The Gym - a play about bodybuilding
One of my hobbies is writing, I recently finished the first draft of a play simply called 'The Gym.' It is about the hardcore bodybuilding gym that I have been going to for the last six years. I've been writing it since January 1st (my new year resolution to do it because I've had the idea in my head for years). Yesterday I sadly heard that my gym is going to close at the end of the week. I hope I'm going to get my money back because I paid for a year and have ten months of my membership remaining. But even if I don't I'll never lose the memories of the hard training that goes on there.
The play is about John, a teacher new to bodybuilding. He joins a hardcore bodybuilder’s gym to get more muscular and boost his confidence. There he meets Ron,a retired amateur bodybuilder who has pains but won’t go to the doctor. He thinks they are because of the many years of training but in reality he has got cancer. Thinking he is indestructible he doesn't go to the doctor until it is too late. But that is not before he has inspired Phil, a young bodybuilder about to enter his first competition. Phil has been training for a few years and just started taking steroids in order to get bigger and be in with a chance to win.
The scene below comes right near the end of the play, just after John and Phil have found out that Ron has died. It shows the legacy that Ron has left the two younger bodybuilders. John describes how, as a teacher, he uses the lifestyle of bodybuilding to motivate the students in his school to make progress with their education:
continued.....
John: Actually what Ron taught me about bodybuilding has been very useful at school. I did an assembly last week where bodybuilding was an analogy. I stood in front of 180 year 7 students holding a bar.
John picks up a bar.
John: I told them that we all have desires in life. Whether it to be a doctor or play for Manchester United or more simply, to be a better person. I told them that my desire was to get in better shape. A desire motivated by a need to be healthier, to have more self confidence and ultimately be happier. I said that nothing will happen though if you don’t do the work first.
Phil: I see where you are going, nice link to school!
John: But you can’t do everything at once. You can’t focus on your history homework at the same time as your French.
Phil: You don’t train your calfs at the same time as your chest!
John: That’s right. I told them that I was going to start by focusing on my biceps.
Phil: Good place to start, if you ask anyone to show their muscles they always show their guns first.
Phil flexes his biceps in the mirror.
John: Ron of course would have done some squats or deadlifts. But curls are easier to show an audience.
John starts curling the bar.
John: So I started curling, slowly and carefully. I told them that I was thinking about the biceps. Not my shoulders or my chest but just that one body part. At that time I saw one kid on his mobile phone.
Phil: A common distraction at the gym these days.
John: Even at this gym. I said that if my mind was distracted, I wouldn’t be giving it my best. But most importantly I said that if I didn’t do enough work, my arms would not improve.
Phil: And if you do too much you’d over train!
John: That’s right.
John stops curling and puts the bar down on the floor.
John: I told them that it was important to rest so that you are recovered before the next set.
Phil: But for not too long or they’ll do ten minutes work and two hours TV!
John: Yep! Ron always used to say to rest only long enough between sets to get enough oxygen back into your muscles so you had maximum energy for the next. I told them after hard work to take a short break but then it’s straight back to work.
Phil: But harder the next time yeah? Or your biceps will stay the same.
John: Absolutely. I said that if I kept doing the same weight then I would not make any more progress. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want my life to always be the same. I wanted to be bigger, better. I linked it to being at school. I said my arms needed to be challenged like they needed to be challenged by the work at school. And that can only be done by making it more ‘intense.’
Phil: Ron’s favourite word.
John: He taught me that it is probably the most important word in the gym. I asked the kids what I should do.
Phil: They knew didn’t they.
John: Kids are always quick to catch on. They shouted ‘put more weight on!’
John adds extra weights on either side.
Phil: They probably wanted to see you throw up everywhere.
John: I don’t think many of them knew much about hardcore bodybuilding. Although, they probably would have found that quite funny, like seeing me not be able to lift the weight.
John lifts the bar.
John: I actually purposely told them that I was just adding a bit more than last time. I was progressing one step at a time.
Phil: Didn’t try to show off then.
John: That wasn’t the point. Although it did feel good showing everybody one year of hard work.
.
John curls the bar, much harder than the first time.
Phil: You should have stripped down and started posing!
John abruptly stops curling.
John: I’m a teacher! I can’t stand there in front of 180 kids wearing only my jock strap! It doesn’t matter if it is educational!
Phil: You should have invited me along. I’d have shown them a few poses.
Phil shows a bit of his posing routine.
John: It was just an analogy Phil. I just wanted them to see that they won’t progress at school if it doesn’t get harder. Imagine how you would look if you’d never tried to go heavier.
Phil: I could never go back to those days. All saggy skin. I was desperate to get bigger.
John: And this would have been a good time to tell them not to take drugs but I didn’t.
Phil: I told you why I started taking them.
John: It wasn’t a lecture on drugs. Although it would have helped explain why it’s not good to cheat.
Phil: Not if everybody takes them.
John: This was about the value of hard work. How it can hurt but the rewards far outweigh the pain.
John does some more reps and his face is starting to show the pain.
Phil: No pain, no gain.
John: Just like Ron taught me! I kept going but the lactic acid was building up in my arms. I was starting to fail.
John struggles to lift the bar.
John: I told them I couldn’t move the weight one more bit.
Phil: So you started swinging the weight?
John: I told them I could swing it, but that would be cheating. My biceps would grow better if I did the exercise correctly. I got to the point that I was struggling to do even one rep.
John stops curling and lets the bar hang downwards.
Phil: You did some forced reps.
John: Yep, just like Ron did for me on my very first exercise. Remember that first bench press?
Phil: Didn’t you throw up? I knew you were going to throw up. You were just saving it to the end.
John: As I said before I did not throw up! Anyway, that was after hamstrings, not the bench! Anyway I got one of the kids to come up and help me. I’ll show you.
John does one more forced rep helped by Phil. Then John puts the bar back down on the ground.
John: (out of breath) I told them that if they are stuck, however hard it is, I, and all the other teachers would help them. Not too much though, otherwise it’s too easy. But just enough to help them get to the next level of progress.
Phil: What was their reaction?
John: The other teachers were really impressed. I think the kids got the idea, although one kid asked if I was on steroids.
Phil: Really! Did you take it as a complement?
John: What that I’m so big that I look like I’m taking drugs! That’s the kind of thing that you hear at this gym but this is a different world.
Phil: What did you say?
John: Well it was a good question because I could relate it to life. I said that you’ll always find ways to cheat but it is much more rewarding if you don’t.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
I have written 70 pages so far and hope to do a read through of the full play with the local drama group that I belong to.