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tarotgalSummary/Notes: Troy leads an virtual workout class from home. No sneezing in this. Set during the pandemic.
Troy fiddled with the angle of the phone even as the video stream went live. It was an honor to be spotlighted for a workout on this fitness channel. It meant showing what he had to offer to hundreds or even thousands of new enthusiasts of all levels. It meant a worldwide audience. It meant the potential for new clients. And now, during the pandemic, all of that meant being able to pay for his share of food and utilities. So he was eager to do a good job, or at least just not fuck up.
“Hello out there, internet! How are you all doing today?” He watched the flurry of activity in the chat stream as people chimed in with positive answers. “That’s good. I know I’ve been struggling during this time, so it’s okay if you don’t feel great. Maybe this is your morning workout, and you haven’t had your coffee yet. Maybe this is your evening workout and you had a horrible day. Maybe it’s the middle of the day and you’re filled with anxiety? However you’re feeling is all right. Just know that I’m here with you for the next thirty minutes, and you’ve got—oooh, looks like about two hundred and fifty now—people who are here with you as well. Cheers, luvs!”
He backed up a little bit, checking the image on his phone to make sure he stayed properly in frame. “I’m going to start with a warm-up while I get the introduction going, so I don’t waste any more of the time you chose to spend here with me. Not everybody has a home gym, and that’s okay. You don’t need any equipment for this workout, but if you have a mat and want to use it, you certainly can. I’ll just be on the carpet here, myself, though I’ve moved the couch back to give myself a little extra space. That was my pre-warmup warmup.” He saw some thumbs-up emojis sail past. The viewer count was rocketing past three hundred now. “Let’s start with shoulder rolls going back.” He started rolling his shoulders, elbows out a little to exaggerate and make the movement visible.
“I’m Troy from Go Figure, and I am thrilled to be here with you today. Let’s do some lunges next to get those legs warm. Try to touch your knee to the ground if you can. If you don’t have full range of motion, that’s perfectly okay. Just do enough to give a good stretch.” He demonstrated a few normal lunges, a few modified ones, and then went back to the normal ones.
“Okay,” he said, getting up to his feet. “Star jumps for thirty seconds. For those across the pond, they are also called jumping jacks. And I don’t want to see any complaining. First person who complains has to switch to burpees. That’s my rule.” He started jumping. “Because… I… hate… burpees.” He said between jumps, slightly breathless. After finishing, he modeled a stretch with his legs wide and hands reaching for his right foot then his left. “You know, sometimes it’s good to do those exercises you hate. But it feels even better to do exercises you love. So I hope you’ll find at least one move in this workout that you absolutely love. Chime in on the comments about it when you find it, all right?”
There wasn’t a whole lot of chatter in the chat, apart from emojis. Troy hoped that meant everybody was busy stretching and warming up with him. “And shake it out… that’s great, luvs.” He came closer again, so he could read the chat a little better. “As you might be able to tell from my accent, I’m here quarantining at home in my flat in the UK. Where are you all right now?”
He had barely got the words out when a wave of responses came back at him. People really were tuning into his stream from all over the world. “Rachel from Australia, gday! Shomir from India. Laurel from Frankfort. Ah, Emrick in Cardif! So close, and yet so far, mate. And I see a few from London! Fantastic! And—“ His whole demeanor changed for a couple seconds, his trainer persona and energy level dropping. He went softer. And the smile on his face grew genuine. “Lucas from America. Hey there Lucas. That’s a surprise. What’s it, like, three in the morning for you?”
He scanned the chat. Given the issue of time zones, he wasn’t surprised that most of the viewers were tuning in from somewhere in Europe. Hundreds of others were chiming in with their locations, however he could easily pick out Lucas’ familiar user icon and response amidst them all. Lucas typed back, ‘Just after 3. David’s still asleep, but I’m ready to work hard for you.’ Oh, the things that did to his insides. Thank goodness for those star jacks taking some of his energy, or he’d have something embarrassing to worry about showing on camera.
With a quick breath, he shifted back into trainer mode. “Thank you all for being here today, or tonight, as the case may be in your time zone. Now that we’re all warmed up, let’s get right into it. This is a full-body workout, and I want you to concentrate on doing each move right, focusing on your muscle groups and moving your body the right way. Don’t worry about keeping up at my pace. As long as you’re moving, you’re working.”
