The WorkGroup

The first day I showed up for work at the construction site I had no idea what kind of physical workout I was going to be facing. I was in reasonably good shape for a guy that just got out of college. Of course the last couple weeks of college and senior parties, then private graduation parties had taken their toll on my gut, but all of that would work its way out of my system in no time.

My job was simple; loading up a wheelbarrow with dirt, gravel and other debris from a basement and dumping it into a pile outside. It sounded simple enough, and I was doing okay for the first few hours, despite dumping a couple wheelbarrows because I lost control of the load. I started to slow down toward the afternoon and was completely sapped at the 4:00 quitting time. Although I was starving from not bringing enough lunch, I slept as soon as I got home.

By 8:00 that night the sore muscles had set in. I could barely move. Every muscle in my body had worked out. My fingers were even sore from gripping the shovel and the wheelbarrow handles. I couldn’t imagine going to the work the next day, and called in sick. Even though I was sore, I was determined to finish out the job after a day of rest, which I actually spent going to an amusement park.

As the summer progressed the wheelbarrow loads became more comfortable. My co-workers on the crew were also college kids, and we started to have competitions to see who could carry the biggest wheelbarrow load without dumping it. We laughed when we thought about the tiny loads we’d carried at the beginning of the summer.

My gut started to disappear, and I could feel myself getting much stronger. The really great part was that I could eat anything I wanted and not gain a pound. Actually, I had to eat a lot to get through the day. I’d bring two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for snack, and two regular sandwiches, fruit and chips for lunch. Dinner was whatever I wanted, and usually a LOT of it.

Near the middle of the summer I looked at myself in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. There was hardly any fat on me, and it was the first and only time I’d had anything resembling six pack abs, all without ever setting foot in a gym, and getting paid for it too.

Although when I had a little money I joined the gym years later, I haven’t come close to being in such good shape ever again in my life.