Strength Beyond Strength

The next morning, Chris met everyone in town. The sky was still the same dull shade as it had been for the previous 24 hours.

"Okay. It looks like we're all here."

"Excuse me," Rarity questioned, "I know we're supposed to get really strong, but is there a way to do it without the muscle tone?"

"Don't worry. I already took that into account. I'll show you how it works."

"Why do we have to get strong, too," Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah," Sweetie Belle wondered.

"I think it could be fun," Scootaloo cut in, "We could be cutie mark crusader superheroes!"

"Think about it this way, Apple Bloom; you want to help me and Big Mac on the farm, right? This is a good way to do it."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

"You guys seem really tightly knit," Chris noted, "That's good. This is going to rely a lot on moral support."

"You said it yourself, right? No soldier gets left behind," Twilight reminded him.

She wrapped a foreleg around Spike.

"That's right. I did."

"So, what's first on the list?"

"You guys have a gym in town, right?"

"We do."

"Alright. They should have everything we need; specifically jump ropes, treadmills, and weights."

"Should we go?"

"Not yet. The biggest thing that's going to help is diet. I wrote down diet plans for everyone on these pamphlets. Scan them over and tell me what you think."

Everyone took a pamphlet and started reading.

"I see," Twilight said, "There are diet plans for burning body fat and improving muscle. I wasn't actually aware of that before."

"The form your body takes stems from your type of diet, the calories you eat, and the weights you lift. I trained using both heavy weights and low repetitions and light weights with higher repetitions. Both types increase your strength, but they cause different types of muscle hypertrophy. Heavier weights pack on more muscle. Lighter weights tone the muscle you already have and increase your muscular endurance."

"I don't know if weightlifting would be the safest thing for the younger ones here."

"Glad you brought that up. You're right. It's not. But they can hold very light amounts of weight. The best thing to do would be to get them each a set of four one pound weights; one for each limb."

"Like strapped weights to put around their arms and legs?"

"Exactly. You want to put them on the lower portions of each limb for the best resistance."

"I understand."

"We're not doing weight lifting today. That comes tomorrow. Today, we're starting off with the easiest form of cardio there is; brisk walking."

"Brisk walking?"

"We honestly don't even need the gym today. We can just walk a little faster than usual around town."

"Sounds easy enough. How long should we walk for?"

"About an hour. There's debate about how long to exercise each day. It ranges between half an hour to two hours, so we're taking the middle ground and doing one."

"Seems reasonable."

"I'll carry the pamphlets until we're done."

"Alright."

Chris put the pamphlets in his pockets, careful not to crumple them.

"Let's move out."

"That was more exhausting than I thought it would be," Rainbow Dash mentioned.

"When you spend a bunch of time buckin' apples, I guess it doesn't wear you out as much," Applejack replied.

"Consistent hard work increases your cardiovascular endurance. A little walk is a piece of cake for farmers."

"Um...Chris," Rarity was curious, "When you mentioned body fat earlier, what exactly were you meaning?"

"Oh God, no! I didn't mean for that to come out wrong. What I meant is, the lower our body fat, the faster and longer we can move."

"How lean are we trying to get," Twilight asked.

"Men can be as low as five percent body fat. I'm actually a little higher than that because I needed to be. I'm at about eight or nine percent. Women can be anywhere between ten to thirteen percent. It's hard to calculate without measuring tools, but you'll know when you're nearing that point."

"Rarity, I'm tired. Can we go home?"

"Is that okay, Chris?"

"Yeah. Here's everybody's pamphlets. Remember to eat for your preferred body type. Get plenty of sleep tonight. Rest is essential for muscle recovery. We start strength training tomorrow morning."

"Why are we going to Canterlot, Twilight?"

"I want to confirm or discredit my theory."

"You mean about the princess?"

"Yeah..."

Chris stayed at the local inn that night. Not only did he have to plan for tomorrow's lifting schedule, but there was a key element he'd forgotten to bring up: survival skills. He wrote all the information down as quickly as he could before turning in.

"Training ponies and dragons, huh? Can't say that's a usual part of the job description."

Everyone met up in front of the town fountain at about nine in the morning. Rainbow Dash barely showed up on time.

"How are you guys feeling today?"

"We're in pretty good condition, all things considered," Twilight responded.

"Excellent. Then it's time to get started. Lead the way to the gym."

"You heard him, Rainbow."

"Wonder if Bulk is gonna' be there."

"Isn't he always?"

"True."

"Here it is."

"It's nice and small too," Chris commented.

"Why do you prefer smaller gyms," Twilight asked.

"The environment is less focused on socialization and more on the training process. We need to work as hard as we can with the time we're given."

"I can see that," Rainbow Dash agreed.

"Let's go."

"Right," they concurred simultaneously with unified nods.

"I'll go pay the guy at the counter," Rainbow offered.

"Thanks."

"So, what's first," Twilight wanted to know.

"Everything is on this list."

Chris gave Twilight a piece of papyrus, which she levitated over to herself and her friends. Written on it were detailed instructions on the exercises and how to perform them.

"Twilight, Rarity, Applejack; I need to borrow the younger ones while we're here."

"Right; they shouldn't lift yet."

"They can do bodyweight exercises; push ups, pull ups, crunches, and plyometrics."

"Plyometrics?"

"Jumping exercises."

"Guess I should've studied a little more."

"Don't sweat it. Sometimes you have to learn through practice."

"I guess we're ready."

"Okay. We'll be over where the boxes and mats are."

"We'll meet you there when we're done."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Let's start with the dumbbell curls," Twilight instructed her part of the crew, "The list says to grab two each between 30 to 50 pounds."

"Fluttershy and I are newer to physical activity. We'll use the lighter ones," Rarity stated.

"Me and Pinkie will take the 40s. Rainbow, you and Applejack can handle the 50s, right?"

"No problem," Rainbow answered confidently.

"Let's rock and roll," Pinkie chimed in.

"Okay guys. You're probably wondering why you can't lift yet, right?"

"Yeah. What gives," Scootaloo asked.

"Simply put, your bodies are too small. You aren't able to handle the pressure of external weight yet. It'll be a few years before you're ready for that. Instead, we're doing a different type of strength routine that uses your body to build strength and endurance."

"I have a question," Sweetie Belle said.

"Go for it."

"What's endurance?"

"Basically the amount of stress your body can take."

"Oh. Okay."

"We're going to start with push-ups first."

Chris got into a plank position with his hands spread shoulder-width apart on the ground.

"You want your bodies to be straight and aligned like this."

The fillies and dragon emulated his position.

"Lower yourselves until you're about an inch from the ground like this, then lift yourselves back up at about the same speed."

They did as instructed.

"Do the same thing two more times, then stop and rest."

"My legs feel like they're burning," Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"I know. Just bear with me for a couple more times."

An hour passed by. The team came together near the entrance of the gym.

"You all put in a hard day's work. Good job."

"If you'll excuse me, dear, I must go home and faint."

"Tomorrow's a rest day, but we need to meet up to go over some important information I forgot."

"Okay," Twilight said.

"Make sure to eat healthy and control your calories."

"We will."

"I'm going to scout the town and forest. It's vital to be familiar with the terrain. You're already fairly well-versed in the layout, so I can go alone."

"I'll study more on training mechanics. See you later."

"Take care of yourselves."

"Don't worry. I think we'll be okay this time. Besides; we've got a superhero now."

Chris gave a warm smile before parting ways with the group.