He began the first move. “I want your legs spread a little wider than shoulder width, toes slightly pointing outward. Now come down into a squat. Stick that bum out behind you. Pulse here for three then come up and squeeze your cheeks together. Work those muscles! Tighter! Good. Now down again and pulse. Chest up, luvs! Be tall and proud even when you’re in a squat! That’s it.” He couldn’t see any of them, but he had faith they were with him. It was only the first move, after all.
He had a laptop behind his phone with a digital clock counting down to help him keep track of the time, and when he hit thirty seconds worth of repetitions, he stopped everyone. “You feel that in your legs and your bum, yeah?”
“Next one is going to be down on the floor. We’re doing a forearm plank hold for ten and then right into tilting from one side to the other, because who doesn’t love a good rainbow, right luvs?” He got down, glancing up again at his phone to make sure he was still in frame. The top of his head was cut off, but the rest was fine. “Abs in, legs straight, distribute the weight. And hold for ten, nine…” he counted down, hoping he wasn’t rushing too much. “… two, one. Now stay on your forearms and pull your left hip toward the floor or your mat, but keep your upper body as stationary as possible. Then back up and tilt your right hip toward the floor. Draw a rainbow with your bum, but keep your top half from leaning to the side, if you can and keep your bum from sticking up too far.” He did a mental count of ten on each side.
Troy took them through a whole set of exercises, one after the other. He walked them through proper form verbally while demonstrating, naturally synching his movements to the beat of the music he had playing on his laptop as well. Online workouts like this were so much different from his in person training sessions or even the one-on-one video training sessions he had been doing, because he had to hope everyone was following his directions well. He tried to keep them motivated and provided tips, but the responsibility was still theirs to keep up and follow along. And the responsibility was his to make a workout they wanted to keep up with.
“Back up on your feet for a cardio burst! This is where I like my clients to get creative. Pretend you have a jump rope and show me your best move. Maybe it’s hopping lightly. Maybe you’re just giving me high knees. Maybe skipping or jumping on one leg.” He demonstrated each of these as he listed them. “You can even swing it at diagonals and work your obliques a little with a twist.” He drew a figure eight with his imaginary jump rope, hopping and twisting. “Whatever you like to do, do it for one minute. And go!”
He started off skipping then changed it up to some double hops. He glanced down at the phone to see if he could see anyone was on the chat, reporting in on their favorite fake jump rope technique. But instead of the chat, he saw movement behind him on screen. He glanced over his shoulder, grinning. “Oi! Mick!”
Caught like a cartoon jail breaker in a spotlight, he froze, eyes wide. Then he started to slowly back up out of frame.
“Nuh-uh. You know the house rules. If you wander into a live video, you’ve got to join in for three moves. Get over here!”
Grumbling, Mick shuffled his feet on his way around the couch.
“Everyone, this is Mick. Say hi, Mick.”
Mick reluctantly raised his hand in greeting, and Troy was not at all surprised to see a few growls and bear emojis posted in the chat. He felt a slight pang of protectiveness and pride at showing off one of his guys.
“We’ve got a few more seconds of jump rope. Here. Like this to modify.” For Mick’s sake, Troy twirled his wrists as if he were holding a jump rope but drove his legs up in high knee pulls. A jump rope wouldn’t be able to get underneath, but that wasn’t the point. The point was a modification that worked roughly the same parts of the body that was easier on the knees. Mick imitated him, not raising his knees quite as high, but still working. He hadn’t been through the warmup, so Troy wasn’t about to demand full effort from him. Being homebound in a pandemic was not the time to pull a muscle or throw out your back.
“Great!” Troy said, when the minute was up. “Hope you had fun with that move.”
Mick grumbled something even Troy couldn’t make out. He reached over, patting Mick’s sizeable belly. “Smile, darling. It’s a livestream. And our next move is push-ups!”
“Oh good. I can do these,” said Mick.
“I know you can.” That’s why he had brought them up next in the rotation instead of mountain climbers. “For those of you who need to modify, you can go on your knees. And if your knees are a problem, put a folded towel under them and don’t go down as far.” He demonstrated a push-up on his knees. “But for everyone else…” He moved to the side just as Mick’s body went down and up in almost perfect form; Troy was so pleased. And just watching his muscles activate made parts of Troy activate as well. He knew what it felt like to be beneath Mick and have those strong arms pin him down. “Watch your elbows, and keep your head down, neck neutral. Try for a full range of motion.” Mick went down again. “Perfect. All the way down… then all the way back up. No need to hurry. I want proper form here, not a high number. Take ‘em at your own pace. If you’ve got the form down like Mick does, then have at it.” Troy dropped back down and demonstrated a few more modified ones until his silent timer went.
