She Looked at Ben...WOLFGANG's!.. I have not been there since college.. it was  favotite place   for me and Yuto  to go.. we would take   Adam to Celebrate  when they won... There have very good food, if they have not changed thier ways!

 They get off the elevator  The door  man is waiting for them.

"I hoped you might like it. It looked great online," said Ben, glad that he'd taken Adam's advice.

"Better request a cab," he said, heading towards the doorman.

  The  Doorman  nodded and  went outside, he had a  flashlight of sorts to Flag down a Cab. Another person tried to  get the Cab, But the Door   Man waved them off to a cab that was 'stuck' behind this one.

 Waving Bed  and  Lu-Ti out  he  opened the  door ( standing Guard  so no one tried to jump in)

  Lu-Ti seemed   very happy to be out and about  as the CAb  pulled away and the  Cabbie used his GPS...though, he may have only been using it to 'pin point' the  place because he was taking  sidestreets and  such to avoid the down town traffic...the  GPS  voice was always 're-caluculating'

"I'll just workout with you then, if you don't mind. I suppose it's easier when you have a goal, but it's hard to find time to actually sign up for and train for races. I keep pretty busy with work and taking care of Jean, though I suppose the fact she wants to go to the gym often enough helps me keep in okay shape," Wendy replied as she continued her own workout.

She laughed a little. "Shocking, that working out particularly hard pays off in the end for an athlete. I'll be sure to keep that secret," she replied. "We actually went to our first game of the season. We usually get to one or two, in the cheap seats. Jean didn't want to go initially, but she's heard about the Dragons trying out different women and really wanted to see the team play live. I'm glad you all put on a good show for her."

----------------------------------------

Emma continued her sets, lifting the bar up slowly and lowering it slowly each time, with Jean watching over her.

"So what you're kind of saying is that most of the advice for getting in shape doesn't work?" she asked.

Emma finished her eight set and racked the weight. "I'm saying it works for getting in shape and being athletic. What I'm telling you is how to push hard enough to become exceptional. You don't excel by doing things the same way as everyone else. Build up the endurance and don't let the general workouts online be your guide. Your lifting sessions should go until you can't safely or properly train anymore. That takes a lot more effort than a specific set number you work towards. But you're young and at a good age for recovery, so you're well positioned to make that jump now."

Jean beamed and nodded as she spotted for Emma. "Okay, I'll do that. I've got a friend who wants to try it too, so that should help."

Emma finished her next two sets and racked the weight. She nodded as she put one more plate on a side while Jean did the same. "That'll help. If you want, you can send me logs or video and I can offer some suggestions. Though I hope I'm not messing up your workout."

Jean shook her head. "Just started with back." Emma grinned. "Sounds good. You can do a back workout with me if you want when I finish here; I think Adam will be alright with that."

  Adam Chuckled,..yeah?  we had a few  woman Kickers?.. One left.. the best one  got Injured ..she's  on IR now?.. I'm thinking she'll go back to soccer  if she can  still run hard enough for the sport.. We Had a  Woman QB a while ago.. damn hard nosed.. great arm,  but?.. she  got hurt too....

 he shrugs,..don't know about the one  that played Sunday?.. I guess  I'll  find out  when we go back?

 we're Coming  back in a few weeks to play the GIants Thanskgiving week?.. Give  me  Your name and Number,  and I'll make sure you guys  have  goodseats for that game.. you know..if you wanna go?.. I don't have folks to hunt tickets up for. so i end up giving them to other guys or something?

 as far as workout?... Emma's  tryign  to show  me how to get better... I sorta have  my own views on what to do for ..what i want to do?.. But I'll try anyhting   to see if a can get an advantage.

"Why wouldn't the one on IR just come back?" Wendy asked. "Was the injury bad enough that it'll end her career?" That seemed a little strange to Wendy, but she also wasn't an expert on football. "That'd be great, if you can spare them!" Wendy said as she offered Adam her contact information as requested between sets.

She nodded. "Well, you all have to do a good amount of cross-training. It isn't all running and it isn't all lifting I bet. Most of it is skill and practice, and I imagine you tune your body to work the way you want it to work," Wendy replied. "Big and bulky or thinner and quicker, depending. But you've got to have enough strength and toughness to survive those hits I bet. Pads don't absorb everything. Even running, we had some...elbows and shoulders thrown our way. Those can cause havoc on a track or in cross-country."

