once-over and wiggled his eyebrows. “Show off your nice booty, Anderson! And the front view isn’t too bad either.”

Blaine flushed red, and the rest of the team howled with laughter.

Before Blaine could escape to the shower stalls, the locker room door opened with such force that it banged against the wall, and Coach Hummel came in, his eyes flashing, and told them to get a move on, because he was hungry. And then he crossed his arms, and yum, those muscles flexing were a sight to see.

Jake jabbed Blaine in the ribs, and hissed, “Stop drooling and show off your assets, man!”

Well, no time like the present to find out if Jake’s right, I guess…

“Hey, Coach…”

The look Coach Hummel threw him could have set fire to the whole school building.

“Yes, Anderson?”

How do I get him to look at my junk? Ah, got it.

Blaine told Hummel the team had been comparing their dicks and voting for the best one, but needed a deciding vote between Blaine’s and Sam’s.

As soon as he’d cottoned on, Jake looked offended for a second that he wasn’t a finalist, but then started to laugh again, so infectiously that everyone joined in.

Coach Hummel’s face went blank, and Blaine held his breath as Hummel’s eyes raked over him and Sam.

Just when Blaine thought he’d gone too far this time and would end up with detention, Hummel gave his verdict, deciding that the best dick was his own. Blaine’s mouth fell open.

Wow. This guy always zigs when I think he’s going to zag. I like that.

And then Hummel disappeared again. Blaine, still gaping like a fish, only pulled himself together again when Sam slapped his shoulder and told him to get a move on.

Blaine grabbed his towel and looked for a free shower stall. Most of the guys were already putting their regular clothes back on, so he had the showers all to himself. While he soaped himself up, he couldn’t help but think of Coach Hummel. His eyes spitting fire. His arms. His ass. His endless legs. Unf.

Before he realized, he’d taken his cock in his hand and was pumping it furiously, his other hand clamped over his mouth to muffle the noises he made. It took barely any time at all for him to come spectacularly, painting the red tiles white and sagging against the wall because his legs had been reduced to jelly.

Now in a much better mood than he’d been all afternoon, he started to sing as he rinsed off, giving it his all. As he tried a dramatic twirl for the ending, he froze and squeaked when he noticed someone standing there, watching him.

Hummel!

Coach Hummel told him to hurry up, and Blaine scrambled to take his towel and get dry and dressed before Hummel decide to toss him out of the locker room naked.

But yet again, the man proved nicer than Blaine gave him credit for, complimenting him on his singing, his smile completely genuine in spite of Blaine’s rudeness during the football training.

Blaine was so taken aback he only managed a generic word of thanks. He put on his clothes on autopilot, not even bothering with combing his hair but leaving it a mess, and grabbed his bag and jacket to get out of there, but halted a step outside the door.

I should apologize. I was horrible to him, and he didn’t deserve that one bit.

Blaine hesitated, but then stepped back inside and headed to the showers. As he rounded the corner, he collided with Hummel, who swore under his breath and lost his grip on the towel slung around his waist.

“Sorry!”

It came out breathless, not just because of the collision, but because the slipping towel revealed that Hummel had – Oh my! – not been lying about his dick being the best. Wow!

“Did you forget something?” Coach Hummel asked, now putting on his clothes at record speed.

“I forgot to apologize,” Blaine said. “I wasn’t in the best of moods, but I shouldn’t have worked that out on you. You didn’t deserve any of that. I was a total jerk, and I’m sorry. You’re a good coach, and I promise I’ll be on my best behavior from now on.”

Hummel gave him a long searching look, and then nodded. “Apology accepted. You can start with a clean slate next week.”

Then, with a wave of his hand and a quick smile, the man disappeared, leaving Blaine staring after him.

Not like Cooper at all, this guy. I’m glad he’s giving me a second chance.

[healthyeating43-blog]

The Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle Fast (Training & Workouts)

New Post has been published on https://dietguideto.com/awesome/the-ultimate-guide-to-building-muscle-fast-training-workouts/

The Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle Fast (Training & Workouts)

So you want to build muscle like this guy?

( Leopard publish unitard optional but encouraged)

Well you’ve come to the right place! As part of our Strength Training 101 series, we’ll provide a step by step guide that everyone can follow to build muscle and strength. Even your grandmother!

We’ll explore :P TAGEND

How do you construct muscle ? What’s a sample routine for muscle train ? How many situateds and reps should I do ? Muscle training weightlifting tips . What’s the proper diet to gain muscle ? Calculating calorie consumption to build muscle and strength . Will I get too bulky lifting weights? Can you lose weight and gain muscle at the same time ? Rest days for building muscle and strength.

That may seem like a lot of topics to cover. DON’T PANIC!

Because gaining muscle and strength genuinely comes down to three things.

If you’re looking to start building muscle, getting bigger, and becoming stronger, these are the things you need to do:

Lift heavy things Eat a diet based on your goals Get enough remainder

I realize do those three things is much easier said than done- I struggled with progress for a decade and know exactly what you’re going through if you’re feeling unsure.

You probably don’t have years to induce the mistakes that I did, and you just want to start getting results today. In addition to the free resources below, we also offer 1-on-1 Online Coaching, where you’ll get personalized instruction for your body type and goals, and professional accountability from a Coach on Team Nerd Fitness!

But enough of that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to get started with Strength Training!

How do you build muscle and Strength? Lift Heavy Things

If you are going to build muscle, you’re going to need to lift heavy things.

This means you’ll most likely need access to a gym with a great free-weight section.

Body weight exercises can be fantastic for weight loss and maintaining the muscle you already have, but if you’re serious about weight train you’ll need a gym with a squat rack, bench, barbells, and a spot to do pull up, chin ups, and dips to be most efficient.

Got access to a decent gym? Good , now we can started.

Because we’re looking to create functional strength and sizing, we’ll be doing lots of full-body routines with compound exerts that work multiple muscle groups at once.

They’re more efficient, they make solid growth and stimulation, and they will keep you safe. Why is that?

Well, when you expend all of your time doing stupid isolation exercises on weight machines( ugh ), you’re only run those specific muscles and not working any of your stabilizer muscles( because the machine is doing all of the stabilization work ). On the other hand, when you do compound exercisings like barbell squattings, you work pretty much EVERY muscle in your body, setting yourself up to be strong and trauma free.

Stay away from machines, focus on dumbbells and barbell exercises.

If you’re going to do a full-body routine each workout( which is something that I would recommend for ANY novice ), each routine can have one leg exert, push exercise, pull exercise, and a core exercise :P TAGEND

Leg Exercises: Squats, Deadlifts, or Lunges Push Exerts: Bench Press, Overhead Press, or Dips Pull Exercises: Inverted Rows, Pull Ups, or Chin Ups Core Exercises: Reverse Crunches, Hanging Knee Raises, or Planks

That’s IT. Don’t worry about adding in any ridiculous machine shoulder shrugs, iso-chest flys, preacher bicep curls, calf-raises, whatever. Learn these few exercisings, get really good at them, and your entire body will get stronger and bigger. Focus each week on adding more weight to each exercise.

For example, from one week to the next you were able to do:

Week 1 Barbell Squat: 3 decides of 5 at 150 lbs. Week 2 Barbell Squat: 3 defines of 5 at 155 lbs.

If you do that, you’ve gotten stronger. Then, repeat next week. Eat right, and you’ll get bigger too.

what’s a sample routine for house muscle?

Using the principles I’ve laid out in my” how to build a workout routine” article, here’s a three day routine I’ve created for myself recently :P TAGEND

Monday: Squats, Benchpress, Wide Grip Pull Ups, Planks Wednesday: Deadlift, Overhead Press, Inverted Rows, Hanging Knee Raises Friday: Weighted Lunges, Weighted Dips, Weighted Chin Ups, Reverse Crunches.

Each day has a leg exercise, push exercising, pull workout, and some core work.

While it’s possible to build out the perfect routine on your own, many of our Rebels end up spending hours and hours constructing something custom- only to realize it isn’t what they need( or isn’t effective) weeks and months later for their goals.

For people who want to avoid that altogether, we constructed the answer- our uber-popular 1-on-1 Nerd Fitness coaching program pairs you with your own Nerd Fitness Coach who will get to know you, your goals, and your lifestyle, and handcraft a workout plan that’s specific to not only your body, but also to your schedule and life. Click on the image below to schedule a bellow with our team to see if we’re a good fit for each other!

How many situates and reps should I do?

We have a MASSIVE article on the exact number of decides and reps you should focus on based on your goals, but you can follow the basics here.

If you’re merely interested in get stronger, you can do: 3-5 defines of 5 reps, with a focus on lifting heavier and heavier every week. If you’re looking to add more size along with strength, mix up your rep scopes. Defines of 5 reps will construct compact explosive strength, while situateds of 6-12 reps will construct more size but less concentrated strength.