“Great job, everyone. Next up is one of my favorites: Russian twists!”
Mick made a face, and Troy gave his belly a pat. “They’re brilliant, because you can really feel them right here, and know you’re working your abs. So… get in a v-sit position. Legs up if you can. Lean back just a little. Now, do you remember when we drew those rainbows with our bums? We’re going to draw rainbows with our hands this time. Hold your arms straight up above you, clasp your hands, and watch your balance. Then arc them down to your side, a little behind you. Now draw a rainbow with your hands to the other side of your body. Up, that’s it, and down on the other side. A big, colorful rainbow.”
Mick let out a panting sound, kind of a cross between a huff and a whimper.
“If you need to modify, keep your feet on the floor.” Instantly, Mick dropped his heels and sighed with relief. Though, to his credit, he kept pace with the twists, sticking with both Troy and the beat of the music. “There’s no shame in modifying. We all have different abilities, different body types. Some of us have great upper body strength, others have a strong core and are great at balance. Some are amazingly flexible, and others have powerful legs and calves. It’s okay to know your limits. It’s okay to modify if your form is slipping or you know it’s going to damage your body. But don’t say you can’t do something just because it’s hard for you. It’s supposed to challenge you. It’s supposed to burn. That’s how you know it’s working. So, if you can, lift just one foot a little.”
Mick obediently lifted one. A microexpression of pain crossed his face, but he stuck with the move, drawing his rainbow from right to left then back again.
“That’s it.” Troy smiled at him approvingly, and he saw a microexpression of an entirely different sort, one where he was so proud of himself. “All of you at home, I’m sure you’re doing well also. Make sure to keep your gaze fixed on your hands and imagine that rainbow out in front of you.”
“Hey, what should we order for—“ Johnny stopped, staring with wide eyes at the recording setup. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes! Your turn, Johnny!” Troy got up to his feet and offered both his hands to give Mick some leverage to haul himself up as well.
“I’m heading out and tapping you in,” Mick said as he hurried over. He gave Johnny a quick kiss and patted his arm. “Go get ‘em.”
Troy barely had time to wonder how many people out there were clueing into the fact that he was in a polyamorous relationship. Maybe they thought Johnny and Mick were a couple and Troy was just the roommate quarantined with them? In any case, he tried not to worry about what people were thinking because he needed to move on to the next exercise before everyone’s heartrates dropped too significantly.
“Everybody, this is Johnny,” Troy said, gesturing. Johnny waved obligingly at the camera. “And Johnny’s going to join us in high plank for some plank jumps or plank jacks. Whatever you want to call them, you jump your feet out to either side then back again. And if you’re not here with me to jump, it’s also okay to step to one side and back then the other side and back. Are you all ready?” He paused, almost as if he were expecting an answer. He knew there was a delay on the video and any text replies wouldn’t pop up until he was into the exercise anyway. “Ready, Johnny?”
Johnny sighed, getting down into position beside him. “Guess so.”
“And, go!” Troy demonstrated the jumping while Johnny stepped his out at first. About halfway through, his legs must have been feeling a little warmer, because he jumped the last couple. Troy sat up, panting a little. “Great job. Did you see what Johnny did? He changed halfway through, because he was feeling more confident his body could handle it for a short time. Doesn’t hurt to start with a modified version and work your way up over time or even in the same set if you’re feeling good. And if you start off jumping and just can’t take it for the whole time, it’s okay to step out the last ones. There’s no shame in either approach. Just listen to your body and keep moving.”
Johnny patted his shoulder in appreciation, and Troy tingled, really not wanting his body to react the way it usually did when Johnny praised him. There was absolutely nothing hotter in this world than Johnny telling him he was a good boy. “All right, because I’ve got Johnny here, let’s do a combination that works your balance, flexibility, and core strength all at once. Watch me run through it once. We’re going to start in high plank again.” Troy got down and demonstrated. “Then lift your bum up in the air and stretch your hamstrings as you get into downward facing dog like this. Then come back down again into high plank and do a bird dog, extending your right hand and left leg. Then your left hand and right leg. Hold the plank for a second then get back up into down dog. Got it? Plank, downward dog, bird dog on both sides.” Troy sat back on his legs.
“That’s a lot of dogs in one move,” Johnny observed.
“Oh, you can handle it.”
“Didn’t say I couldn’t.” Johnny gave a wink that made Troy just about melt. Then he got right into it, showing the move with grace and flawless form. He didn’t even shake or wobble when he lifted his arm and opposite leg.