------------------------------------------------------

Jean nodded enthusiastically and proceeded to help Emma with the rest of her chest workout, which would span ten more sets of two reps on the incline bench and a few other chest exercises before moving on to back.

Emma walked with Jean over to the pull-up bars. "Okay, we're going to go through my workout. To warm up the back, we'll do pull-ups. Five minutes at whatever pace will warm you up without tiring you out," she explained.

  ..Yeah!.. You bet...  You'll be close  enough to see the stiching on our numbers, but high enough to see  both ends of the  Field. he smiles.

  .. My  college  coach was like some ..mad scientists?..... he didn't want folks  to know my 40 time... so when i  warmed up, i was never  allowed to  go the  who 100 yards.. and when i ran distance he wanted  me to keep it close  until the last lap?

 so?     we're in the DIII Trials.. and  the Coach tells  me to save  my speed  for the distance.. i mean?   we weren't runnign thsoe   for , like 6 hours?.... He wanted  me to finish 2nd?... I didn't... i blew the guys  doors off...hey?..Points are points..right?


..cioach gets in my face, he said, they'll be gunnign for you know.. we  could afforad thsoe points.. he was so mad he almost benched me for the rest of the meet?.. But   my buddies said they would  run if i wasn't allowed....sure enough.. in the Mile, thier hot dog  guy Jackrabbits, and a couple guys from 2  other schools  are  throwing  elbows.. on jerk spiked me.. and i couldn't do anything?..'cause i didn't want to DQ.. so..on the Last Lap  I Bounce out to the  2nd  lane, and  just took off..  they couldn't do anything about that  with out leaving thier lanes, and Letting My Buddies  take some of the lower points... so there  were are.. Me and two of the fastest guys in the Mile turning down the Club house turn.. i have  blood on my  shins.. blood on my nose.. and   just.. exploded.. more  mad, then anything?  beat them by 15 meters..on an outside lane...  he chuckles,wow?.. I have to get back here3 more... some of the stories make me miss the city?

As the cabbie did his thing, Ben turned to smile at Lu-Ti.

"How did your day go, darling? Adam showed me some of the sights."

  There is a Giggle,..then you had  a better  day  then me! The  personal Assistants of the owners  can be  as much of  a jerk as thier  bosses.


  she looked  slyly at him,..he did not take you to the ...men's Clubs  on the East side?  Did he...

"It would have been better had you been able to be with me... No, we went out to your old college, then up the Empire State Building, had lunch in an Italian place in Greenwich Village and visited a bookstore," said Ben.

He couldn't recall Adam ever having shown an interest in men's clubs...

 she started to  laugh,..I was  Joking... Yuto and Adam's friends in college used to tease them, because they would not go with... they  would  be  working out, or doing the odd jobs? It was   interesting to see Yuto, ..hustle  for jobs  with Adam.. Yuto did not need to do so?.. But i think her learned much, of how , those who needed money had to live.

"Same stuff happened on the girl's team, though hair was also a target for us. I wasn't the fastest, but I had the most endurance and toughness, so I sometimes intervened if one of the faster girls was getting that sort of treatment," Wendy replied. "Kind of the enforcer role, if you put a hockey spin on it. I never liked that part of it or the whole figuring out points thing. I just wanted to run and not worry about that stuff."

She shrugged as she finished up a set. "I always liked the longer runs though. Anything under ten miles felt more like a sprint, and I was an endurance type," Wendy explained. "Didn't stop me from running the shorter races though."

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Emma and Jean have proceeded to do their warm-up pull-ups and had moved on to start deadlifts. "You always start with deadlifts because it's the big exercise for the back like squats are for legs and bench is for chest. So what do you deadlift?" Emma asked.

Jean paused to consider. "I usually only do higher reps on the deadlift. I'm always nervous about messing up the form and my back. I do five or six sets of twelve at 225," Jean explained.

Emma smiled. "Okay. Give me a set of twelve at 225 and I'll watch your form, then we'll start going up from there." Emma set the weight and watched Jean perform the exercise pretty much flawlessly. "You're fine. We'll add another plate on each side." Emma proceeded to up the weight while talking. "This exercise helps widen and strengthen the back, which not only helps your strength and toughness but balances out your appearance. But you have to do the form right on this exercise, which you've got down."