If you get bored, want to change things up, or you’re looking to bust through a plateau, you can do the following :P TAGEND

This week, I might do 3 sets of 5 reps for each exercise( other than the core exercises ), adding enough weight to each exercising so that it’s incredibly taxing. Next week, I’ll do four sets for each workout, adding weight each time and doing less reps. For example, I’ll do an overhead press in the following sequence:

100 pounds: 12 reps 105 pounds: 10 reps 110 pounds: 8 reps 115 pounds: 6 reps

The good news is that no matter which track you take( pure strength, sizing, or a mix of both ), as long as you are adding weight each week you WILL be get stronger.

ANY path will work, provided you are getting progressively stronger with it!

So if you do 5 situates of 5 squats at 140 pounds this week, aim for 5 sets of 5 of 145 pounds next week. Or 3 defines of 10 at 100 pounds, then next week try for 3 defines of 10 at 105 pounds.

Get stronger, which is 20% of the puzzle. The other 80% is nutrition( which I cover later )!

As I said before, if you want even more info, you can head to our article” Determining the Correct Number of Reps and Sets” for a deep dive into the subject.

Any other Muscle Training and weight-lifting tips?

Warm-up before exerting- don’t walk into a gym, slap 45 -pound plates on the bar, and then start your routine.

Get your heart rate up and muscles warm first by do a dynamic warm-up of jumping jacks, lunges, bodyweight squats, hip raises, push-ups, leg swingings, jumps, etc.

After that, always start with doing a decide or two of lifting JUST THE BAR. Only then should you start adding weight for some warm-up sets before moving into your real sets.

Have focused form- if you’re doing a bodyweight squat incorrectly, you might develop bad habits.

However, if you do a squat incorrectly with 405 pounds on your shoulders, you could do some serious damage. If you’re just starting out, check your ego at the door: start with a VERY light weight and make sure you are doing the exert properly.

There is NO SHAME in starting with only the bar. You can always add more weight next week if this week is too easy.

Stimulate, don’t annihilate- I try to always have one more rep left when I finish a set.

Some trainers will preach working your muscles to obliteration, but I think that’s just asking for an injury, poor sort, and beyond-sore muscles.

Your muscles get constructed while resting , not in the gym, so don’t worry about destroying them altogether each day you step in the gym – it’s not worth it.

Change up the time between sets- if you’re doing 3 defines of 5 reps of a really heavy weight, it’s okay to wait 3-5 minutes between sets – you’re focusing on pure strength here.

If you’re doing situates up in the 8-12 scope, try to keep the time between decides around a minute or so. This will affect your muscles in different ways. Just be consistent between situateds and when doing the same workout between weeks to track your progress.

Don’t overdo it- More does not mean better in weightlifting. You don’t need to expend two hours in the gym, you don’t need to do 15 different kinds of chest exercises.

My routines last no longer than 45 minutes, I merely do three or four decides( after warm up decides) for each workout, and it’s enough to stimulate muscle growth.

Three routines a week is plenty too – you shouldn’t lift every day, as you need to give your muscles time to regrow bigger- recollect muscles are made in the kitchen!

Less is often more- simply make your routines really intense and exhausting.

Write down everything– Keep a train publication, and write down exactly how many sets and reps you did for every exercise.

That way, you can compare how you did this time with how you did last time. You��ll know how much more you need to lift this week to make sure you’re stronger than last week.

Follow a routine, have a plan. The best thing you can do is have a plan to follow and stick with it! We offer a free bodyweight routine, and a comprehensive gym educate routine to get you started with strength training in our free guidebook, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. Grab your guidebook when you sign up in the box below :P TAGEND Download our comprehensive guidebook STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

Everything you need to know about getting strong.

Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight educate.

How to find the right gym and develop properly in one.

I identify as a:

Woman

Man

Proper diet to gain muscle

If you’re skinny and trying to bulk up, this will be 90% of the combat.

If you’ve been lifting weights for a while” but can’t seem to gain weight ,” then you are not eating enough – it’s that simple.

I supposed I was one of those people who simply could never gain weight…and then I learned it was all diet, started feeing 4,000 calories a day, and I put on 18 pounds in 30 days.

Yeah, I wanted to throw up from always feeing along with three Muscle Milk shakes a day, but it worked.

Looking back I would have done things differently( so many calories and so much sugar/ carbs ), but after 6 years of exercising without putting on any weight, it was great to see so much progress in such a short period of time.

4, 000 calories audios freaking insane right? I know. It makes eating a full-time job, as you’re always either cooking, feeing, or cleaning up after yourself.

But if you really want to get bigger and you’re struggling to do so, then all of your effort is going to have to go into eating more, eating healthier, and eating ALL THE TIME.

I’ve since changed my strategies and get much more calculated in my approach. It’s how I( jokingly) went from Steve Rogers to Captain America.

Here are a few different techniques for weight gain :P TAGEND

PATH# 1: Eat a lot of whatever- this was my first scheme years ago: it’s cheapest, the fastest, but probably the least healthy.

Just make sure you get 200+ grams of protein a day and 3,500+ calories in any way that you can: pasta, rice, pizza, milk, hamburgers, chicken, protein shakes, muscle milk shakes, whatever. This is how I ran from 162-180 pounds in 30 days . I’m not proud of how I eat, but it produced results and I remained healthy and strong.

PATH# 2: Eat a lot of ” healthy ” stuff- I did this once and put one across about 10 pounds in 30 days. Plenties of :P TAGEND

Oatmeal Brown rice Chicken My home-made big-ass shake Almond butter sandwiches on whole-grain wheat bread Beef Eggs Fruits Veggies Milk

Still not optimal, but it works and is better for your insides than the previous technique. Still relatively cheap, as tubs of oats, brown rice, and bread are inexpensive and can add on a lot of calories quickly.

PATH# 3: Eat Paleo– I’ve tried this strategy too, and despite my best efforts to GAIN weight I managed to lose five pounds( all of which was fat ).

It’s certainly possible to gain weight on the paleo diet( try adding in three big-ass Primal Shakes per day ), but it is tricky and very expensive to get 4,000 calories of paleo-approved food daily. Plenties of nuts, eggs, sweet potatoes, shoots of olive oil, and yams along with tons of chicken, grass-fed beef, fruit, and veggies.

PATH# 4: GOMAD( Gallon of Milk a Day)- Obviously this method will only work if you’re not lactose intolerant.

Oh, and it has to be whole milk. You’ll definitely put on some fat, but you’ll build muscle and get really strong rapidly- and then you’ll adjust the diet to thin out.

I’ve attempted this diet occasionally, as whole milk is certainly a fast path to tons of carbs, fat, protein and calories. Be prepared for your belly and body to constantly feel bloated. Note: you can adjust the amount of milk you ingest daily based on how your body responds.

Are you vegan and trying to build muscle? Read our full article on how to go plant-based properly!

How many calories should I feed to build muscle?

That’s going to depend on your situation – your age, how much you weigh now, how much you want to weigh, and how fast your metabolism is. For some, only 2,500 calories and strength training will be enough to build muscle.

For others, you might need to eat 4,000+ calories in order to put on weight. The only way to find out is to track your normal calorie intake for a few days, and then start adding on 500 extra calories per day for a few weeks or two and see if you notice any changes.

Want a rough idea of how many calories you should be eating?

Head right here for our calorie requirement calculator.

Bottom line: If you don’t see any change, then you need to eat more.

Yes, it will feel excessive.

Yes, you will feel full all the time.

Yes, it’s a pain in the ass and expensive.

But if you really want to be bigger, then you are going to need to really dedicate yourself in the kitchen.

Unless you’re a genetic mutant, it’s incredibly tough to build muscle and strength without overloading your system with calories and nutrients.

Just maintain eating.

Won’t all of this eating build me fat? I don’t want to get bulky.

I get this question all the time in emails, usually from guys who are 6 feet tall and 130 pounds.

Don’t worry, if you can’t gain weight now, putting on extra weight is going to be great for you.

Yes, you will put on SOME fat along with the muscle you’re building if you’re running a calorie surplus. This is why picking the right amount of calories per day is important.

If you can build muscle at 3,000 calories, but you’re eating 4,000 calories, you’ll put one across a pound or two of fat per week along with your muscle.

However, if you need to eat 4,000 calories to build muscle and you’re only eating 3,000, you won’t see any changes.

Everybody is different, so you need to experiment and find out what works best for you.

Once you get to your desired weight( actually, aim for about 10 -1 5 pounds heavier than your goal weight ), you can scale back the calories, add in some extra sprints to the end of your workout, and keep lifting heavy- the muscle will remain, the fat will disappear, and you’ll be left with the body you want.

I’m not skinny, I need to LOSE weight- what’s different for me?

You can actually construct muscle and lose body fat at the same time.

You simply have to be careful about how you do it.

We cover the subject in depth in the post, “Can You Lose Weight and Gain Muscle at the Same Time ?”

This gist goes like this :P TAGEND

If you are eating enough protein, and have decent fat stores to pull from for energy needs, you can build muscle even while in a caloric deficit.

As long as you are resting( next segment) and strength educate( previous segment ), you can shed body fat while still putting on muscle.

Now, this only works if you have plenty of fat stores to pull form. Once you start to lean out a little, you’ll likely have to increase your calories to start putting on more muscle.

