Becoming an Enthusiast - All Chapters

[ReservedEnthusiast]

Chapter 07 Part 01
Our First Swim

Our house was fortunately very close to the rec center at school, and we both wanted to do muscle training and swimming, so it worked out perfectly. Because I had done weight training in high school and gotten training from the friend in the dorm room freshman year, I would plan out the strength training, and then Aaron would plan out the swim portion due to his years of swim team, diving and polo.

The morning prior to our first workout, I knew how *ahem* hard - er, no, let’s say “difficult” - it would be to survive it without embarrassment. So, I was sure to get as much sexual tension out beforehand as possible. I was so nervous. I knew already that he was attractive, but how staggeringly hot would he be in his speedo? Would I be able to handle my feelings of desire to look like him, or keep my typically raging hormones under control? It was, after all, the first time I’d ever hung out one-on-one with a guy in such small, revealing swimwear. I was sure the inferiority, if not the arousal, would be crippling.

This wasn’t the first time a friend had worn speedos in my presence. I had sleepily watched a friend towel-change into a speedo right in front of me when we were on a trip in Europe, but he immediately put on board shorts afterwards. I might talk a little more about that trip another time in another story line or in a Guy Talk post. This time would be different. This was my fitness inspiration and best friend, one of the people I trust most in the world. And he wasn’t going to throw on board shorts afterwards. No, in just his tiny speedo, Aaron was about to skip out onto the pool deck like his usual giddy self and pirouette into the water as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Of course, for him, this was true. But for me: nope, I definitely hadn’t done this before. There were no awkward first swim team practices in my past for me to get used to the situation of suddenly being amongst friends wearing almost nothing at all.

At the gym, we found a free locker in the part of the locker room closest to the pool deck, a space unofficially reserved for the swimmers. The weightlifting portion of our workout went down without a hitch, thanks to our focus on the difficult task at hand. My form and balance were completely off after recommencing lifting after a bit of a hiatus. By the end of the particularly strenuous session, I could barely lift my arms without the muscles spasming.

We eventually reached the point where we would go swim. My heart started racing, fueled by a blend of anticipation and excitement. I knew from seeing his suit before that it would be very small indeed. Additionally, I knew that Aaron was not super skinny, especially in the legs and bottom thanks to years of treading water in polo. So, his suit would be even smaller in comparison. Oh, Lord, help me through this without any embarrassment.

Breathing becoming more and more laborious for me as we nonchalantly sauntered to the locker room and opened our shared locker. There they were, our two suits. Separated only by a shelf, they sat in our gear bags ready to be paraded out on the pool deck. We reached inside for our things and began to strip down.

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Chapter 07 Part 02
Speedo Time

The moment was upon us. First, Aaron took off his tank top. No surprises there; I’d seen him shirtless before when we were dressing for a formal event. Nevertheless, the workout had made his muscles stand out a little more than usual. Then the shorts slipped off so only his undies remained, a pair of body-hugging Equipos like the ones Jeff Seid sometimes wears. Boy, I’d never noticed how nicely formed Aaron’s bum was. “Wouldn’t mind having one like that,” I think to myself.

And finally, speedo time had come. He did a towel change which I thought was odd considering his extensive experience on an aquatics team. I even felt so bold as to ask him about it. He said it depends on how confident he’s feeling, a factor which I more than understood myself. I felt my breathing pause as the towel dropped.

It revealed one of the most perfect body-speedo ensembles I’d ever seen. Aaron’s natural-looking abs cascaded gently down his core finishing in a highly desirable “V”. His loose suit, the same Agonswim burgundy and black brief as I’d seen before, ever so subtly lifted away just below Aaron’s obliques due to just how defined he was in his lower abdomen. It was nothing the drawstring couldn’t address.

The black and burgundy suit hugged every curve of Aaron’s waist and bum. It revealed the dimples in his cheeks, the fabric lifting away from the skin and stretching to bridge the gaps, and Aaron wasn’t even flexing! His thighs extended magnificently from the leg holes of his suit. His calves were a little less developed but still shapely.

With his many finely-tuned muscles from the variety of sports he’d done, Aaron was without a doubt the perfect specimen of a young man and a walking fitness advertisement: he had the legs of a polo player, the core of a diver, and the shoulders and arms of a swimmer. Talk about a new workout inspiration! He was so inconceivably attractive in his speedo, the jerk. Ugh I’m so jealous of his body TO THIS DAY. I wish I’d done those sports myself! Anyway, the point is: when he had stripped down to his speedo, I couldn’t think anything besides, “Wow, what a body!” I knew it would be a long day before I could take care of the unavoidable arousal.