Emma stepped back to let Jean assess the weight. "You think I can lift this without hurting myself?" she asked. Emma nodded. "With how easily you did the 225? Yeah. Just do six. We're going to keep going up until six starts giving you trouble."

Jean took hold of the bar and did six reps with relative ease. "That was easier than I thought it would be," she said as she set it down. Emma went to put more weight on the bar. "Told you. You just added at least forty percent weight to the lift and it was fine. You've been underselling yourself here," Emma pointed out.

Ben grinned.

"Ah. I see... Adam's never shown any interest in that sort of thing. Dads always told me that you should work for what you can get, however much there was at home. As an army officer, we were pretty well provided for and I went to a military academy so there wasn't much chance - but in the summers I'd mow lawns and do yard work in the neighbourhood. Then when I got to college I had a full football scholarship, so had to prioritise training when not studying, but still worked summers - camp counsellor, mostly. Think that's what sparked an interest in working with kids."

The taxi came to a halt and the GPS announced "You have reached your destination". Ben got his wallet out to pay the driver, then handed Lu-Ti out.

"Here we are..."

He held the door open for her, savouring the smells that were wafting out.

  Adam Nodded...Mellon used to have  some 5ks and 10 Ks  for charity... get folks to pledge money..or bring canned goods....items for   women at the abuse  shelters?.. things like that.. I did  ok, in the 5Ks.. i faded a bit in the 10  Ks

 coaches  used  me in the 100... then  the  mile and the 2 mile..if we need points they would throw me  in the 400 or 800..or both, depending on the rules high school we could do 4 events..some  schools let you do  as many as you  could handle... College was  great.... I even through the Jav in college...but?.. that's  all gone. So.. I focus on being as fast as  i can..my cuts and moves... and jacking up guys when i get a chance to block..

 he grins. as he stands  straight  and  begins  to  lift his arms out hold dor a count, the lower them as slow  as he  can.

  ..I  grew up on the East Side..couple different place.. but the same  area...hung around the docks alot ,when we weren't  playing pick up games, or hustling for  money.

   As she  stepped out, she  smiled,..Look!..they  have  never  fixed the sign... the W looks like a V when it lights up... we used to say if was a  russian steak house.. Volfgang's...  her   accent made the  other 'accent' sound   even funnier.

  walking in the door the smell of meats and seafood was like a pleasant wall...

  she held down her Voice as they waited in line to reach the  waiter at the podium ,..Adam liked the food here.. but he did not like it, because it was on the West Side..and..of course... the cost... I am feeling guilty  for the price  you will be paying?

Ben laughed at her renaming of the place.

"That or it's home to some really cheesy vampires. But don't worry about the cost, the game check was massive..."

They soon reached the head of the line.

"Ben Hope, table for two. I called earlier today..."

Able to read upside down, Ben could see his name on the list.

  Of Course  Mr  Hope, Please follow this Young Lady, she will be  your waitress  for  your stay..


 The woman took the paper from the fellow  and asked them to Follow her, gliding through the   dinning  area. they could see people with Seafood players.. think steaks  and cuts of Lamb.

 there was  a  nice table against the wall, a window looked out so they could see bits of the river to the west..also..of course.. traffic on the street.

 ... My  NAme is  Frankie?   Now.. can I start you off with a drink..maybe  soemthign to  nibble on while you wait?

"Good evening, Frankie. What would you like, Lu-Ti? I'd like a cranberry juice soda, please," said Ben.

He started to look over the menu.

 ..In will have a glass of House wine, please? she  smiles...then looks at  Ben,..May we get  fried  stuffed mushrooms to start, While we look over the menu?


 Frankie  smiles  as she    placed the menu's  down and waited for  Ben's answer.

"Yes, of course... may we have those, please?"

He considered the menu. A nice steak, perhaps...

”Well, if they can’t hit you, you’re doing pretty good,” Wendy responded with a slight grin as she mimicked Adam’s movements. ”And yeah, high school mostly had the shorter distance runs. I did okay at those. They didn’t do a lot of the really long runs; I had to compete in those on my own. Generally did better in those, honestly, but I didn’t want to give up the team in school. So I just did both,” Wendy explained.