I recently added some strength( and muscle) while losing 22 pounds in 6 months.

Just remember, you can build muscle while losing weight if you :P TAGEND

Sustain a caloric deficit Lift heavy Prioritize protein Remainder

Let’s talk about that last one for a bit.

Rest days for build muscle and strength

If you’re skinny and trying to bulk up and build muscle, avoid cardio like the plague( also avoid the plague ).

Why? Take a look at the best marathon runners in the world, and compare their physique to somebody like Usain Bolt, the best sprinter in the world- tons of muscle, power, and a body to envy.

There’s nothing wrong with EITHER body- we’re all awesome and are special and blah blah blah.

But you’re reading an article about how to build muscle fast, right? So concentrates all of your effort on build muscle!

You want all the calories you’re eating to go towards “building muscle, ” and not “fuel my run.”

I will admit that I’m biased against chronic cardio, but mostly because it bores me!

You can be far more effective when you focused on get stronger and only do’ cardio’ on things you enjoy- after all, your success will largely depend on your nutrition, NOT your cardio!

I spend three days a week in the gym, with each workout clocking in at 45 minutes.

I go for long strolls on my off days along with a day of sprints to stay active, but I know that my muscles get constructed while I’m resting , not when I’m working out.

I really focus in on my workouts to attain them as depleting as possible, and then I devote my body ample time to recover( while feeing enough calories to produce a surplus ).

If you’re lifting heavy, and feeing enough, make sure you’re also getting enough sleep! 5-6 hours a night isn’t going to cut it – you need to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep per night for optimal muscle-building. Take naps too if you have the opportunity.

Sleep needs to become a priority.

If you’re a big guy/ girl trying to slim down, a little extra cardio might speed up your fat loss but if you’re not eating correctly, it might result in losing some of the muscle you already have.

Don’t worry about going for 10 mile operates on your off days- do 20 -3 0 minutes of intervals or run operated hill sprints in your park. The weight will come off more slowly, but you’ll merely risk losing fat , not fat AND muscle.

Once you hit your goal weight and the target amount of muscle mass, I’d recommend adding back in some cardio for your overall conditioning, but keep it varied( sprints and intervals ). The focus is to keep building explosive muscle and not long, slow, boring muscle.

If you love going for long runs and aren’t going to give that up, I’m not gonna stop you. Just know that the long hours of cardio will severely hinder your progress on building strength and size.

Get Started Building Muscle Today

This is a basic overview to get ya started. It actually simmers down to a few major things: lift heavy, feed lots of good food, and rest. Simple to understand, tough to implement.

Trust me, I know- I’ve been battling this for the past decade.

If you constructed it this far, and you want more specific instruction, or have more questions about strength training and bulking up, sign up for our email listing in the box below.

I’ll send you two free resources that will help you reach your goals: our massive Strength Training 101 guide and a Skinny Guy Bulk Up Cheat Sheet and Shopping List.

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

Everything you need to know about getting strong.

Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight educate.

How to find the right gym and develop properly in one.

I identify as a:

Woman

Man

So did I miss anything :P TAGEND

Do we have any muscle building success stories?

People who are skinny struggling to bulk up?

Big guys who lost weight and get stronger while lifting weights?

Post your questions in the comments and I’ll go ahead and answer them.

Let’s hear your strength and muscle narratives!

-Steve

PS- If you stimulated it this far, and you are tired of not get results, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. No more guesswork , no wondering if you’re doing exercises correctly – you’ll get expert guidance and accountability from health care professionals on Team Nerd Fitness who gets to know you better than you know yourself!

Sound good? Head over to our Coaching page and schedule a free bellow with our team to see if it’s right for you!

PPS :P TAGEND

Be sure to check out the rest of Strength Training 101 series :P TAGEND

Strength Training 101 Strength Training 101: Equipment Strength Training 101: Finding the Right Gym Strength Training 101: Where do I start ? Strength Training 101: How much weight should I be lifting ? Strength Training 101: Inverted Rows Strength Training 101: How to Squat Properly Strength Training 101: The Overhead Press Strength Training 101: The Deadlift

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All Photo Sources are procured right here.[ 1 ]

Footnotes( returns to text)

strongman photo, ericmcgregor: getting-huge , W_Minshull Hardcore Stormies Hit The Gym, Day 286, CrossFit, Stormtrooper, Diet Calorie, It Ain’t Over, LYT, Going to Bed, Achieve.

Read more: nerdfitness.com

[fitnessexpert00-blog]

The Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle Fast (Training & Workouts)

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The Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle Fast (Training & Workouts)

So you want to build muscle like this guy?

(Leopard print unitard optional but encouraged)

Well you’ve come to the right place! As part of our Strength Training 101 series, we’ll provide a step by step guide that everyone can follow to build muscle and strength. Even your grandma!

We’ll explore:

How do you build muscle? What’s a sample routine for muscle training? How many sets and reps should I do? Muscle training weightlifting tips. What’s the proper diet to gain muscle? Calculating calorie consumption to build muscle and strength. Will I get too bulky lifting weights?  Can you lose weight and gain muscle at the same time? Rest days for building muscle and strength.

That may seem like a lot of topics to cover. DON’T PANIC!

Because gaining muscle and strength really comes down to three things.

If you’re looking to start building muscle, getting bigger, and becoming stronger, these are the things you need to do:

Lift heavy things Eat a diet based on your goals Get enough rest

I realize doing those three things is much easier said than done – I struggled with progress for a decade and know exactly what you’re going through if you’re feeling unsure.

You probably don’t have years to make the mistakes that I did, and you just want to start getting results today. In addition to the free resources below, we also offer 1-on-1 Online Coaching, where you’ll get personalized instruction for your body type and goals, and professional accountability from a Coach on Team Nerd Fitness!

But enough of that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to get started with Strength Training!

How do you build muscle and Strength? Lift Heavy Things

If you are going to build muscle, you’re going to need to lift heavy things.

This means you’ll most likely need access to a gym with a great free-weight section.

Body weight exercises can be fantastic for weight loss and keeping the muscle you already have, but if you’re serious about weight training you’ll need a gym with a squat rack, bench, barbells, and a spot to do pull ups, chin ups, and dips to be most efficient.

Got access to a decent gym? Good, now we can started.

Because we’re looking to create functional strength and size, we’ll be doing lots of full-body routines with compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once.

They’re more efficient, they create solid growth and stimulation, and they will keep you safe. Why is that?

Well, when you spend all of your time doing stupid isolation exercises on weight machines (ugh), you’re only working those specific muscles and not working any of your stabilizer muscles (because the machine is doing all of the stabilization work). On the other hand, when you do compound exercises like barbell squats, you work pretty much EVERY muscle in your body, setting yourself up to be strong and injury free.

Stay away from machines, focus on dumbbells and barbell exercises.

If you’re going to do a full-body routine each workout (which is what I would recommend for ANY beginner), each routine can have one leg exercise, push exercise, pull exercise, and a core exercise:

Leg Exercises: Squats, Deadlifts, or Lunges Push Exercises: Bench Press, Overhead Press, or Dips Pull Exercises: Inverted Rows, Pull Ups, or Chin Ups Core Exercises: Reverse Crunches, Hanging Knee Raises, or Planks

That’s IT. Don’t worry about adding in any ridiculous machine shoulder shrugs, iso-chest flys, preacher bicep curls, calf-raises, whatever. Learn these few exercises, get really good at them, and your entire body will get stronger and bigger. Focus each week on adding more weight to each exercise.

For example, from one week to the next you could do:

Week 1 Barbell Squat: 3 sets of 5 at 150 lbs. Week 2 Barbell Squat: 3 sets of 5 at 155 lbs.

If you do that, you’ve gotten stronger. Then, repeat next week. Eat right, and you’ll get bigger too.

what’s a sample routine for building muscle?

Using the principles I’ve laid out in my “how to build a workout routine” article, here’s a three day routine I’ve created for myself recently:

Monday: Squats, Benchpress, Wide Grip Pull Ups, Planks Wednesday: Deadlift, Overhead Press, Inverted Rows, Hanging Knee Raises Friday: Weighted Lunges, Weighted Dips, Weighted Chin Ups, Reverse Crunches.

Each day has a leg exercise, push exercise, pull exercise, and some core work.

While it’s possible to build out the perfect routine on your own, many of our Rebels end up spending hours and hours building something custom – only to realize it isn’t what they need (or isn’t effective) weeks and months later for their goals.

For people who want to avoid that altogether, we built the solution – our uber-popular 1-on-1 Nerd Fitness coaching program pairs you with your own Nerd Fitness Coach who will get to know you, your goals, and your lifestyle, and handcraft a workout plan that’s specific to not only your body, but also to your schedule and life. Click on the image below to schedule a call with our team to see if we’re a good fit for each other!

How many sets and reps should I do?

We have a MASSIVE article on the exact number of sets and reps you should focus on based on your goals, but you can follow the basics here.

