The Aegis of Noah Hart

19-Just Another Day

For the next several days, Noah fleshes out a new routine. Each day around 4pm and 4am he would "take a break" or use the Dura to travel back to the city of Echo on Velos. He would access a property owned by the princess, an abandoned hotel in fact, to stop and do homework, prayer and relax by reading to himself before catching up on sleep. When he returned from Velos, less than five minutes had passed each time so it was as if he had never left. He found the freedom to stay out at night, traveling the world to be the most freeing and natural. 

Noah felt the most stressed during the seven hours he spent at school each day. Either anxious to get back out to help people, their cries for help ringing in his mind, or the drama and boredom of school disturbing as always until the last bell chimed liberating him. Perhaps one thing Noah did look forward to about school was sneaking into the weight room in the twilight of the morning before anyone else arrived.

Confirming he's completely alone, Noah smiles to himself as he marches across the gym wearing only a pair of black gym trunks he purchased the day before, the size the same as he old shorts but the fit just right. Noah approaches one of three barbells prepared for this morning's workout and taps it slowly with each of his shins. The spongy mat below his bare feet feels much warmer and softer than the iron touching his bare skin. Dropping his bottom down and knees out, he brings his hands around the bar then launches upward, pushing his thighs into the bar and folding his elbows under the two hundred twenty five pounds so that the bar comes to rest on his shoulders in one fluid motion. Now fully standing with his fingers touching his shoulders and elbows pointing out by his ears, Noah takes a breath.

"1..."

When he reaches ten repetitions, Noah lowers his elbows then lets the bar drop to the floor. The rubber plates bounce and clang before his feet as designed. He pauses and looks around the room. Doing his best to sense anyone outside of the gym, he finds no one except some birds in the trees outside and proceeds to his next station. 

Stepping into a squat rack, he sits down on a bench and lays back, craning his head around the bar as he gets into position for bench press. Stretching his arms out straight before him as he tucks his feet into the bench, Noah lowers the bar down toward his sternum. With a slow exhale, he lifts three hundred pounds above his face and then repeats. When he's finished, he racks the weight and gets back up for the final station before him. 

Approaching the bar as first one, Noah brings his shins into contact with the metal and wraps his fingers around the bar. This time tucking in his chin as he stands straight up, Noah lifts four hundred fifty pounds off the ground. Once he reaches a full stance, he pauses, lowers back to the ground and repeats as before.

Once he completes the exercise, he rounds the room going through the circuit as before. 

Hmph. I remember when I used to struggle with doing pushups or just felt out of breath walking around campus with my backpack on. I'm modifying this routine for someone heavier than me and still feel like I'm breezing through it. Well maybe not breezing...

Noah grits his teeth as he cleans the first bar from the floor for a ninth time then pauses for a moment to catch his breath. As he's about to drop the bar, his phone lights up across the room and begins to ring. Noah startles and drops the wright nearly crushing his bare toes.

"OH! GEEZ! What-who's calling me? Oh..."

Noah rushes over to the phone and clicks answer then speaker.

"Hey Phil!"

"Phil? HEY! What are you doing up?"

"Hey, Noah! HA HA! Me? I always get up this early, remember?"