Troy grinned, just watching Johnny’s form. “You remember how Mick’s upper body strength made push-ups easy for him? Johnny’s got balance and flexibility on his side. Look how straight he keeps his leg when he raises it. He engages his core to keep himself stable instead of leaning to one side or the other. And he squeezes his glutes and points his toe to get that leg up in perfect form. And that downward dog stretch feels pretty good, too, doesn’t it?” Troy added quickly, realizing that he’d literally just pointed out Johnny’s tight arse to his viewers. If any of them had been wondering where he stood in this relationship, they probably were pretty clear now.
He got into plank and did the set in synch with Johnny, though his body did wobble a little as he bird dogged. It probably wasn’t that obvious on camera, but he did not make it look as effortless as Johnny did.
“And back into plank… and we’re done with that one! Hop up onto your feet with me for some standing bicycles.”
As Troy took them through the move with his elbows bent and each knee raised high as he twisted to it, Johnny followed along beside him. Troy tried to keep up with both the intense cardio and the explanation. “This one’s great to do if you want to work your abs and obliques but don’t have space to get down on the floor. It also gets the heartrate back up again after floor work, so I like it for a good cardio burst. Anything where your arms are raise above your heart will speed your heartrate, but especially moves like this where so much of your body is moving so quick—”
“How are you… talking... through this?” Johnny panted.
Troy chuckled. “Practice, I guess. It’s part of my job.” Johnny glared at him, huffing and puffing as he tried to keep up with the pace. “Keep your stomach pulled in and tight. Using your lower abdominals to raise your knee each time. You have just ten more seconds. Give me ones with perfect form. No sloppiness!” He gave it a few seconds then counted down for them. “And three… two… one! Done!”
Johnny took a few steps back and then collapsed on the couch behind him. Troy laughed. “And that’s exactly what not to do. After a workout, you’ve got to stretch so your muscles don’t get tight.”
Johnny got up but did not join him in the front by the camera again. “You stretch here and talk loudly. I’ll follow along from the kitchen as I make some protein smoothies.”
Troy grinned. “Mmmm.” He went into a side lunge. “Sounds great. All of you at home have earned a cool down and maybe a smoothie, too. Be proud of yourself—other side. Stretch.” He took them through the cooldown stretching all the main groups they’d focused on during the workout. “One last squat everybody. Let’s finish this strong. Breathe in and bring your arms up above your head. Then breathe out and release your hands to draw one final rainbow above you in the air. That’s it!” He let out another deep breath then walked forward a little more to check on chat again.
Grabbing his towel, he wiped it over his sweaty face, even as he smiled at the camera. “I hope you all had an amazing workout today. You can find this on the website or on my channel later today if you want to share it with a special friend… or two.” He wanted so badly to give the camera a wink, but he knew it was a bad idea. So he continued, “Workouts are more fun when you share them, you know. So I want to thank all of you for joining me today. I hope you had a good time. Follow me for more workouts. I’ve got a whole series out for free in honor of Pride month. I hope you have a great rest of your day or night, depending on your time zone. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay fit!” He raised a hand in a wave as he stopped the recording. He waited a few seconds to make sure it had ended and saved properly. Then he relaxed.
“You didn’t stretch, did you?” he called over to the kitchen.
There was a pause and the sound of something plunking into water; that would likely be the fruit being added to the blender. Then there was a reply of “No.” The blender whirred loudly as Troy approached the kitchen. He stood in the doorway, waiting for the noise to end. After Johnny hit the button to stop it, he threw a glance over his shoulder. “Why don’t you come in here and walk me through it.”
“I’m all hot and sweaty after that work—”
“Perfect. You know that’s just how I like you best. C’mere, boy.”
Troy quickly found himself pressed against Johnny’s back, guiding the man’s body through the motions. Each touch felt charged with excitement and an energy he didn’t expect to have after a hard, public workout session. But having Mick and Johnny join him, and knowing Lucas was out there doing the whole set with him as well, made his body hum with pleasure. He closed his eyes, moving automatically with Johnny, rolling their shoulders, stretching their arms over their heads. It was like a beautiful dance where their bodies had merged, moving gracefully as one.
At some point, he realized Mick was in the kitchen. And then, just like that, Mick was behind him, swaying with them as they bent to one side then the other. As they straightened back up, he heard a gulp that could only mean Mick had taken it upon himself to taste test the smoothie. There was a chuckle from the man in front of him… and then one from the man behind him. Troy knew he had earned his cool down. And now he was going to do what it took to earn his smoothie.