If you’re just interested in getting stronger, you can do: 3-5 sets of 5 reps, with a focus on lifting heavier and heavier each week. If you’re looking to add more size along with strength, mix up your rep ranges. Sets of 5 reps will build compact explosive strength, while sets of 6-12 reps will build more size but less concentrated strength.

If you get bored, want to change things up, or you’re looking to bust through a plateau, you can do the following:

This week, I might do 3 sets of 5 reps for each exercise (other than the core exercises), adding enough weight to each exercise so that it’s incredibly taxing. Next week, I’ll do four sets for each exercise, adding weight each time and doing less reps. For example, I’ll do an overhead press in the following sequence:

100 pounds: 12 reps 105 pounds: 10 reps 110 pounds: 8 reps 115 pounds: 6 reps

The good news is that no matter which path you take (pure strength, size, or a mix of both), as long as you are adding weight each week you WILL be getting stronger.

ANY path will work, provided you are getting progressively stronger with it!

So if you do 5 sets of 5 squats at 140 pounds this week, aim for 5 sets of 5 of 145 pounds next week. Or 3 sets of 10 at 100 pounds, then next week try for 3 sets of 10 at 105 pounds.

Get stronger, which is 20% of the puzzle. The other 80% is nutrition (which I cover later)!

As I said before, if you want even more info, you can head to our article “Determining the Correct Number of Reps and Sets” for a deep dive into the subject.

Any other Muscle Training and weight-lifting tips?

Warm-up before exercising – don’t walk into a gym, slap 45-pound plates on the bar, and then start your routine.

Get your heart rate up and muscles warm first by doing a dynamic warm-up of jumping jacks, lunges, bodyweight squats, hip raises, push-ups, leg swings, jumps, etc.

After that, always start with doing a set or two of lifting JUST THE BAR. Only then should you start adding weight for some warm-up sets before moving into your real sets.

Have focused form – if you’re doing a bodyweight squat incorrectly, you might develop bad habits.

However, if you do a squat incorrectly with 405 pounds on your shoulders, you could do some serious damage. If you’re just starting out, check your ego at the door: start with a VERY light weight and make sure you are doing the exercise properly.

There is NO SHAME in starting with just the bar. You can always add more weight next week if this week is too easy.

Stimulate, don’t annihilate – I try to always have one more rep left when I finish a set.

Some trainers will preach working your muscles to annihilation, but I think that’s just asking for an injury, poor form, and beyond-sore muscles.

Your muscles get built while resting, not in the gym, so don’t worry about destroying them completely each day you step in the gym – it’s not worth it.

Change up the time between sets – if you’re doing 3 sets of 5 reps of a really heavy weight, it’s okay to wait 3-5 minutes between sets – you’re focusing on pure strength here.

If you’re doing sets up in the 8-12 range, try to keep the time between sets around a minute or so. This will affect your muscles in different ways. Just be consistent between sets and when doing the same workout between weeks to track your progress.

Don’t overdo it – More does not mean better in weightlifting. You don’t need to spend two hours in the gym, you don’t need to do 15 different kinds of chest exercises.

My routines last no longer than 45 minutes, I only do three or four sets (after warm up sets) for each exercise, and it’s enough to stimulate muscle growth.

Three routines a week is plenty too – you shouldn’t lift every day, as you need to give your muscles time to regrow bigger – remember muscles are made in the kitchen!

Less is often more – just make your routines really intense and exhausting.

Write down everything – Keep a training journal, and write down exactly how many sets and reps you did for every exercise.

That way, you can compare how you did this time with how you did last time. You’ll know how much more you need to lift this week to make sure you’re stronger than last week.

Follow a routine, have a plan. The best thing you can do is have a plan to follow and stick with it! We provide a free bodyweight routine, and a comprehensive gym training routine to get you started with strength training in our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. Grab your guide when you sign up in the box below:

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101! Everything you need to know about getting strong. Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training. How to find the right gym and train properly in one. I identify as a:

Woman

Man

Proper diet to gain muscle

If you’re skinny and trying to bulk up, this will be 90% of the battle. 

If you’ve been lifting weights for a while “but can’t seem to gain weight,” then you are not eating enough – it’s that simple.

I thought I was one of those people who just could never gain weight…and then I learned it was all diet, started eating 4,000 calories a day, and I put on 18 pounds in 30 days.

Yeah, I wanted to throw up from always eating along with three Muscle Milk shakes a day, but it worked.

Looking back I would have done things differently (so many calories and so much sugar/carbs), but after 6 years of exercising without putting on any weight, it was great to see so much progress in such a short period of time.

4,000 calories sounds freaking insane right? I know. It makes eating a full-time job, as you’re always either cooking, eating, or cleaning up after yourself.

But if you really want to get bigger and you’re struggling to do so, then all of your effort is going to have to go into eating more, eating healthier, and eating ALL THE TIME.

I’ve since changed my strategies and gotten much more calculated in my approach. It’s how I (jokingly) went from Steve Rogers to Captain America.

Here are a few different techniques for weight gain:

PATH #1: Eat a lot of whatever – this was my first plan years ago: it’s cheapest, the fastest, but probably the least healthy.

Just make sure you get 200+ grams of protein a day and 3,500+ calories in any way that you can: pasta, rice, pizza, milk, hamburgers, chicken, protein shakes, muscle milk shakes, whatever. This is how I went from 162-180 pounds in 30 days. I’m not proud of how I ate, but it produced results and I remained healthy and strong.

PATH #2: Eat a lot of “healthy” stuff – I did this once and put on about 10 pounds in 30 days. Lots of:

Oatmeal Brown rice Chicken My home-made big-ass shake Almond butter sandwiches on whole-grain wheat bread Beef Eggs Fruits Veggies Milk

Still not optimal, but it works and is better for your insides than the previous method. Still relatively cheap, as tubs of oats, brown rice, and bread are inexpensive and can add on a lot of calories quickly.

PATH #3: Eat Paleo – I’ve tried this strategy too, and despite my best efforts to GAIN weight I managed to lose five pounds (all of which was fat).

It’s certainly possible to gain weight on the paleo diet (try adding in three big-ass Primal Shakes per day), but it is tricky and very expensive to get 4,000 calories of paleo-approved food daily. LOTS of nuts, eggs, sweet potatoes, shots of olive oil, and yams along with tons of chicken, grass-fed beef, fruit, and veggies.

PATH #4: GOMAD (Gallon of Milk a Day) – Obviously this method will only work if you’re not lactose intolerant.

Oh, and it has to be whole milk. You’ll definitely put on some fat, but you’ll build muscle and get really strong quickly – and then you’ll adjust the diet to thin out.

I’ve attempted this diet occasionally, as whole milk is certainly a fast path to tons of carbs, fat, protein and calories. Be prepared for your stomach and body to constantly feel bloated. Note: you can adjust the amount of milk you consume daily based on how your body responds.

Are you vegan and trying to build muscle? Read our full article on how to go plant-based properly!

How many calories should I eat to build muscle?

That’s going to depend on your situation – your age, how much you weigh now, how much you want to weigh, and how fast your metabolism is. For some, just 2,500 calories and strength training will be enough to build muscle.

For others, you might need to eat 4,000+ calories in order to put on weight. The only way to find out is to track your normal calorie intake for a few days, and then start adding on 500 extra calories per day for a week or two and see if you notice any changes.

Want a rough idea of how many calories you should be eating?

Head right here for our calorie requirement calculator.

Bottom line: If you don’t see any change, then you need to eat more.

Yes, it will feel excessive.

Yes, you will feel full all the time.

Yes, it’s a pain in the ass and expensive.

But if you really want to be bigger, then you are going to need to really dedicate yourself in the kitchen.

Unless you’re a genetic mutant, it’s incredibly tough to build muscle and strength without overloading your system with calories and nutrients.

Just keep eating.

Won’t all of this eating make me fat? I don’t want to get bulky.

I get this question all the time in emails, usually from guys who are 6 feet tall and 130 pounds.

Don’t worry, if you can’t gain weight now, putting on extra weight is going to be great for you.

Yes, you will put on SOME fat along with the muscle you’re building if you’re running a calorie surplus. This is why picking the right amount of calories per day is important.

If you can build muscle at 3,000 calories, but you’re eating 4,000 calories, you’ll put on a pound or two of fat per week along with your muscle.

However, if you need to eat 4,000 calories to build muscle and you’re only eating 3,000, you won’t see any changes.

Everybody is different, so you need to experiment and find out what works best for you.

Once you get to your desired weight (actually, aim for about 10-15 pounds heavier than your goal weight), you can scale back the calories, add in some extra sprints to the end of your workout, and keep lifting heavy – the muscle will remain, the fat will disappear, and you’ll be left with the body you want.

I’m not skinny, I need to LOSE weight – what’s different for me?

You can actually build muscle and lose body fat at the same time.

You just have to be careful about how you do it.

We cover the subject in depth in the post, “Can You Lose Weight and Gain Muscle at the Same Time?”

This gist goes like this:

If you are eating enough protein, and have decent fat stores to pull from for energy needs, you can build muscle even while in a caloric deficit.

