#lockerroommentality

Wells tried thinking once. Didn’t like the results. Bar made more sense.

Headphones on. Spiral goggles spinning. Brain: optional. Muscle: mandatory.

Coach watches from across the rack. Arms folded. Evaluating.

“Head empty again?”

Wells grins mid-rep. “More room for gains.”

Coach walks closer, slow, deliberate. “Good. Thinking just slows you down.”

Wells reracks the bar, proud of himself. “I lift better this way.”

Coach looks him over — shoulders, arms, chest, the way the tights stretch when he moves. “Yes,” he says calmly. “You do.”

Wells perks up. “Coach noticing my progress?”

“I notice size,” Coach replies evenly. “And you’ve been putting on a lot of it.”

Wells beams like he just got gold star approval. “No brains. Just gains.”

Coach steps in beside the bench, voice low but amused. “That much size without overthinking…” A pause. “Dangerous combination.”

Wells loads another plate without being asked. “Bigger is better, right?”

Coach doesn’t hesitate. “For you? Always.”

Wells grips the bar again, confident. “Want me to go heavier?”

Coach leans in slightly, just enough for Wells to hear him over the music.

“Keep growing like that,” he says, measured and smooth, “and I’m going to have a lot more to handle than just your training.”