Mc Pov:
'I vastly underestimated the training....'
At the start of the workout, Estonia and I had to do some push-ups, squats, and sit-ups, which were relatively easy for me because we only did 15 reps per set.
We did about three sets of each exercise, which is pretty standard, and thanks to my efforts over the previous two months, I was able to do it quite easily. I'd developed a routine for exercising each part of my body, focusing on one part of the body each day.
My workout routine looked like this:
Monday - Arm, Back and Chest
Tuesday- Arm, Chest and Back
Wednesday- Abs and Leg
Thursday- Stamina training
Saturday- Reading Books
Sunday- Rest
I reasoned that working out more than one body part (muscles) per day would be more efficient, so I did. On Mondays, I did arm, back, and chest exercises because I can train my triceps and chest with push-ups and triceps and back with pull-ups. Another factor that influenced my decision was my enjoyment of push-ups and pull-ups, which is why I train them twice a week, as well.
Abs and Leg are the muscles I like training the least, which is why I put them on the same day.
'Rather than dividing the suffering over two days, I'll just suffer more on one day.' It wasn't an easy decision, but that's what I chose.
Crunches, bicycle crunches, planks, and mountain climbers are among the ab exercises on my list. Squats, lunges, explosive squats, and explosive lunges were among the leg exercises I performed. I couldn't do any other exercises because I lacked the necessary equipment, such as barbels.
On Thursdays, I primarily train stamina, and we all know that the best way to increase stamina is to train intensely with short breaks in between. For example, they could sprint for 45 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds and repeat. I didn't have a phone, so I just counted in my head; I'm not sure how effective that was.
On Saturdays, I researched the world, as Sir Francis Bacon had written in his book "Knowledge itself is power". I read a wide variety of books, from history to geography to magic, to gain knowledge from various areas that will be useful to me in the future, and my soul will also expand as I gain knowledge. That's what I call 'Killing two birds with one stone!'.
I took a break on Sundays because I didn't want to overwork myself; during my breaks, I read entertainment books such as novels and fairy tales. I occasionally read cooking books for...*cough*....really important reasons...
'This world's culinary level is extremely low...*sigh*'
Oops, I got way out of topic, my bad...
We would normally rest after the three sets because we did three sets of 15 reps with no breaks in between. However, Lilliana said...
"All right, now it's time to warm up!"
'Wait, what the fuck did we just do? Wasn't that just a warm-up?'
I wanted to ask inquiries, but I managed to restrain myself.
"Now, because you use melee weapons, your leg muscles are among the most important body parts during a fight. You must be agile and learn different footwork, but you must also have the leg power to leap towards the enemy with great momentum."
Then Lilliana looked at us and smiled before opening her mouth.
"You'll be squatting with a boulder on your back."
She then pointed to a small boulder. It was only about 30 centimetres long and 40 centimetres wide.
'?'
"Um, dear Stepmother, how heavy is that boulder?"
"It may look small, but with the help of magic, I can amplify the weight. Because you two are still young, I will set the weight at 30 kilograms."
'30 kilograms!? 'For an 8-year-old?'
"Mother, isn't that pretty lite? Shouldn't we set it to 40 or 50 kilograms as usual?"
'Huh!?'
"Sweety, Flynn hasn't trained as much as you have, so he can't handle that much..."
Estonia looked at me after hearing Lilliana and apologized.
"I apologize for not being considerate."
She appeared to genuinely regret not being considerate of me.
"It's fine."
I smiled to show her that I didn't mind, but on the inside, I was sad because I felt inferior. Especially since I have to contend with a 9-year-old girl who can lift more than I can and is my sister.
Estonia, not knowing how I felt, clenched her fist and smiled, happy that I wasn't angry.
'Cute'
She was quite adorable as she clenched her hand and appeared to regain her resolve, which naturally made me smile.
She seemed relieved to have finally spent time with me, so she was shaken when she realized she had made a mistake.
'How can the old Flynn be so cold to such a cute being? Welp, I guess kids aren't interested in such things *sigh*'
I made a careful endeavour to pick up the boulder while thinking like a siscon, but it was really challenging.
"Let me assist you!"
Estonia offered me a helping hand when she saw that I was having trouble lifting the boulder, perhaps because she was still upset over the earlier event. She delicately placed the bolder on my back by placing both of her hands on either end of it. My sense of inadequacy was exacerbated by this, but I didn't let it show as I grinned broadly before speaking.
"Thank you very much, Elder Sister!"
She seemed pleased with my compliment, as her face broke into a proud smile. She was adorable with that cheeky smile on her face, but this is not the time to admire her.
I turned away from Estonia and concentrated on the sensation of the boulder on my back. I was feeling comfortable because the boulder wasn't particularly large. Although it was quite heavy for my current body, I was able to pull it off thanks to two months of continuous training.
Lilliana nodded as she saw us getting ready before giving us instructions.
"Okay, now squat slowly and carefully, then quickly rise."
As a young child should, I feigned to pay attention to her instructions before doing a double take.
'Isn't it explosive squats and not regular squats to squat slowly and rise quickly?'
'I'm in for some harsh training.....'
I was despairing on the inside, but kept a calm face on the outside, trying not to appear worried.
Lilliana was more lenient with explosive squats, requiring only 6 reps per set even though we got had a 15-second break in between. We did four sets of squats, took a 10-minute break, and then did four more sets of squats. We repeated that for 40 minutes before we started the 'actual' training.
'Apparently, that was only 'Warm-up'....'
"For the training, you two will run while carrying the boulder. The weight of the boulder will be transferred to your calves, strengthening them. Calves are also the most important muscle for when you leap towards your opponent; the hamstrings, which you train by doing squats, are the second most important. Today's training is all about agility, so we'll end it by having you two leap into me at full speed, though you must also use good footwork. Depending on your performance, I will then devise a new training regimen for you."
Lilliana pointed at her muscles while teaching us the purpose of today's training, but that doesn't mean she exposed her body; she just pointed at a part of her armour, as the residents of this world are very concerned with such things. Noble ladies only reveal their bodies to their husbands.
After Lilliana finished explaining, I put the boulder back on my back with the help of Estonia and began running. I followed Lilliana's instructions and ran around the training area three times before taking a short break of 2-3 minutes. After the small break, I had to resume running. That was repeated indefinitely for 30 minutes.
"Well done, you two; you may now rest. This training is officially over, I'd like to say, but there's one more thing we need to do. Let's go get something to eat while you rest, and then you two will duel me with your weapon of choice. Oh, you two will have to make the first move, which means you must leap at me, understood?"
"Understood, mother."
In response to Lilliana's question Estonia respectfully answered.
"Huff...huff...Understood, dear Step-mother..huff"
In contrast to Estonia, my legs were screaming in agony from extreme weariness. Lilliana didn't appear to be bothered as she had a pleased smile on her face as I respectfully responded in between taking long breaths.
"Well done, Flynn; you worked hard."
Lilliana didn't seem sarcastic when she said that, which made me smile as well.
"Thanks!"
Who wouldn't be pleased if someone praised their efforts?
After thanking Lilliana, Estonia and I made our way beneath a tree. In the shade of the tree, there was a pure white blanket. It appeared to be quite luxurious as it lay on the grass, with the Alexander family symbol made of golden threads in the middle of the blanket. On top of the blanket were numerous plates with various dishes, as well as various types of drinks.
'I can take a short break.
Finally!'
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