Gym Bod: Chapter 1

Clay rushed to the bathroom to piss out the venti Starbucks frappuccino he nervously inhaled while trying to meet his deadline. He tilted his head back with a sigh of relief when he reached the urinal. After an unusually long piss he sucked in his stomach to button his pants, then let his gut spill forward with another sigh. He buckled his belt and the sensation of the constricting waistband triggered a wave of regret over the high calorie frappuccino. As he walked out of the rest room he placed a hand on his chubby belly and squeezed to remind himself he was getting too fat for such indulgences. Even still, that didn’t stop him from swiping a danish from the kitchen on the way back to his desk. 

The stress of being a financial officer for a thriving media company was beginning to show itself on Clay’s waistline. He was hired for the position directly out of college, which was unusual and an offer he couldn’t refuse. He had past experience in offices, but in those days he was younger with a quicker metabolism. He also had the free time to offset the hours spent sitting around with hikes and outdoor adventures. Most of all, Clay did not shoulder the high level of responsibility that he did now, nor was he in a committed and loving relationship. 

Throughout his young adult life, Clay had a fairly average body. He wasn’t thin or fat, muscular or bony. He was active and firm, but didn’t have defined muscles. He could eat a lot, but it wouldn’t really stick. That all changed in his late twenties with a demanding office job and doting boyfriend. 

Clay had never been in such a hectic work environment and he knew he had to make the most of this opportunity. Most of his peers were still struggling to find work, let alone something that paid well. It seemed as though overnight Clay lost sight of all his hobbies. When he did have a moment of free time, he wanted to spend it decompressing in bed watching TV and munching on snacks. It had only been a year but it felt like Clay had been working with the company for a decade. 

Frank, Clay’s college boyfriend, moved in once they graduated and was incredibly supportive even though they weren’t able to spend as much time together. As in most relationships, the pair’s waistlines expanded with their love. They each became less active and spent most of their time together going out to eat or ordering in and watching Netflix. The relationship weight piled atop Clay’s burgeoning office pudge and before he knew it he was feeling and looking quite paunchy. 

These days, he was lugging around a good twenty extra pounds of fat. A lot of people wouldn’t even consider him chubby, especially in comparison to the older men at the office, but, in the gay community, Clay was beginning to look a bit too puffy. His thighs ever so lightly brushed together in between chinos that barely stretched over his rump. He now had to blouse out his shirts where they tucked in to obscure the extra four inches of fat that clung to his tummy and sides like jello. Sitting down was becoming altogether uncomfortable and it was the position he assumed the majority of the day. 

Back at his computer and feeling guilty over the danish he swiped, he knew what he had to do. He bought a gym membership online and booked a single visit with a personal trainer to set him on the right path. He would start tomorrow morning before work. 

Clay arrived at the gym feeling very uncomfortable. All of his T-shirts fit snug across his midsection and he felt on display and out of shape. He knew he was not the first person to feel like this, but the anticipation of a personal trainer evaluating him was daunting. Plus, he was at a notriously gay-majority gym which meant that his trainer would likely not be the only person evaluating him. 

He checked in at the front desk where a peppy twink took his headshot and then showed him his locker. He was then introduced to his trainer, Salim, a hulking man with muscles so defined they looked as though they were carved from marble. Needless to say, Salim did not have an ounce of fat on him. That being said, he was warm in demeanor and Clay did not feel any of the judgment he had been so anxious about. 

In fact Salim was incredibly nice and rather encouraging. He said that Clay was in a lot better shape than most of his clients and that it was good he was starting so early. If Clay had let the weight pile on any more, the lifestyle change of hitting the gym would’ve been even harder. These words allowed Clay to relax his nerves and accept his battle of the bulge as less severe.  

Even still, that didn’t stop Salim from casually pointing out that Clay carried a lot of weight in his midsection and lower body. Salim and Clay stood in front of a massive mirror as Salim pinched Clay’s baby love handles and commented that “these have got to go.” Salim then took calipers to Clay’s bare belly to measure his body fat content. Once again feeling nervous, Salim had to tell Clay to stop sucking in his belly so that he could get an accurate read. Clay turned beat red and did as he was told. Salim later moved to the lower body and applied the calipers to Clay’s thighs, commenting on how “thick” they were. Clay was now feeling insecure about his weight again and yearned for the evaluation to end. 

Finally, Salim announced that Clay was about 21% body fat, which was a tad high but nothing too serious. To combat this, Salim would be showing him a workout program and recommending a diet plan. Cardio would be important to melting off the fat, Salim relayed, but they would also be working on muscle, particularly in the upper body. Since Clay carried a lot of fat in his rear, building muscle mass up top would help balance it out. Clay didn’t love the acknowledgment of his pear shape, but he trusted Salim’s recommendations. 

They began the workout by addressing the lower body. Salim had Clay do light leg exercises on a machine. It wasn’t too difficult at first, leaving Clay energized for more. Then they moved on to weighted lunges and Clay’s enthusiasm quickly dissipated. He was sweating bullets within minutes and his legs were beginning to wobble. He tried to ignore the silent judgment of the ripped gym bunnies around him and tell himself this was only the beginning. 

From there, Salim moved onto abdominal and core exercises. Ten minutes in and Clay determined that these were the most difficult workouts and the rest would surely get easier. His trembling abs caused his stomach fat to jiggle ever so slightly and large sweat stains had begun to form at his neck, pits, and, embarrassingly, the crest of his belly pushing against his shirt. At one point he accidentally let out a squeal-like grunt attracting bemused glances from surrounding gym veterans. 

Finally, it was time for the upper body workout. These exercises were a tad easier and less humiliating as they didn’t call attention to his doughy center. They actually felt kind of macho to perform, even though Clay wasn’t lifting that much. Even still, the fatigue from the last hour and a half of exercise was setting in and Clay was ready to go home. 

Salim finished up by recommending some cardio, particularly time on the treadmill. This was the most efficient way to melt off the excess weight, he relayed, and Clay shuddered at the use of the term “excess.” Salim left and Clay did as he was told, hopping on the treadmill. Salim recommended a thirty minute jog today and that Clay should try jogging around his neighborhood four times a week for thirty minutes to an hour. Clay wondered how people found the time for all this exercise. 

Clay left the gym feeling beyond exhausted. He was coated in a sticky layer of dried sweat that felt disgusting, but he refused to shower in public next to a bunch of adonis-like gay men. Instead, he walked to his car, noticing that his legs were wobbly and soreness was already setting into his muscles. On the drive home he passed a Shake Shack drive thru that beckoned, but he stood firm and resisted. He could not allow himself to throw all of his efforts away. Instead, he stopped at a salad bar and put together a box to go. This was going to be an uphill battle.