Aaron ran his thumbs inside the waistline to make sure it rested evenly. His manhood, though not huge, was haphazardly stuffed into the front and showed well. then without giving it a second thought, he just reached right in and adjusted himself as if it were such a normal thing. I suppose it is amongst swimmers, but I wouldn’t know. I’d never seen such a clearly defined bulge as this before in all my months of swimming at the rec center! You could see where his balls hung front and center and then trace his member’s outline as it snaked to the left.

Recovering from the initial shock, I quickly towel-changed into my trusty jammer and followed Aaron out on the pool deck. Fortunately, the jammers successfully hid any signs of the semi I was now sporting out of jealousy and admiration. Aaron, like usual, bounded around like an excitable puppy. We chose two lanes next to each other and jumped in.

He began explaining the sets we’d do and then demonstrated how to correctly swim freestyle. I yet again hovered underwater and observed a friend’s swimmer body glide through the water. The workout itself was beyond difficult for me. I’m relatively well self-motivated when it comes to working out, but it still didn’t prepare me for the rigor of a true swim session. At the start, I was at least half as slow as he. By the end, I was lucky to finish the lengths at all.

That afternoon, exhausted and excited, I retreated to the comfort and safety of my room. Despite my precautions that morning, I still blew one of my largest loads ever, thinking of what I’d seen and what I could be. I couldn’t wait to train with Aaron and swim enough to look like him!

[ReservedEnthusiast]

Chapter 08 Part 01
Life as Usual

For the rest of the year, I continued to wear the jammer. Aaron and I swam together at least 2-4 times a week. Each time, it got easier to ignore him in his speedo, though an occasional glance as we passed or a well-timed goggle seal check as he approached didn’t go amiss. And, I will admit, I regularly offered to wash out his suit for him with mine, so I got to carry it just after he’d worn it.

I could feel myself starting to improve, but I felt completely inferior training with him. It was very difficult for me to perpetually be behind. I looked forward to a friend recognizing him so I could get a head start on the next set; I felt terrible making him wait for so long as I caught up. But at the same time, I knew he was a good coach for me and a motivation to improve myself. I wanted to show him the fruits of his labor and to feel proud of what I was working towards.

There’s another guy I should introduce. Again, I cannot use his real name, so I’ll refer to him as Samuel, or Sam. Sam grew up near my university just like Aaron, but they came from smaller towns in opposite directions. He too was a former water polo player, and a good one at that. He told me stories of his team dominating the competition. We became good friends over time and spent many Sunday afternoons together after church. I learned that he also only wears speedos to swim and to coach his high school’s team, but reverts to board shorts for leisure swimming or hanging out at the beach. One Saturday in the spring, he, Aaron and I decided to swim together.

I was much less nervous about seeing Sam in a speedo. It wasn’t simply because he was a little overweight; in fact, he wasn’t by much at all and I still wouldn’t mind being as fit as he is. But it was more because he’s a bit of a dork, so he’s more entertaining and/or annoying rather than cool and attractive as a guy. Also, he started dating my best friend and was completely NOT worthy of or right for her. That’s my inner brother speaking rather than jealousy, I should add. Though I definitely had a crush on her for a while, I wasn’t planning on sharing my crush for a long while yet so it wasn’t like I was in competition for her love or anything. Sam just truly was not a good match for her. Fortunately, they’ve broken up since.

My point is: when Saturday came, I didn’t, if you catch my drift.

The swim went well. They both wore their speedos while I continued to hide in the safety of my jammer. They practiced doing that eggbeater thing that polo players do to tread water while tossing a polo ball back and forth. I was busy swimming laps as usual in the next lane. The only reasons I am sharing this story are these: (1) I had the chance to wear a speedo with friends also in speedos, but I didn't and wish I had; and (2) it’s part of the reason I’m generally not a fan of Turbos. Sam loves them, but it wasn’t very flattering on him, in my opinion. Aaron would get a Turbo himself later on, but that’s for part 2.

With time I grew to favor freestyle, tolerate backstroke, hate breaststroke, and ignore butterfly’s existence. Breaststroke was the absolute worst. The movements are terrible! I feel like I’m moving through the water like a frog who’s had two bottles of absinthe. Backstroke is alright, except I am physically unable to swim in an absolutely straight line and end up getting entangled in the lane dividers before practically breaking my wrists on the pavement at the end. Freestyle was easy to handle, though I am still working on the breathing and flip turns to this day.