Troy Earns a Smoothie
Troy fiddled with the angle of the phone even as the video stream went live. It was an honor to be spotlighted for a workout on this fitness channel. It meant showing what he had to offer to hundreds or even thousands of new enthusiasts of all levels. It meant a worldwide audience. It meant the potential for new clients. And now, during the pandemic, all of that meant being able to pay for his share of food and utilities. So he was eager to do a good job, or at least just not fuck up.
“Hello out there, internet! How are you all doing today?” He watched the flurry of activity in the chat stream as people chimed in with positive answers. “That’s good. I know I’ve been struggling during this time, so it’s okay if you don’t feel great. Maybe this is your morning workout, and you haven’t had your coffee yet. Maybe this is your evening workout and you had a horrible day. Maybe it’s the middle of the day and you’re filled with anxiety? However you’re feeling is all right. Just know that I’m here with you for the next thirty minutes, and you’ve got—oooh, looks like about two hundred and fifty now—people who are here with you as well. Cheers, luvs!”
He backed up a little bit, checking the image on his phone to make sure he stayed properly in frame. “I’m going to start with a warm-up while I get the introduction going, so I don’t waste any more of the time you chose to spend here with me. Not everybody has a home gym, and that’s okay. You don’t need any equipment for this workout, but if you have a mat and want to use it, you certainly can. I’ll just be on the carpet here, myself, though I’ve moved the couch back to give myself a little extra space. That was my pre-warmup warmup.” He saw some thumbs-up emojis sail past. The viewer count was rocketing past three hundred now. “Let’s start with shoulder rolls going back.” He started rolling his shoulders, elbows out a little to exaggerate and make the movement visible.
“I’m Troy from Go Figure, and I am thrilled to be here with you today. Let’s do some lunges next to get those legs warm. Try to touch your knee to the ground if you can. If you don’t have full range of motion, that’s perfectly okay. Just do enough to give a good stretch.” He demonstrated a few normal lunges, a few modified ones, and then went back to the normal ones.
“Okay,” he said, getting up to his feet. “Star jumps for thirty seconds. For those across the pond, they are also called jumping jacks. And I don’t want to see any complaining. First person who complains has to switch to burpees. That’s my rule.” He started jumping. “Because… I… hate… burpees.” He said between jumps, slightly breathless. After finishing, he modeled a stretch with his legs wide and hands reaching for his right foot then his left. “You know, sometimes it’s good to do those exercises you hate. But it feels even better to do exercises you love. So I hope you’ll find at least one move in this workout that you absolutely love. Chime in on the comments about it when you find it, all right?”
There wasn’t a whole lot of chatter in the chat, apart from emojis. Troy hoped that meant everybody was busy stretching and warming up with him. “And shake it out… that’s great, luvs.” He came closer again, so he could read the chat a little better. “As you might be able to tell from my accent, I’m here quarantining at home in my flat in the UK. Where are you all right now?”
He had barely got the words out when a wave of responses came back at him. People really were tuning into his stream from all over the world. “Rachel from Australia, gday! Shomir from India. Laurel from Frankfort. Ah, Emrick in Cardif! So close, and yet so far, mate. And I see a few from London! Fantastic! And—“ His whole demeanor changed for a couple seconds, his trainer persona and energy level dropping. He went softer. And the smile on his face grew genuine. “Lucas from America. Hey there Lucas. That’s a surprise. What’s it, like, three in the morning for you?”
He scanned the chat. Given the issue of time zones, he wasn’t surprised that most of the viewers were tuning in from somewhere in Europe. Hundreds of others were chiming in with their locations, however he could easily pick out Lucas’ familiar user icon and response amidst them all. Lucas typed back, ‘Just after 3. David’s still asleep, but I’m ready to work hard for you.’ Oh, the things that did to his insides. Thank goodness for those star jacks taking some of his energy, or he’d have something embarrassing to worry about showing on camera.
With a quick breath, he shifted back into trainer mode. “Thank you all for being here today, or tonight, as the case may be in your time zone. Now that we’re all warmed up, let’s get right into it. This is a full-body workout, and I want you to concentrate on doing each move right, focusing on your muscle groups and moving your body the right way. Don’t worry about keeping up at my pace. As long as you’re moving, you’re working.”
He began the first move. “I want your legs spread a little wider than shoulder width, toes slightly pointing outward. Now come down into a squat. Stick that bum out behind you. Pulse here for three then come up and squeeze your cheeks together. Work those muscles! Tighter! Good. Now down again and pulse. Chest up, luvs! Be tall and proud even when you’re in a squat! That’s it.” He couldn’t see any of them, but he had faith they were with him. It was only the first move, after all.