As long as you are resting (next section) and strength training (previous section), you can shed body fat while still putting on muscle.

Now, this only works if you have plenty of fat stores to pull form. Once you start to lean out a little, you’ll likely have to increase your calories to start putting on more muscle.

I recently added some strength (and muscle) while losing 22 pounds in 6 months.

Just remember, you can build muscle while losing weight if you:

Sustain a caloric deficit Lift heavy Prioritize protein Rest

Let’s talk about that last one for a bit.

Rest days for building muscle and strength

If you’re skinny and trying to bulk up and build muscle, avoid cardio like the plague (also avoid the plague).

Why? Take a look at the best marathon runners in the world, and compare their physique to somebody like Usain Bolt, the best sprinter in the world – tons of muscle, power, and a body to envy.

There’s nothing wrong with EITHER body – we’re all awesome and are special and blah blah blah.

But you’re reading an article about how to build muscle fast, right? So focus all of your effort on building muscle!

You want all the calories you’re consuming to go towards “building muscle,” and not “fuel my run.”

I will admit that I’m biased against chronic cardio, but mostly because it bores me!

You can be far more effective when you focused on getting stronger and only do ‘cardio’ on things you enjoy – after all, your success will largely depend on your nutrition, NOT your cardio!

I spend three days a week in the gym, with each workout clocking in at 45 minutes.

I go for long walks on my off days along with a day of sprints to stay active, but I know that my muscles get built while I’m resting, not when I’m working out.

I really focus in on my workouts to make them as exhausting as possible, and then I give my body ample time to recover (while eating enough calories to produce a surplus).

If you’re lifting heavy, and eating enough, make sure you’re also getting enough sleep! 5-6 hours a night isn’t going to cut it – you need to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep per night for optimal muscle-building. Take naps too if you have the opportunity.

Sleep needs to become a priority.

If you’re a big guy/girl trying to slim down, a little extra cardio might speed up your fat loss but if you’re not eating correctly, it might result in losing some of the muscle you already have.

Don’t worry about going for 10 mile runs on your off days – do 20-30 minutes of intervals or go run hill sprints in your park. The weight will come off more slowly, but you’ll only be losing fat, not fat AND muscle.

Once you hit your goal weight and the target amount of muscle mass, I’d recommend adding back in some cardio for your overall conditioning, but keep it varied (sprints and intervals). The focus is to keep building explosive muscle and not long, slow, boring muscle.

If you love going for long runs and aren’t going to give that up, I’m not gonna stop you. Just know that the long hours of cardio will severely inhibit your progress on building strength and size.

Get Started Building Muscle Today

This is a basic overview to get ya started. It really boils down to a few major things: lift heavy, eat lots of good food, and rest. Simple to understand, tough to implement.

Trust me, I know – I’ve been battling this for the past decade.

If you made it this far, and you want more specific instruction, or have more questions about strength training and bulking up, sign up for our email list in the box below.

I’ll send you two free resources that will help you reach your goals: our massive Strength Training 101 guide and a Skinny Guy Bulk Up Cheat Sheet and Shopping List.

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101! Everything you need to know about getting strong. Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training. How to find the right gym and train properly in one. I identify as a:

Woman

Man

So did I miss anything:

Do we have any muscle building success stories?

People who are skinny struggling to bulk up?

Big guys who lost weight and got stronger while lifting weights?

Post your questions in the comments and I’ll go ahead and answer them.

Let’s hear your strength and muscle stories!

-Steve

PS – If you made it this far, and you are tired of not getting results, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. No more guesswork, no wondering if you’re doing exercises correctly – you’ll get expert guidance and accountability from a professional on Team Nerd Fitness who gets to know you better than you know yourself!

Sound good? Head over to our Coaching page and schedule a free call with our team to see if it’s right for you!

PPS:

Be sure to check out the rest of Strength Training 101 series:

Strength Training 101 Strength Training 101: Equipment Strength Training 101: Finding the Right Gym Strength Training 101: Where do I start? Strength Training 101: How much weight should I be lifting? Strength Training 101: Inverted Rows Strength Training 101: How to Squat Properly Strength Training 101: The Overhead Press Strength Training 101: The Deadlift

###

All Photo Sources are found right here.[1]

Footnotes    ( returns to text)

strongman photo, ericmcgregor: getting-huge, W_Minshull Hardcore Stormies Hit The Gym, Day 286, CrossFit, Stormtrooper, Diet Calorie, It Ain’t Over, LYT, Going to Bed, Achieve.

Read more: nerdfitness.com

[apriljing96]

What is SR9009?

What is SR9009 ?

What is SR9009 (Stenabolic)?While it’s widely marketed as an SARM,

SR9009

(CAS No. 1379686-30-2) is essentially a Rev-erb-a agonist drug. What this simply means is that SR9009 is a compound that binds itself to the Rev-erb-a protein molecule and not only activates, but it also amplifies its effects, setting off a series of actions in the human body.But what is Rev-erb-a? You might be wondering. Rev-erb-a is a natural molecular structure that controls metabolism of fat and glucose in the liver, and cycles out dying cells. It is also a key physiological regulator of mitochondrial content and oxidative function.Therefore, the activation of Rev-erb-a through pharmacological drugs such as SR9009 is a promising approach for the management of compromised exercise capacity as well as skeletal muscle diseases. It is for this reason that Sr9009 or stenabolic has become quite popular with the bodybuilding community due to its fat burning and endurance boosting capabilities.SR9009 was developed by Professor Thomas Burris at the Scripps Research Institute. The compound was initially tested on mice in clinical trials. The

SR9009 before and after

results showed a striking increase in the metabolic rate and endurance without incorporating strenuous exercise. More particularly, increase in muscle mitochondria, increase in oxygen consumption, fewer new fat cells in the liver and decreased fat storage were all documented. In addition, tested mice had their cholesterol levels drop in less than 2 weeks.Even though SARM SR9009 was never approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that has not prevent athletes, bodybuilders and regular gym goers from getting their hands on SR9009 to help them get an upper hand against their peers.

SR9009 EffectsEven though SARM SR9009 was created for weightlifters, bodybuilders and athletes, this drug has been shown to enhance the overall health and life-quality of anyone that uses it. People with different goals to achieve have been using stenabolic for the past few years and a good number of them have reported incredible

SR9009 benefits

, including:

Fat Loss

About 99 percent of people who hit the gym or start a strict diet aim to get rid of fat in the body. If you are obese or overweight and you have tried fat burners without success, you should take SR9009. This drug facilitates weight loss in three ways, including:

It increases metabolism of glucose: SR9009 influences the metabolism of glucose in the liver. This results in more glucose being taken up into the skeletal muscle rather than being stored as fat.

It increases metabolism of calories: SR9009 enables efficient metabolism of calories that enter your body through food. This not only ensures that no fat is stored in your body, but it also helps to reduce the amount of fat that is already stored in your body.

It enhances the basal metabolic rate: SR9009 has the ability to make your body to respond as if it is in a state of constant exercises by enhancing the basal metabolic rate. Even without engaging in any exercise, your metabolism will remain high as long as you are using SR9009.

The good thing about

SR9009 fat loss

is that the supplement not only helps you to effectively lose weight if you are obese or overweight, but it also helps you to maintain an ideal body weight. What’s more is that unlike most fat burners on the market, SR9009 will keep your metabolism high without necessarily affecting your central nervous system.

Endurance

SR9009, which is fondly referred to as “exercise in a bottle”, has also proven to be extremely helpful when it comes to boosting endurance. The good thing about this drug is that your endurance will be boosted regardless of whether you’re an athlete who exercises regularly or you’re a regular “Joe” who does not exercise often. By taking stenabolic, you will be able to perform any sort of exercise with a lot of ease and manage to get excellent results.Once stenabolic gets into your system, you will become an

SR9009 enhanced athlete

. This simply means that you will have a greater exercise capacity in the sense that your body will not have to push as hard as before when you are working out. What’s more is that your heart will not accelerate even when you are engaging in high intensity workouts. This means that you will be able to sprint faster or exercise for much longer without being winded so fast.

Muscle Hypertrophy

Most men love big muscles. They can spend years lifting dumbbells and do hundreds of squats everyday all in the name of enlarging their muscles and biceps. If you have been training hard but you have not achieved the kind of physique that wins contests, you should start using SR9009.SR9009 has shown to increase lean muscle mass.

SR9009 muscle gain

is a benefit that comes about as a result of the endurance benefit above. As the supplement gives you endurance, you get to gain the ability to bear intense workouts. Muscle hypertrophy comes as a by-product of getting stronger and progressing during workouts. Whenever you progress during your workouts, you can expect muscle gains because muscle mass follows strength and strength endurance.

Reduced Inflammation

If you are a power lifter who is always sore, you need to buy SR9009. Once you take this drug, you will note a huge difference. This is because SR9009 amplifies the elimination of worn out mitochondria and stimulates the generation of new ones. This greatly reduces the soreness after strenuous workouts.