One of my favorite things was our early-morning swims before church. We’d ride in my car and park near the rec center, go to the pool at opening, and get in a full swim before driving straight to church, our wet bathing suits hidden away in the trunk. It wasn’t only a confidence boost and energy boost from exercising to get the day started. Somehow, the knowledge of having worn a jammer less than half an hour before sitting with my friends made me feel special, like I knew or accomplished or felt something they didn’t.

Everything was going well, well enough that at some point, I became brave enough to reveal to Aaron that I had a speedo myself. Naturally, he wanted to see it.

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Chapter 08 Part 02
Our Speedos

I had done something I’d never, ever done before. I’d revealed to a friend that I own a speedo. After Aaron had asked to see it on, I informed him that I didn’t look very good in it, but he insisted that I should put the suit on anyway. So, I nervously went back to my room, put on the speedos, and then hesitantly cracked the door telling him to come in and see. He did, and I shut the door immediately behind him. There I was, standing in front of my best friend whose opinion I respect deeply while wearing nothing but a bright green speedo with stars all over it.

His initial reaction when I showed it to him confirmed my opinion of its ridiculousness. Nevertheless, Aaron took me by surprise. I expected him to agree, to say that I should indeed wait a while longer before wearing it to the pool. But, no, he didn’t. Aaron did something I’d never foreseen and actually encouraged me to go ahead and wear it anyway! The first time I’d been encouraged to wear a speedo! I felt so happy that he would be cool with it; I would feel like “one of the guys” or whatever, like I had my own miniature swim team for which to wear briefs. Before long, we were looking online together to find matching speedos to wear while working out. He eventually chose a Turbo brief for himself, the model with the Swedish flag on the front. I wanted to get an Italy-themed brief in connection with my coming year abroad, so I continued to look my search after Aaron had decided.

A photo of the suit on SwimOutlet.com:



I remember the afternoon when his Turbos arrived. Again came out Aaron’s puppy-like excitement and enthusiasm as he rushed to his room to model them for me when they arrived. When he opened the door, I felt myself flush. The light blue and yellow were such an attractive contrast to his golden tan! He really had found the perfect suit for himself.

Contrary to most Turbos, these showed off his anatomy very well, almost as well as his Agonswims. (Actually, his bulge did look a little fuller than usual. Could he have been showing the same arousal that I feel myself when I wear a new suit?) It was amazing from every angle. Just watching him check himself out by looking down and using a mirror was making me somewhat hot and bothered. Aaron hadn’t shut his door like I had when modeling mine, so as another housemate passed by in the hallway, he glanced in, smiled and simply said, “Nice speedo.” You, sir, were not wrong.

At this point, I’d like to tell you that I was inspired to wear my own speedos to the pool with him. I’d also like to tell you that I bought a somewhat-matching pair and started wearing speedos to swim with my dearest friend. Furthermore, I’d like to tell you that my confidence was adequately boosted to not care about exposing so much of myself willingly. Most of all, I’d like to tell you that he helped me conquer my fears with just those few encouraging words before and then I lived happily ever after swimming and relaxing in my speedos.

Unfortunately, this tale isn’t the figment of my imagination written out purely for your reading pleasure where everything happens in an idyllic manner. This is my real story in the real world with real emotions. I couldn’t bring myself to do it by the end of the school year when he’d go off to a summer position far away and I’d stay in my college town working until I left for Europe for a year. Wearing speedos together would seemingly never happen.

Or would it?

[ReservedEnthusiast]

Chapter 09 Part 01
Last Chance

It was the last two weeks of the school year. If Aaron and I were to swim together both in speedos, it would be now or never (well, more like now or eventually; I do have to return for a year to finish my degree, after all). We set up a time midweek at midday to get together for one last swim before we would be swamped with exams and then part ways for the summer. I decided not to tell him that I’d wear my speedo for our last workout.

I couldn’t wait to finally wear my speedos! After all these years (and all these chapters), I would achieve my goal and fulfill my desire to swim in them with friends. This was far beyond thinking that speedos are sexy or that Aaron looks attractive in them; saying that would be far too shallow for the true meaning behind this swim and my desire to swim in them with a friend. Over the years, I had grown to love this skimpy, revealing garment as an extension of myself, a representation of breaking out of my socially awkward, self-conscious shell and not being afraid to show others who I am and what I like. I had developed something I had never felt before: a pride in myself and what I’d accomplished. I was still an introverted, overweight, reserved guy who could not care less about the usual sports but had an unhealthy obsession with cars, British television, and swimming. But, that didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that I had matured as a person and found one truly amazing friend and admirable role model in my buddy Aaron. He had guided me in many trials I faced in my life, both in and out of the pool. He had taken hours out of his own life to train with me and put up with my slightly pathetic lap times and regular bouts with inferiority and frustration. I had grown to have more faith in myself, my capabilities and my potential. And now, as a symbol of the confidence I’d built with Aaron at my side (or, more commonly, many many seconds ahead), I would wear my speedo with a friend who didn’t care how I looked in it and just have a blast together, one last great workout, before we had to part ways for a year.