He had a laptop behind his phone with a digital clock counting down to help him keep track of the time, and when he hit thirty seconds worth of repetitions, he stopped everyone. “You feel that in your legs and your bum, yeah?”
“Next one is going to be down on the floor. We’re doing a forearm plank hold for ten and then right into tilting from one side to the other, because who doesn’t love a good rainbow, right luvs?” He got down, glancing up again at his phone to make sure he was still in frame. The top of his head was cut off, but the rest was fine. “Abs in, legs straight, distribute the weight. And hold for ten, nine…” he counted down, hoping he wasn’t rushing too much. “… two, one. Now stay on your forearms and pull your left hip toward the floor or your mat, but keep your upper body as stationary as possible. Then back up and tilt your right hip toward the floor. Draw a rainbow with your bum, but keep your top half from leaning to the side, if you can and keep your bum from sticking up too far.” He did a mental count of ten on each side.
Troy took them through a whole set of exercises, one after the other. He walked them through proper form verbally while demonstrating, naturally synching his movements to the beat of the music he had playing on his laptop as well. Online workouts like this were so much different from his in person training sessions or even the one-on-one video training sessions he had been doing, because he had to hope everyone was following his directions well. He tried to keep them motivated and provided tips, but the responsibility was still theirs to keep up and follow along. And the responsibility was his to make a workout they wanted to keep up with.
“Back up on your feet for a cardio burst! This is where I like my clients to get creative. Pretend you have a jump rope and show me your best move. Maybe it’s hopping lightly. Maybe you’re just giving me high knees. Maybe skipping or jumping on one leg.” He demonstrated each of these as he listed them. “You can even swing it at diagonals and work your obliques a little with a twist.” He drew a figure eight with his imaginary jump rope, hopping and twisting. “Whatever you like to do, do it for one minute. And go!”
He started off skipping then changed it up to some double hops. He glanced down at the phone to see if he could see anyone was on the chat, reporting in on their favorite fake jump rope technique. But instead of the chat, he saw movement behind him on screen. He glanced over his shoulder, grinning. “Oi! Mick!”
Caught like a cartoon jail breaker in a spotlight, he froze, eyes wide. Then he started to slowly back up out of frame.
“Nuh-uh. You know the house rules. If you wander into a live video, you’ve got to join in for three moves. Get over here!”
Grumbling, Mick shuffled his feet on his way around the couch.
“Everyone, this is Mick. Say hi, Mick.”
Mick reluctantly raised his hand in greeting, and Troy was not at all surprised to see a few growls and bear emojis posted in the chat. He felt a slight pang of protectiveness and pride at showing off one of his guys.
“We’ve got a few more seconds of jump rope. Here. Like this to modify.” For Mick’s sake, Troy twirled his wrists as if he were holding a jump rope but drove his legs up in high knee pulls. A jump rope wouldn’t be able to get underneath, but that wasn’t the point. The point was a modification that worked roughly the same parts of the body that was easier on the knees. Mick imitated him, not raising his knees quite as high, but still working. He hadn’t been through the warmup, so Troy wasn’t about to demand full effort from him. Being homebound in a pandemic was not the time to pull a muscle or throw out your back.
“Great!” Troy said, when the minute was up. “Hope you had fun with that move.”
Mick grumbled something even Troy couldn’t make out. He reached over, patting Mick’s sizeable belly. “Smile, darling. It’s a livestream. And our next move is push-ups!”
“Oh good. I can do these,” said Mick.
“I know you can.” That’s why he had brought them up next in the rotation instead of mountain climbers. “For those of you who need to modify, you can go on your knees. And if your knees are a problem, put a folded towel under them and don’t go down as far.” He demonstrated a push-up on his knees. “But for everyone else…” He moved to the side just as Mick’s body went down and up in almost perfect form; Troy was so pleased. And just watching his muscles activate made parts of Troy activate as well. He knew what it felt like to be beneath Mick and have those strong arms pin him down. “Watch your elbows, and keep your head down, neck neutral. Try for a full range of motion.” Mick went down again. “Perfect. All the way down… then all the way back up. No need to hurry. I want proper form here, not a high number. Take ‘em at your own pace. If you’ve got the form down like Mick does, then have at it.” Troy dropped back down and demonstrated a few more modified ones until his silent timer went.
“Great job, everyone. Next up is one of my favorites: Russian twists!”