Medical applications

Besides the above SR9009 benefits, this drug can also be used for different medical applications, including:

Treatment for obesity: This supplement can be used for the treatment of obesity, particularly for cases where exercising and dieting has not proven to be effective.

Treatment for type II diabetes: Stenabolic’s ability to minimize triglycerides and plasma glucose also makes SARM SR9009 a good supplement to control type II diabetes.

Treatment of sarcopenia: The supplement has also been found to be effective in the treatment of sarcopenia, a condition that is responsible for loss of strength in the muscle normally experienced as an individual advances in age.

Treatment for cholesterol-related conditions: The fact that SR9009 has the ability to minimize cholesterol in the body means that the drug can help to minimize the chances of blocked or clogged arteries, heart attack, and heart failures.

Real User ExperienceJustus Riley: I’m a long time user of Sarms and have bought both good and bogus products over the years. I started using SR9009/stenabolic a few months ago and I have had nothing but excellent results. The drug has been consistently good. I have no complains so far.Bruce: I normally go on a 12 week cycle and have had excellent good results with SR9009. I have had a slow and controlled weight cut, and my endurance capacity has received a boost. I highly recommend this SARM.Magdalene: I am gym enthusiast and soreness had been a constant bother. This was until 2 weeks after I started using Stenabolic. Nowadays, I work out longer and I no longer have to limp myself out of the gym. Great stuff indeed!

Sarm RAD140 (Testolone) User told: Reviews, Use steps, Risks

Peter: I’m a fitness expert and a personal trainer and I have used different kinds of SARMs. I’ve come across some bad reviews, most of which are written by users who do not understand the nature of SARMs. First of all, SARMs are not miracle drugs. Secondly, they are not Steroids, so they shouldn’t be expected to behave like steroids. To get excellent results with SR9009, your diet and nutrients have to be spot on. Stenabolic is actually one of those SARMs that work really well. It’s good to be well informed.Paul White: Seeing how frustrated I was with fat burners, a friend advised me to try SR9009 as it had worked well for another mutual friend. I was a bit skeptical, but I embarked on research to find out about the drug and how it works. All the reviews I came across say that the drug is safe so I gave it a try. It’s been 1 month since I started using it and I’m now able to exercise longer. I may not have lost much weight just yet, but I feel lighter. Will continue to use the drug.Martin: I’ve been researching on different sites on where to purchase SARMs so I gave Phcooker a go. Everything went smoothly – excellent customer service, as well as fast and discrete delivery as promised. What’s more is that their SARM SR9009 works! I would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants genuine SARMs.Dorine: I am overweight. I have tried dieting but my cravings just won’t let me be. I have tried exercising but I never stick to my workout regimen. I heard that there are drugs that can boost metabolism and help you burn calories even without strenuous exercises. I started researching, and that’s how I came across stenabolic. I ordered and I have been taking 30mg per day. The weight cut is slow, but as long as I’m losing weight, it’s all good.Get Genuine SR9009 Bulk Online The supplement industry for SARMs and other similar supplements is rife with counterfeits. Research chemical companies have sold SARM SR9009 /Steroid for several years. Before you buy SR9009, it is very important to be very careful about what you purchase and where you purchase it from. Luckily, you can still find genuine SR9009 powder bulk online from trusted websites.

Scienochem.com

sells legitimate SR9009 at competitive prices. Please see their website for more information on how you can get yours today.

Email:Scienochem02@hotmail.com/Sales02@scienochem.com

[hwasummers]

Squats Don’t Work Your Glutes (Because You’re Squatting Wrong)

Would you prefer to listen to this article? Use the player below or download on iTunes.

“I like getting stronger with squats, but they don’t work my glutes,” she said.

She went on to perform a set of barbell squats and my initial assumption was correct: she wasn’t squatting correctly. That is why she thinks “squats don’t build glutes.” It wasn’t the exercise that was the problem; it was her execution of the movement that was at fault.

Saying squats performed correctly don’t work the glutes is like saying chin-ups performed correctly don’t work the biceps. If an exercise is performed properly through an appropriate range of motion, the muscle groups that perform the movement will “work.” And if performance is improved (e.g., perform more reps, add weight) consistently for weeks and months, muscle will be built.

How do you know if you’re performing squats correctly so they work your glutes? You need to (a) have a proper stance and (b) perform the exercise through a sufficient range of motion. Individuals who think squats don’t work the glutes typically fail to meet these criteria and have too narrow of a stance and don’t squat low enough.

The glutes are directly involved in the squatting movement, be it barbell squats or goblet squats; the main functions of the gluteus maximus (the largest part of the buttock) are hip extension and external rotation.

It stands to reason if we want to maximize the involvement of the glutes in an exercise we need to use them for their designed purposes. That means the stance and squat depth must be appropriate.

Squat Stance

Some people squat with their feet close together and toes pointed straight ahead. This doesn’t mean the glutes won’t be involved in the movement, but it’s not putting them in an ideal position for maximum involvement since the glutes are responsible for hip external rotation.

This would be a great stance for a deadlift or Romanian deadlift, but it’s not ideal for squatting. The feet should be wider, about shoulder width apart, and toes pointed out to the sides, anywhere from 5-30 degrees. Everyone is different; play around with the stance and foot position to find what’s most comfortable for your knees, hips, and back.

What is the purpose of the wider stance and pointing the toes out? To make the glutes perform one of their main functions: to externally rotate the hip. This will be accomplished by keeping the knees out when squatting and making sure they track in-line with the feet at all times (i.e., don’t let them “cave in,” which is a common squat mistake).

The wider toes-out stance also engages the adductors (i.e., inner thighs) to a greater extent too, compared to the narrow stance with feet pointed straight ahead. When you use a shoulder-width stance and point your toes out a bit, don’t be surprised when your glutes and adductors are sore the next day.

Squat Depth

The proper depth for a squat is lowering down to the point where the crease in the hips is a bit lower than the tops of the knees. Put another way, the tops of the thighs should be parallel to the ground, or a little lower.

Stopping short of this depth as many commonly and mistakenly do on every rep or as a set progresses and fatigue accumulates and each rep is increasingly shallow, means most of the work is being done with the quadriceps, since the glutes aren’t moving through an appropriate range of motion.

To use your glutes effectively when squatting, they need to be worked through an appropriate range of motion, which is achieved when reaching the depth mentioned above (this way the glutes do one of their main jobs — extending the hips).

If you want to work your glutes, you need to attain the proper range of motion. Aim for the point where the crease in the hips is a bit lower than the tops of the knees. (You can squat lower as long as you can maintain a neutral, rigid spine, but it isn’t necessary.)

Notice the squat depth — the crease in the hips is a bit lower than the tops of the knees in both the goblet squat (left) and back squat (right).

Are Squats All You Need for Maximum Glute-Building Results?

If squats are the main lower-body exercise in your training program — and you perform them properly and consistently improve your performance — they will build muscle on your glutes. If you’re a beginner strength trainee, a squat variation should be the main lower-body exercise in your program so you can (a) learn how to correctly perform this basic movement pattern, (b) build a solid foundation of strength, and (c) practice it frequently thus reinforcing the correct movement pattern and building strength and muscle quickly. This is why the goblet squat is the main lower-body exercise in Phase 1 of Lift Like a Girl and back squats in Phase 2; both are performed with a high frequency of two to three times per week.

This isn’t to say other exercises don’t work the glutes just as well or more directly, or other exercises can’t be used to maximize hypertrophy of the glutes. Using the chin-up example again: you can build a great pair of biceps if bodyweight and weighted chin-ups are the main upper-body pulling movement. But other exercises — palms-up grip rows, dumbbell curls, barbell curls — can be useful for maximizing hypertrophy.

The answer to the Are squats all you need? question is: it depends on your goals and training experience. Let’s look at two trainees.

Trainee A: She’s been squatting correctly and progressively (steadily adding more weight to the bar or performing more reps with the same weight) for over a year. She’s built her glutes using squats as the primary lower-body exercise, but she wants to make them grow more. She can achieve this goal by (a) squatting more frequently, (b) adding additional exercises like reverse lunges from a deficit, single-leg hip thrusts, and single-leg Romanian deadlifts to her training, or (c) modifying her training program and increasing training volume or changing the set and rep schemes (more on this one in a moment).

Trainee B: She’s been squatting correctly and progressively for over a year. She’s built her glutes using squats as the primary lower-body exercise (starting first with goblet squats to learn the movement and then progressing to barbell squats), and she has no desire to increase their size and shape further.

We’re in the midst of the build-a-bigger-butt era and tons of women want maximum glute hypertrophy. If that’s your goal too, that’s awesome. If you don’t care about attaining maximum glute size and shape, that’s awesome too. It’s your body and you should do whatever the heck you want to do with it.

Guidelines for Glute Building

What is your strength training experience? is the first question and What is your main goal? is the second, briefly address above, that need to be answered.

Strength training beginners, trainees more concerned with building strength and training efficiency (they don’t want to spend more time in the gym than necessary to achieve most of the results they’re after, or they’re very busy), and trainees not interested in maximum glute hypertrophy can focus mostly on squats, deadlifts, and Romanian deadlifts for most of their lower-body work. Tons of women have built strong, amazing bodies on a steady diet of squats, deadlifts, rows and chin-ups, bench presses and standing presses.