My almost decade-long fulfillment approaching, I spent the next few days leading up to our swim brimming with excitement and optimism. My gym bag was packed far earlier than it needed to be and sat patiently waiting in my closet ready to go on our little adventure. Focusing on the schoolwork at hand was more difficult than ever. I absolutely couldn’t wait to take Aaron by surprise by producing that stupidly flamboyant, star-spangled speedo from my gym bag instead of my usual jammer! Two best buds working out in speedos on our own miniature swim team, just like I’d always wanted!

The day came.

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Chapter 09 Part 02
Opportunity Missed

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

The design students at my school have to regularly submit portfolios for the university to use for the regular reviews by the powers that be. Unfortunately, the deadline was right in the middle of when Aaron and I would be swimming, and the submission took me by surprise because I’d been so busy. So, I was forced to work on my portfolio until the last possible second, missing my chance to work out one last time with my best friend.

When I was done, I was absolutely furious at myself, the school, the professor who organizes the portfolio collection, whoever invented the idea of making a portfolio in the first place, and the universe as a whole. And this wasn’t because I wouldn’t get to admire Aaron’s body or anything; no no no, my anger was much less shallow than that, and by now, seeing his speedo was almost a moot point. Because of the portfolio submission and my lack of personal organization, I couldn’t prove to my best friend what an impact he’d had on my life through our swimming sessions. I couldn’t show the confidence he’d helped me build in myself. I have had very few friends as encouraging, impactful and caring as Aaron.

I should've been a swimmer myself. I should’ve been more on top of the things I had to do. I should’ve worn my speedos earlier. I should’ve…and so forth. I was so furious, I felt like I could melt metal simply by glaring at it.

At this point, I decided, “You know what? Screw it.” Alone and with an attitude of absolute indignation, I stormed to the rec center, skipping the weight training portion and putting on my speedo and some sunscreen as quickly as possible. My momentum carried me to the door which I thrust open with the determination of a boxer entering the ring, ready to claim the pool deck, the nearest lane, and then the world as mine!

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Chapter 09 Part 03
Reaction

Not even a nearby pigeon took notice of me.

Talk about anticlimactic. In my speedo, I was just another guy in the crowd ready to swim some laps. My extreme confidence and determination wavered as I sheepishly proceeded to a lane, put some equipment at the end for later use, and jumped in after adjusting my goggles. I then had one of the most normal workouts you could possibly imagine. Of course it felt special to myself, but I kept any arousal from the situation at bay and focused only on the workout.

As far as the people of the pool deck were concerned, it didn’t require a second thought. I almost wanted a cheer and a congratulation from all the other swimmers, like, “Way to go! You did it! You’re in the right attire, and you look just fine!” But, at the same time, I was happy that everyone completely ignored me as I still felt a little self-conscious even in this moment of personal triumph. At least I could reliably go to the pool in my speedo to swim laps and no one would bat an eye. I even felt confident enough to lay out in the sun for a few minutes afterwards to start ridding myself of the dreadful shorts/jammer tan line.

Then, it hit me. I had done it! I’d gone all the way! I’d worn a speedo all the way from the locker room, out onto the pool deck, and into the pool for my workout.

I still didn’t feel ready to hang out at the beach or anything in it, especially when it’s with friends with whom I don’t swim for exercise. My love of speedos is a very personal, private thing for me which no one outside of this board knows about. Outside this forum, I’m not as bold or exhibitionistic as some of the other users, so it will take a lot of personal brazening before I feel comfortable doing that. I certainly won’t be the one to try and normalize speedos amongst my friends. Maybe, as I get into better shape and rebuild the confidence I’d gained training with Aaron, I would reconsider, but we’ll have to see.

That evening, I couldn’t wait to tell Aaron what I’d accomplished. He was, of course, happy for me, and I think he wished he’d been there to share that moment with me. Oh, well. At least I’d done it before the year ended. I’d just have to wait until I come back from Italy to swim with him in our speedos. In the meantime, I could spend as much time as I’d like at the pool working out alone.

[ReservedEnthusiast]

Chapter 10
A New Normal

After a hard goodbye, Aaron left for the summer. Most of the house scattered to different summer jobs or returned home after graduating until just a few of us remained. I was still working in town, and my tuition and fees had apparently paid for my membership at the rec center for a full calendar year. So, I was able to continue going for weight training and swimming throughout the summer.