Mick made a face, and Troy gave his belly a pat. “They’re brilliant, because you can really feel them right here, and know you’re working your abs. So… get in a v-sit position. Legs up if you can. Lean back just a little. Now, do you remember when we drew those rainbows with our bums? We’re going to draw rainbows with our hands this time. Hold your arms straight up above you, clasp your hands, and watch your balance. Then arc them down to your side, a little behind you. Now draw a rainbow with your hands to the other side of your body. Up, that’s it, and down on the other side. A big, colorful rainbow.”
Mick let out a panting sound, kind of a cross between a huff and a whimper.
“If you need to modify, keep your feet on the floor.” Instantly, Mick dropped his heels and sighed with relief. Though, to his credit, he kept pace with the twists, sticking with both Troy and the beat of the music. “There’s no shame in modifying. We all have different abilities, different body types. Some of us have great upper body strength, others have a strong core and are great at balance. Some are amazingly flexible, and others have powerful legs and calves. It’s okay to know your limits. It’s okay to modify if your form is slipping or you know it’s going to damage your body. But don’t say you can’t do something just because it’s hard for you. It’s supposed to challenge you. It’s supposed to burn. That’s how you know it’s working. So, if you can, lift just one foot a little.”
Mick obediently lifted one. A microexpression of pain crossed his face, but he stuck with the move, drawing his rainbow from right to left then back again.
“That’s it.” Troy smiled at him approvingly, and he saw a microexpression of an entirely different sort, one where he was so proud of himself. “All of you at home, I’m sure you’re doing well also. Make sure to keep your gaze fixed on your hands and imagine that rainbow out in front of you.”
“Hey, what should we order for—“ Johnny stopped, staring with wide eyes at the recording setup. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes! Your turn, Johnny!” Troy got up to his feet and offered both his hands to give Mick some leverage to haul himself up as well.
“I’m heading out and tapping you in,” Mick said as he hurried over. He gave Johnny a quick kiss and patted his arm. “Go get ‘em.”
Troy barely had time to wonder how many people out there were clueing into the fact that he was in a polyamorous relationship. Maybe they thought Johnny and Mick were a couple and Troy was just the roommate quarantined with them? In any case, he tried not to worry about what people were thinking because he needed to move on to the next exercise before everyone’s heartrates dropped too significantly.
“Everybody, this is Johnny,” Troy said, gesturing. Johnny waved obligingly at the camera. “And Johnny’s going to join us in high plank for some plank jumps or plank jacks. Whatever you want to call them, you jump your feet out to either side then back again. And if you’re not here with me to jump, it’s also okay to step to one side and back then the other side and back. Are you all ready?” He paused, almost as if he were expecting an answer. He knew there was a delay on the video and any text replies wouldn’t pop up until he was into the exercise anyway. “Ready, Johnny?”
Johnny sighed, getting down into position beside him. “Guess so.”
“And, go!” Troy demonstrated the jumping while Johnny stepped his out at first. About halfway through, his legs must have been feeling a little warmer, because he jumped the last couple. Troy sat up, panting a little. “Great job. Did you see what Johnny did? He changed halfway through, because he was feeling more confident his body could handle it for a short time. Doesn’t hurt to start with a modified version and work your way up over time or even in the same set if you’re feeling good. And if you start off jumping and just can’t take it for the whole time, it’s okay to step out the last ones. There’s no shame in either approach. Just listen to your body and keep moving.”
Johnny patted his shoulder in appreciation, and Troy tingled, really not wanting his body to react the way it usually did when Johnny praised him. There was absolutely nothing hotter in this world than Johnny telling him he was a good boy. “All right, because I’ve got Johnny here, let’s do a combination that works your balance, flexibility, and core strength all at once. Watch me run through it once. We’re going to start in high plank again.” Troy got down and demonstrated. “Then lift your bum up in the air and stretch your hamstrings as you get into downward facing dog like this. Then come back down again into high plank and do a bird dog, extending your right hand and left leg. Then your left hand and right leg. Hold the plank for a second then get back up into down dog. Got it? Plank, downward dog, bird dog on both sides.” Troy sat back on his legs.
“That’s a lot of dogs in one move,” Johnny observed.
“Oh, you can handle it.”
“Didn’t say I couldn’t.” Johnny gave a wink that made Troy just about melt. Then he got right into it, showing the move with grace and flawless form. He didn’t even shake or wobble when he lifted his arm and opposite leg.