Intermediate strength trainees or those interested in maximizing their glute-building potential can focus mostly on squats, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and include exercises like rear foot elevated split squats, reverse lunges, single-leg hip thrusts, and additional glute-specific exercises.

And let’s not forget that every body is different. Some people may reach maximum glute hypertrophy with just squats and deadlifts. Some people may need a hefty volume of squats, lunges, and hip-thrust variations to maximize theirs.

Different Rep Ranges for Best Glute-Building Results

The benefit to using a wide range of reps? It allows you to work the fast-twitch muscle fibers with the heavy, low-rep sets and the slow-twitch fibers with the somewhat lighter, higher-rep sets.

If squats are your primary lower-body exercise, use a wide rep range for best glute- and leg-building results. First, get strong in a 5-8 rep range. Once you’d built a solid strength foundation (when you have trouble adding more weight in the 5-8 rep range) you can start including sets of 10-15 reps. There’s muscle-building value in 20-rep sets too, but don’t venture into that range until you’ve been strength training for many months. Twenty-rep squats aren’t as beneficial if the heaviest weight you can use is an empty 45-pound barbell. Get strong first and then include higher-rep sets when you can use a more challenging weight.

What You Should Do Next

Analyze your current squat stance and depth. How does it compare to the information above? You can test the new stance and depth, right now, with bodyweight squats: perform a set of 20 reps and you should immediately feel the difference. Or next time you’re at the gym, perform squats or goblet squats with the stance and depth guidelines above and experience the difference for yourself.

When you have your new stance identified (you may want to play around a bit with stance width and the angle you point your toes to find what feels best), get stronger in the 5-8 rep range. After several weeks of progressive training, you can then include sets of 10-15 reps. You’ll no doubt be stronger and have more muscle within a few months of consistent training.

Squats work your glutes. Squats will build your glutes. You just have to squat correctly.

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The post Squats Don’t Work Your Glutes (Because You’re Squatting Wrong) appeared first on Nia Shanks.

from Sarah Luke Fitness Updates http://www.niashanks.com/squats-dont-work-your-glutes/

[juliehbutler]

Squats Don’t Work Your Glutes (Because You’re Squatting Wrong)

Would you prefer to listen to this article? Use the player below or download on iTunes.

“I like getting stronger with squats, but they don’t work my glutes,” she said.

She went on to perform a set of barbell squats and my initial assumption was correct: she wasn’t squatting correctly. That is why she thinks “squats don’t build glutes.” It wasn’t the exercise that was the problem; it was her execution of the movement that was at fault.

Saying squats performed correctly don’t work the glutes is like saying chin-ups performed correctly don’t work the biceps. If an exercise is performed properly through an appropriate range of motion, the muscle groups that perform the movement will “work.” And if performance is improved (e.g., perform more reps, add weight) consistently for weeks and months, muscle will be built.

How do you know if you’re performing squats correctly so they work your glutes? You need to (a) have a proper stance and (b) perform the exercise through a sufficient range of motion. Individuals who think squats don’t work the glutes typically fail to meet these criteria and have too narrow of a stance and don’t squat low enough.

The glutes are directly involved in the squatting movement, be it barbell squats or goblet squats; the main functions of the gluteus maximus (the largest part of the buttock) are hip extension and external rotation.

It stands to reason if we want to maximize the involvement of the glutes in an exercise we need to use them for their designed purposes. That means the stance and squat depth must be appropriate.

Squat Stance

Some people squat with their feet close together and toes pointed straight ahead. This doesn’t mean the glutes won’t be involved in the movement, but it’s not putting them in an ideal position for maximum involvement since the glutes are responsible for hip external rotation.

This would be a great stance for a deadlift or Romanian deadlift, but it’s not ideal for squatting. The feet should be wider, about shoulder width apart, and toes pointed out to the sides, anywhere from 5-30 degrees. Everyone is different; play around with the stance and foot position to find what’s most comfortable for your knees, hips, and back.

What is the purpose of the wider stance and pointing the toes out? To make the glutes perform one of their main functions: to externally rotate the hip. This will be accomplished by keeping the knees out when squatting and making sure they track in-line with the feet at all times (i.e., don’t let them “cave in,” which is a common squat mistake).

The wider toes-out stance also engages the adductors (i.e., inner thighs) to a greater extent too, compared to the narrow stance with feet pointed straight ahead. When you use a shoulder-width stance and point your toes out a bit, don’t be surprised when your glutes and adductors are sore the next day.

Squat Depth

The proper depth for a squat is lowering down to the point where the crease in the hips is a bit lower than the tops of the knees. Put another way, the tops of the thighs should be parallel to the ground, or a little lower.

Stopping short of this depth as many commonly and mistakenly do on every rep or as a set progresses and fatigue accumulates and each rep is increasingly shallow, means most of the work is being done with the quadriceps, since the glutes aren’t moving through an appropriate range of motion.

To use your glutes effectively when squatting, they need to be worked through an appropriate range of motion, which is achieved when reaching the depth mentioned above (this way the glutes do one of their main jobs — extending the hips).

If you want to work your glutes, you need to attain the proper range of motion. Aim for the point where the crease in the hips is a bit lower than the tops of the knees. (You can squat lower as long as you can maintain a neutral, rigid spine, but it isn’t necessary.)

Notice the squat depth — the crease in the hips is a bit lower than the tops of the knees in both the goblet squat (left) and back squat (right).

Are Squats All You Need for Maximum Glute-Building Results?

If squats are the main lower-body exercise in your training program — and you perform them properly and consistently improve your performance — they will build muscle on your glutes. If you’re a beginner strength trainee, a squat variation should be the main lower-body exercise in your program so you can (a) learn how to correctly perform this basic movement pattern, (b) build a solid foundation of strength, and (c) practice it frequently thus reinforcing the correct movement pattern and building strength and muscle quickly. This is why the goblet squat is the main lower-body exercise in Phase 1 of Lift Like a Girl and back squats in Phase 2; both are performed with a high frequency of two to three times per week.

This isn’t to say other exercises don’t work the glutes just as well or more directly, or other exercises can’t be used to maximize hypertrophy of the glutes. Using the chin-up example again: you can build a great pair of biceps if bodyweight and weighted chin-ups are the main upper-body pulling movement. But other exercises — palms-up grip rows, dumbbell curls, barbell curls — can be useful for maximizing hypertrophy.

The answer to the Are squats all you need? question is: it depends on your goals and training experience. Let’s look at two trainees.

Trainee A: She’s been squatting correctly and progressively (steadily adding more weight to the bar or performing more reps with the same weight) for over a year. She’s built her glutes using squats as the primary lower-body exercise, but she wants to make them grow more. She can achieve this goal by (a) squatting more frequently, (b) adding additional exercises like reverse lunges from a deficit, single-leg hip thrusts, and single-leg Romanian deadlifts to her training, or (c) modifying her training program and increasing training volume or changing the set and rep schemes (more on this one in a moment).

Trainee B: She’s been squatting correctly and progressively for over a year. She’s built her glutes using squats as the primary lower-body exercise (starting first with goblet squats to learn the movement and then progressing to barbell squats), and she has no desire to increase their size and shape further.

We’re in the midst of the build-a-bigger-butt era and tons of women want maximum glute hypertrophy. If that’s your goal too, that’s awesome. If you don’t care about attaining maximum glute size and shape, that’s awesome too. It’s your body and you should do whatever the heck you want to do with it.

Guidelines for Glute Building

What is your strength training experience? is the first question and What is your main goal? is the second, briefly address above, that need to be answered.

Strength training beginners, trainees more concerned with building strength and training efficiency (they don’t want to spend more time in the gym than necessary to achieve most of the results they’re after, or they’re very busy), and trainees not interested in maximum glute hypertrophy can focus mostly on squats, deadlifts, and Romanian deadlifts for most of their lower-body work. Tons of women have built strong, amazing bodies on a steady diet of squats, deadlifts, rows and chin-ups, bench presses and standing presses.

Intermediate strength trainees or those interested in maximizing their glute-building potential can focus mostly on squats, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and include exercises like rear foot elevated split squats, reverse lunges, single-leg hip thrusts, and additional glute-specific exercises.

And let’s not forget that every body is different. Some people may reach maximum glute hypertrophy with just squats and deadlifts. Some people may need a hefty volume of squats, lunges, and hip-thrust variations to maximize theirs.

Different Rep Ranges for Best Glute-Building Results

The benefit to using a wide range of reps? It allows you to work the fast-twitch muscle fibers with the heavy, low-rep sets and the slow-twitch fibers with the somewhat lighter, higher-rep sets.

If squats are your primary lower-body exercise, use a wide rep range for best glute- and leg-building results. First, get strong in a 5-8 rep range. Once you’d built a solid strength foundation (when you have trouble adding more weight in the 5-8 rep range) you can start including sets of 10-15 reps. There’s muscle-building value in 20-rep sets too, but don’t venture into that range until you’ve been strength training for many months. Twenty-rep squats aren’t as beneficial if the heaviest weight you can use is an empty 45-pound barbell. Get strong first and then include higher-rep sets when you can use a more challenging weight.