By early July, I had adjusted to wearing a speedo without any further trouble or anxiety. I started by wearing my towel around my waist until I had claimed a chaise lounge and pool lane for myself. Then, I’d only be exposed for a few seconds until I jumped in the water. Gradually, I began to simply carry my towel over my arm, holding it in front of my speedo with goggles in hand. Finally, by late July, I stopped caring completely. I even felt confident enough to go back inside the locker room without a towel, dripping wet and straight out of the pool, to use the bathroom before continuing my workout. That was the point when I REALLY felt like a true swimmer, funnily enough: wet, without a towel, simply walking around and going about my business in the locker room or on the pool deck. Wearing a speedo had finally become a normal thing, and it was so freeing. I felt more comfortable in my own skin. Most of all, I loved that post-swim feeling where your skin and muscles feel taught and your soul feels calmed after a therapeutic soak and workout.

Every once in a while, I’d be able to spend some time tanning after my swims to try and rid myself of the horrid farmers tan on my arms and the shorts tan on my legs. Of course, I sometimes lost track of time or even fell asleep in the comforting sunshine, so I’d go home and discover my pasty white skin had turned as pink as a breast cancer awareness ribbon. Then would follow a week of absolute agony as I had to rub myself down with aloe vera day and night!

Eventually it came time to pack for my year abroad which led to a somewhat awkward situation. I had done laundry and was packing clothes in my suitcase with my mom’s help. Suddenly, my mom moved some clothing and unearthed my Home of the Fast kelly green speedo! “…What?” is all she managed to say in her surprise.

“OH!” I laughed nervously and quickly tried to formulate a cohesive explanation as to why I had it. “Remember back when we were shopping for a new suit that didn’t have a lining? Well, I finally bought some briefs to wear underneath, and these were the only ones on sale!”

“Oh, ok, that makes more sense,” she replied, no longer worried about why her very reserved, conservative son had a super flamboyant swimsuit. I packed it away without further incident or questioning.

And with that, I moved to Italy.

[ReservedEnthusiast]

Chapter 11
The Website

More than half a year later, I found myself casually reading online. Every once in a while, I also google personal accounts/stories relating to situations involving speedos, such as a roommate trying them on or the first time wearing them or friends sharing their suits, and so on and so forth, because they are both arousing and fascinating to me as someone who has never had a “speedo experience” myself.

On this particular day, I came across a story about a boy who joins a swim team after his family moves to Connecticut. I couldn’t stop reading it; the chapters were so gripping to me as this young guy went through the same reactions as I had when he first tries on a speedo. I continued browsing through the other threads and found a story I'd read a while ago about a cowboy-like college freshman who tries on and falls in love with speedos thanks to a couple friends on the swim team.

Then I saw an account of a swim team car wash where the guys all decided to just wear their team suits. I remember reading that back in freshman year! I continued until I found a touching story about a young kid named Jimmy from a very poor family who finds a mentor in a soon-to-be high school senior from less humble origins. I found that story particularly touching because I too come from a financially troublesome background. Oh, and that wonderful true story about the guy whose German roommate forced him to wear speedos at the beach! Ah, good times. If only I’d had a friend who’d done that.

I soon realized what site it was and discovered I’d been frequenting the same forum on and off for the past couple years. I could easily recognize the site’s various shades of blue in its theme. Upon moving on to the general swim suit guy talk section regarding the briefs and found a plethora of guys going through similar experiences or sharing similar thoughts and emotions. “Look at all of these guys just like me!” I thought to myself. And then, I came to a realization: I had to join. Too many times over the past years and past hours of browsing had I found myself wanting to click ‘Reply’ on a thread and yet couldn’t because I wasn’t a member.

So, I took the plunge and signed up. After years of keeping silent, I finally started to type out my thoughts, feelings and experiences. All these things I had kept secret for years flowed out of me like water through a fountain, thinking about how reserved and yet enthusiastic I had been about speedos. I finally had a peer group who also loved speedos with whom I could talk about subjects I wouldn’t dare bring up with my friends. I began my tale: “I first saw a speedo when I was about 9 or 10….”

I think you know where it goes from there.

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The End

[Alfred007]

Wow. Thank you for sharing. I totally underwtand and relate to working hard to achieve a goal. I have felt that I could not wear speedo as I was size 38. Now through hard work I am down to a 34. My wife does not approve of speedos. And for that I sadly respect her wishes, even though they would be just for our private pool or laps. But still I am excited about jy gains amd continue to work towards my goal.

[ReservedEnthusiast]

Sorry to hear that, Alfred007, but good on you for working towards your goal!