A nod was given about where he grew up. ”I grew up right around here myself, as has Jean. Haven’t really left the city much except for a few trips here or there. Not a lot of reason to though,” she added.

--------------------------------------------------

Jean lifted and lowered he weight as instructed. Emma added some more weight, bringing the bar up to 450 pounds, which Jean found challenging. ”There we are. That’s a good weight for us to work at. Ten sets of three, like I was doing with the bench press. Then we’ll strip it down to 315 for ten sets of five and then down to 225 for ten sets of eight.” It was a challenging cycle, but Emma was pretty much showing her how she’d trained at that age and what worked for her.

Jean took a breath and nodded, starting in on her sets, Emma watching. ”You’re strong. You think of competing for this gym? They were saying they could use some women, and you’re probably old enough now.” Jean spoke between lifts. ”Thought about it. Might compete this year, at least until next summer and then see if I can make the team. If I can’t, then maybe I’ll compete again. You think I could make it?” Emma nodded. ”Sure you could. Just because you’re training for football doesn’t mean you shouldn’t compete in this in the meantime. Just have to keep the timing right to make sure you’re still eligible for football.”

   wow?.. really.. I guess its a big  city though... we coulda  passed  each other 100 times through the years  and never knew...

 ..I never  went out of New York much... until i went to college.. then we got to travel a little bit.. not alot?.. After college, i was in Japan for a year and hal.. and then Canada.. and now?   Jacksonville.

..here?  you can  help me  with  something... he racks the Dumbells for now.

  He gets the smalles  medicine  Ball and hands it to her... Now.. you hold the ball at your waist.. you drop it randomly... I have to  bend over like this..  and  have my eyes  level..or close.. to teh ball with my hands  nehind my back.. i have to ctach it and put it away, without it hitting thr ground... build  reflexes.. muscle memory a,d  a little  bit of task specific strenght..

"How old are you again? Probably weren't in quite the same class during our high school years, but we probably did pass each other during the years. There are only so many good routes to run, and everyone as a kid makes use of Central Park if they do any serious running," Wendy responded.

She took the medicine ball and started dropping it randomly per Adam's instructions. "For catching the ball during games I assume," Wendy added.

---------------------------------------------------

Jean continued her sets, completing the ten sets of three with the heavy weight, already sweating heavily from the work. When setting up for the bar for the next group of sets, she spoke up. "So, how'd you deal with school? I mean, I do tend to wear long sleeves and baggy clothes, but that's getting harder to do." Emma smiled. "Embrace it. Wear short sleeves or sleeveless. Let it roll off you. You'll find out fast who your actual friends are, and those are the ones to care about. You want to be bigger than I am, you'll have to accept it. It's easier now though than it was twenty years or forty years ago. Most of the people who are going to try and cut you down, they're just insecure about themselves. I know that's a bit hokey, but it's true too."

Jean started doing the lifts. "Just like that? What people at school think doesn't really matter?"

Emma nodded. "After high school, you won't keep in contact with most. Only the real best friends. Being different teaches you real quick who'll have your back no matter what. And when you do run into those other high school classmates in ten years and your biceps are bigger than their beer bellies, they'll see who made the better choice."

Jean laughed between sets and nodded. "Okay. I'll stop holding back in my training," she said. "Good. You've shown that you're much stronger than you let yourself realize. The next body part, you're doing the big exercise blindfolded to take away your preconceptions of what you can do. But we have to finish back first."

"Have you decided what you'd like, dearest?" Ben asked Lu-Ti, once she'd had a chance to look at the menu.

   Adam smiles a bit awkwardly,Me?.... I'm Gonna be 25 in May.....

  Yep... The Juggs  machine  can quicken your  reflex... so do 'blind  throws' where a QB throws the ball  with you back turned  and you have to  locate the ball and Bring it in....now this?.. is a exercise for  people who don't have folks to work with.. there  some other  ball exercises  i do on my own in my apartment...

 there isn't alot of  space getween yor waist and the ground, so i have to get it and pull it in.. the weight of the ball, adds to the exercise, as if some one was  whacking it, while i pull it in...

  fast. quick hands, make  more catches then big  giant , slow hands.