Troy grinned, just watching Johnny’s form. “You remember how Mick’s upper body strength made push-ups easy for him? Johnny’s got balance and flexibility on his side. Look how straight he keeps his leg when he raises it. He engages his core to keep himself stable instead of leaning to one side or the other. And he squeezes his glutes and points his toe to get that leg up in perfect form. And that downward dog stretch feels pretty good, too, doesn’t it?” Troy added quickly, realizing that he’d literally just pointed out Johnny’s tight arse to his viewers. If any of them had been wondering where he stood in this relationship, they probably were pretty clear now.
He got into plank and did the set in synch with Johnny, though his body did wobble a little as he bird dogged. It probably wasn’t that obvious on camera, but he did not make it look as effortless as Johnny did.
“And back into plank… and we’re done with that one! Hop up onto your feet with me for some standing bicycles.”
As Troy took them through the move with his elbows bent and each knee raised high as he twisted to it, Johnny followed along beside him. Troy tried to keep up with both the intense cardio and the explanation. “This one’s great to do if you want to work your abs and obliques but don’t have space to get down on the floor. It also gets the heartrate back up again after floor work, so I like it for a good cardio burst. Anything where your arms are raise above your heart will speed your heartrate, but especially moves like this where so much of your body is moving so quick—”
“How are you… talking... through this?” Johnny panted.
Troy chuckled. “Practice, I guess. It’s part of my job.” Johnny glared at him, huffing and puffing as he tried to keep up with the pace. “Keep your stomach pulled in and tight. Using your lower abdominals to raise your knee each time. You have just ten more seconds. Give me ones with perfect form. No sloppiness!” He gave it a few seconds then counted down for them. “And three… two… one! Done!”
Johnny took a few steps back and then collapsed on the couch behind him. Troy laughed. “And that’s exactly what not to do. After a workout, you’ve got to stretch so your muscles don’t get tight.”
Johnny got up but did not join him in the front by the camera again. “You stretch here and talk loudly. I’ll follow along from the kitchen as I make some protein smoothies.”
Troy grinned. “Mmmm.” He went into a side lunge. “Sounds great. All of you at home have earned a cool down and maybe a smoothie, too. Be proud of yourself—other side. Stretch.” He took them through the cooldown stretching all the main groups they’d focused on during the workout. “One last squat everybody. Let’s finish this strong. Breathe in and bring your arms up above your head. Then breathe out and release your hands to draw one final rainbow above you in the air. That’s it!” He let out another deep breath then walked forward a little more to check on chat again.
Grabbing his towel, he wiped it over his sweaty face, even as he smiled at the camera. “I hope you all had an amazing workout today. You can find this on the website or on my channel later today if you want to share it with a special friend… or two.” He wanted so badly to give the camera a wink, but he knew it was a bad idea. So he continued, “Workouts are more fun when you share them, you know. So I want to thank all of you for joining me today. I hope you had a good time. Follow me for more workouts. I’ve got a whole series out for free in honor of Pride month. I hope you have a great rest of your day or night, depending on your time zone. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay fit!” He raised a hand in a wave as he stopped the recording. He waited a few seconds to make sure it had ended and saved properly. Then he relaxed.
“You didn’t stretch, did you?” he called over to the kitchen.
There was a pause and the sound of something plunking into water; that would likely be the fruit being added to the blender. Then there was a reply of “No.” The blender whirred loudly as Troy approached the kitchen. He stood in the doorway, waiting for the noise to end. After Johnny hit the button to stop it, he threw a glance over his shoulder. “Why don’t you come in here and walk me through it.”
“I’m all hot and sweaty after that work—”
“Perfect. You know that’s just how I like you best. C’mere, boy.”
Troy quickly found himself pressed against Johnny’s back, guiding the man’s body through the motions. Each touch felt charged with excitement and an energy he didn’t expect to have after a hard, public workout session. But having Mick and Johnny join him, and knowing Lucas was out there doing the whole set with him as well, made his body hum with pleasure. He closed his eyes, moving automatically with Johnny, rolling their shoulders, stretching their arms over their heads. It was like a beautiful dance where their bodies had merged, moving gracefully as one.
At some point, he realized Mick was in the kitchen. And then, just like that, Mick was behind him, swaying with them as they bent to one side then the other. As they straightened back up, he heard a gulp that could only mean Mick had taken it upon himself to taste test the smoothie. There was a chuckle from the man in front of him… and then one from the man behind him. Troy knew he had earned his cool down. And now he was going to do what it took to earn his smoothie.
Aw!
Date: 2020-08-11 03:30 am (UTC)