What You Should Do Next

Analyze your current squat stance and depth. How does it compare to the information above? You can test the new stance and depth, right now, with bodyweight squats: perform a set of 20 reps and you should immediately feel the difference. Or next time you’re at the gym, perform squats or goblet squats with the stance and depth guidelines above and experience the difference for yourself.

When you have your new stance identified (you may want to play around a bit with stance width and the angle you point your toes to find what feels best), get stronger in the 5-8 rep range. After several weeks of progressive training, you can then include sets of 10-15 reps. You’ll no doubt be stronger and have more muscle within a few months of consistent training.

Squats work your glutes. Squats will build your glutes. You just have to squat correctly.

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The post Squats Don’t Work Your Glutes (Because You’re Squatting Wrong) appeared first on Nia Shanks.

from Healthy Living http://www.niashanks.com/squats-dont-work-your-glutes/

[sarahzlukeuk]

Squats Don’t Work Your Glutes (Because You’re Squatting Wrong)

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“I like getting stronger with squats, but they don’t work my glutes,” she said.

She went on to perform a set of barbell squats and my initial assumption was correct: she wasn’t squatting correctly. That is why she thinks “squats don’t build glutes.” It wasn’t the exercise that was the problem; it was her execution of the movement that was at fault.

Saying squats performed correctly don’t work the glutes is like saying chin-ups performed correctly don’t work the biceps. If an exercise is performed properly through an appropriate range of motion, the muscle groups that perform the movement will “work.” And if performance is improved (e.g., perform more reps, add weight) consistently for weeks and months, muscle will be built.

How do you know if you’re performing squats correctly so they work your glutes? You need to (a) have a proper stance and (b) perform the exercise through a sufficient range of motion. Individuals who think squats don’t work the glutes typically fail to meet these criteria and have too narrow of a stance and don’t squat low enough.

The glutes are directly involved in the squatting movement, be it barbell squats or goblet squats; the main functions of the gluteus maximus (the largest part of the buttock) are hip extension and external rotation.

It stands to reason if we want to maximize the involvement of the glutes in an exercise we need to use them for their designed purposes. That means the stance and squat depth must be appropriate.

Squat Stance

Some people squat with their feet close together and toes pointed straight ahead. This doesn’t mean the glutes won’t be involved in the movement, but it’s not putting them in an ideal position for maximum involvement since the glutes are responsible for hip external rotation.

This would be a great stance for a deadlift or Romanian deadlift, but it’s not ideal for squatting. The feet should be wider, about shoulder width apart, and toes pointed out to the sides, anywhere from 5-30 degrees. Everyone is different; play around with the stance and foot position to find what’s most comfortable for your knees, hips, and back.

What is the purpose of the wider stance and pointing the toes out? To make the glutes perform one of their main functions: to externally rotate the hip. This will be accomplished by keeping the knees out when squatting and making sure they track in-line with the feet at all times (i.e., don’t let them “cave in,” which is a common squat mistake).

The wider toes-out stance also engages the adductors (i.e., inner thighs) to a greater extent too, compared to the narrow stance with feet pointed straight ahead. When you use a shoulder-width stance and point your toes out a bit, don’t be surprised when your glutes and adductors are sore the next day.

Squat Depth

The proper depth for a squat is lowering down to the point where the crease in the hips is a bit lower than the tops of the knees. Put another way, the tops of the thighs should be parallel to the ground, or a little lower.

Stopping short of this depth as many commonly and mistakenly do on every rep or as a set progresses and fatigue accumulates and each rep is increasingly shallow, means most of the work is being done with the quadriceps, since the glutes aren’t moving through an appropriate range of motion.

To use your glutes effectively when squatting, they need to be worked through an appropriate range of motion, which is achieved when reaching the depth mentioned above (this way the glutes do one of their main jobs — extending the hips).

If you want to work your glutes, you need to attain the proper range of motion. Aim for the point where the crease in the hips is a bit lower than the tops of the knees. (You can squat lower as long as you can maintain a neutral, rigid spine, but it isn’t necessary.)

Notice the squat depth — the crease in the hips is a bit lower than the tops of the knees in both the goblet squat (left) and back squat (right).

Are Squats All You Need for Maximum Glute-Building Results?

If squats are the main lower-body exercise in your training program — and you perform them properly and consistently improve your performance — they will build muscle on your glutes. If you’re a beginner strength trainee, a squat variation should be the main lower-body exercise in your program so you can (a) learn how to correctly perform this basic movement pattern, (b) build a solid foundation of strength, and (c) practice it frequently thus reinforcing the correct movement pattern and building strength and muscle quickly. This is why the goblet squat is the main lower-body exercise in Phase 1 of Lift Like a Girl and back squats in Phase 2; both are performed with a high frequency of two to three times per week.

This isn’t to say other exercises don’t work the glutes just as well or more directly, or other exercises can’t be used to maximize hypertrophy of the glutes. Using the chin-up example again: you can build a great pair of biceps if bodyweight and weighted chin-ups are the main upper-body pulling movement. But other exercises — palms-up grip rows, dumbbell curls, barbell curls — can be useful for maximizing hypertrophy.

The answer to the Are squats all you need? question is: it depends on your goals and training experience. Let’s look at two trainees.

Trainee A: She’s been squatting correctly and progressively (steadily adding more weight to the bar or performing more reps with the same weight) for over a year. She’s built her glutes using squats as the primary lower-body exercise, but she wants to make them grow more. She can achieve this goal by (a) squatting more frequently, (b) adding additional exercises like reverse lunges from a deficit, single-leg hip thrusts, and single-leg Romanian deadlifts to her training, or (c) modifying her training program and increasing training volume or changing the set and rep schemes (more on this one in a moment).

Trainee B: She’s been squatting correctly and progressively for over a year. She’s built her glutes using squats as the primary lower-body exercise (starting first with goblet squats to learn the movement and then progressing to barbell squats), and she has no desire to increase their size and shape further.

We’re in the midst of the build-a-bigger-butt era and tons of women want maximum glute hypertrophy. If that’s your goal too, that’s awesome. If you don’t care about attaining maximum glute size and shape, that’s awesome too. It’s your body and you should do whatever the heck you want to do with it.

Guidelines for Glute Building

What is your strength training experience? is the first question and What is your main goal? is the second, briefly address above, that need to be answered.

Strength training beginners, trainees more concerned with building strength and training efficiency (they don’t want to spend more time in the gym than necessary to achieve most of the results they’re after, or they’re very busy), and trainees not interested in maximum glute hypertrophy can focus mostly on squats, deadlifts, and Romanian deadlifts for most of their lower-body work. Tons of women have built strong, amazing bodies on a steady diet of squats, deadlifts, rows and chin-ups, bench presses and standing presses.

Intermediate strength trainees or those interested in maximizing their glute-building potential can focus mostly on squats, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and include exercises like rear foot elevated split squats, reverse lunges, single-leg hip thrusts, and additional glute-specific exercises.

And let’s not forget that every body is different. Some people may reach maximum glute hypertrophy with just squats and deadlifts. Some people may need a hefty volume of squats, lunges, and hip-thrust variations to maximize theirs.

Different Rep Ranges for Best Glute-Building Results

The benefit to using a wide range of reps? It allows you to work the fast-twitch muscle fibers with the heavy, low-rep sets and the slow-twitch fibers with the somewhat lighter, higher-rep sets.

If squats are your primary lower-body exercise, use a wide rep range for best glute- and leg-building results. First, get strong in a 5-8 rep range. Once you’d built a solid strength foundation (when you have trouble adding more weight in the 5-8 rep range) you can start including sets of 10-15 reps. There’s muscle-building value in 20-rep sets too, but don’t venture into that range until you’ve been strength training for many months. Twenty-rep squats aren’t as beneficial if the heaviest weight you can use is an empty 45-pound barbell. Get strong first and then include higher-rep sets when you can use a more challenging weight.

What You Should Do Next

Analyze your current squat stance and depth. How does it compare to the information above? You can test the new stance and depth, right now, with bodyweight squats: perform a set of 20 reps and you should immediately feel the difference. Or next time you’re at the gym, perform squats or goblet squats with the stance and depth guidelines above and experience the difference for yourself.

When you have your new stance identified (you may want to play around a bit with stance width and the angle you point your toes to find what feels best), get stronger in the 5-8 rep range. After several weeks of progressive training, you can then include sets of 10-15 reps. You’ll no doubt be stronger and have more muscle within a few months of consistent training.

Squats work your glutes. Squats will build your glutes. You just have to squat correctly.

Be the first to know when new content is posted. Enter your email below to join the newsletter.

The post Squats Don’t Work Your Glutes (Because You’re Squatting Wrong) appeared first on Nia Shanks.

from Sarah Luke Fitness Updates http://www.niashanks.com/squats-dont-work-your-glutes/