Courtney arrived at the campus fitness center ready for a workout. Soccer practice was set to resume with strict guidelines from the NCAA and the University. Naturally, the Coach thought each player should have a private session with the strength trainer to avoid overcrowding.
It was a necessary plan. Although she missed the comradery and sisterhood of a sports team, the fact was, the statewide lockdown had surely taken its toll on everyone's athleticism to some degree. With the level of competition they faced, everybody needed to be at their peak.
She greeted the trainer, a fit black woman in her mid-30's who kept her curly hair in a tight bun, wore a small sports bra that showed off some serious abs, and wore leggings which revealed firm thighs.
After spending a few moments catching up on everything, it was straight to work.
"There's good news for you," Sasha said, with her trademark upbeat attitude and high energy. "You're the last player for the morning session and you get to use the sauna for as long as you want. Now come on, I need to gauge your current fitness level."
For the next 20 minutes, Courtney was put through an extensive warm-up routine of dynamic stretching and light cardio. For the following 20 minutes, she did higher intensity cardio on the treadmill and later the stair machine.
In between, Sasha would measure her heart rate and write down the results. When it was all done, her entire body was glazed with sweat.
"Not bad," Sasha noted, jotting a few more things on a clipboard. "Better than the other girls, actually."
"That's not totally surprising," Courtney smiled.
The trainer smiled back and raised an eyebrow. "Anything I should know about?"
"Just the usual. A lot of players were nearly homeless when the dorms closed down. Plus with all the classes being finished online, it was crazy. No one knew what was going on."
"I can imagine. It sounded like a real shit-show from everything I've been hearing."
"Exactly," Courtney nodded. "Soccer and hardcore workouts were the last things on our minds, even though we love this."
"For sure, but I hope you're ready for more."
"I always am."
Sasha prepared to write on her clipboard again. "Since we'll be working on a 1-on-1 basis for a while, I figured we might as well do personalized training. So, Courtney, what kind of specialized training do you want?"
The answer was a no-brainer for Courtney. It had immediately dawned on her that during the quarantine, the majority of her outdoor running had been hour-long jogs, which were intended to maintain a baseline fitness.
For an attacking midfielder, that wasn't going to cut it. Her position was strenuous and required her to be in the best shape possible.
"Speed and strength," Courtney replied without hesitation.
"You looked pretty quick today, but alright. I'll see what we can come up with."
When Sasha wrote down a couple notes, Courtney felt a compulsive urge to take full advantage of the situation, since she never had personalized training before.
"Can I add something else?" Courtney asked.
"Anything. I'm here for you."
Courtney outstretched her bare arms. "The guns could use some work."
"Is that so?" Sasha laughed. "It's a vanity thing, I'm assuming."
"Well... not exactly vanity, but I'm tired of having scrawny arms and thick calves. It just looks weird."
"For the record, you look great. It's normal for women to want to look sexy on the field. Hey, style is important, right?"
"Perfectly stated, if I may say so."
The trainer wrote it down. "Uh huh... note to self.... take Courtney to the gun show."
"Ha! You know what I mean though. A routine for my arms would be great. Oh, and I don't want to neglect my speed, either. My position is speed based and I really love those agility drills we did on the track last season. I felt a noticeable improvement after a while."
"Ask, and you shall receive." Sasha jotted down more notes. "Since you're the last girl in the morning session, we can use the indoor track for as long as you want."
Courtney beamed, "I'll have to take full advantage of that."
"You better."
When their session ended, the trainer sprayed the area with disinfectants and wiped everything down, while Courtney took a second to admire the beauty that was in front of her.
She watched Sasha's muscles ripple while bending over to wipe the mat. She had always thought the trainer was attractive, having an enticing blend of strength, fierce features, and an infectious personality. Taking a moment to appraise the trainer was an indulgence.
***
The session on Thursday was grueling as expected. Sweat dripped down Courtney's forehead as she endured a rigorous routine that was a mixture of slow and explosive reps. It felt like every part of her upper body had been targeted in ways she had never felt before. Many of the exercises were new to her and she loved that.
"Told ya," Sasha gloated with an evil grin. "You want arms, I'm giving them to you."
Courtney almost wanted to laugh at the trainer's glee. At this point, her arms were like jello and she knew she was going to be stiff later.
It was also the first time she had seen Sasha so happy. The trainer was a machine when it came to fitness, taking that responsibility with the utmost seriousness.
Surprise, surprise
, Sasha had a soft side to her, Courtney thought.
"Admit it, you did this on purpose," Courtney replied, shaking her arms. "You liked torturing me."
"What gave that away? The dumbbells or the reps?"
"Both."
"What's your next poison?" Sasha asked. "Or are you ready for the cooldown and stretches so you can leave?"
Courtney checked the clock on the wall. "We haven't gotten to my legs yet."
"We can save that for next time. I don't want you depleted."
"I know my body. I still have fuel in the tank."
Sasha thought for a moment. "Alright, how about a circuit of sprints, box jumps, and lunges? Pretty soon those legs are gonna feel like your arms."
"You're going to try and break me," Courtney said, as if accepting a dare.