Practice What You Preach (Patreon)

This story is based on the results of this poll from earlier in the month. As it was a tie, the other winning vote (muscle theft / weight gain) will be the theme for another story I'll be writing as part of the February releases, featuring a different personal trainer that I think you'll all enjoy as much as I do. I'm gonna take a bit of time to make sure it doesn't end up being too similar to this one.

As for this piece, I had a great amount of fun writing about one of my favourite fitness influencers and I hope that comes across in the story itself! This is one of my longer recent pieces at 4,196 words and you can find a PDF copy with accompanying pictures over on the Discord in the "Bosa Tier Stories" channel.

“Okay Alex, how about we get you putting one arm up to show off your tricep and really tense your core for us,” the photographer suggested in a professional manner, although the tenting at his crotch suggested he was enjoying his current working situation much more than his tone let on. He hadn’t known who Alex Crockford was prior to getting the photoshoot notification from Men’s Health just a few days prior, but that had been plenty of time to familiarize himself with Alex’s social media accounts and enjoy the multitude of thirst traps that the fitness influencer posted on the regular.

Just a short distance away from him, in the middle of the advanced lighting set-up that would give the perfect shadowing for the man’s muscles, the fitness model did exactly as the photographer instructed. The lines between his six-pack abs became even more defined as he tensed, and the muscles in his upper left arm popped as he raised it behind his head to get the desired pose. Alex was a vision of athletic beauty and there was no doubt between either the photographer or the model that he would look perfect on the cover of the following month’s issue of Men’s Health. That was what had brought the two men together at such an early hour on a Sunday; the interview would follow once the photoshoot was complete, then they’d be filming one of the fitness model’s workouts.

Little did the photographer know that the man he was currently working with wasn’t even the real Alex Crockford. Sure, that was undeniably his body with the incredibly toned physique, the handsome face and the gorgeous tribal tattoo, but the consciousness operating that machinery wasn’t quite who he’d been led to believe. Of course, even if he’d been told as such he wouldn’t have believed it. What sane person willingly accepted that two men could switch bodies? It was the stuff of science fiction B-movies, not reality, after all! Alex himself had believed as such once upon a time, but the past three weeks had forced him into an uncomfortable acceptance that switching bodies was very much possible, and he’d been the victim of a hostile takeover.

The man currently calling himself Alex Crockford was actually born as James Killjoy and while he was the same age as Alex and had even grown up in a nearby town, their lives couldn’t have possibly taken them on more different paths. While Alex was a successful fitness model with an online personal training business and several magazine front covers to his resume, James had been stuck in an endless carousel of retail and office jobs, none of which were at all fulfilling. The misery they produced had seeped into every part of his life and led to him seeking comfort in food and wasting hours away in front of a screen playing video games. His friends and family expressed concern but James had ignored them until he had collapsed in the street and his doctor advised him that his lifestyle was unhealthy and would produce more adverse effects unless he changed things up soon. That was what had led him to seek out Alex. After all, who would be better at getting him on track than one of the most successful fitness influencers in the UK, and a local man at that, who had a body James wasn’t afraid to admit was his absolute dream?

As he progressed through the requested poses to the soundtrack of the camera’s shutter, James thought back to how the whole situation had come to be. He could still remember it all in crystal clear vision. In fact, he was sure that the memories would remain in such pristine state until the day he shuffled off the mortal coil. After all, what kind of person would ever forget the day they made the impossible come true? He supposed he wasn’t the only person that would remember it forever either - it would take the real Alex Crockford to ever forget the time he had his body and livelihood stolen from him by one of his own clients!

James had been training under Alex’s guidance for a month by that point and had seen very little improvement - perhaps an inch or so from his waistline. He could only afford to have one hour-long session with the personal trainer a week, and even though Alex had given him a workout plan that had him in the gym three to four times a week, he seriously struggled with the motivation to even leave the house when he knew there wouldn’t be anyone there to coach him along. Even worse though was his adherence to the diet plan that Alex had carefully crafted for him. It was full of nutritious green foods that made James’ stomach and incredibly low on the high-carb foods that he loved so much. He’d last a day, maybe two, following the plan before breaking down and treating himself to an order-in pizza or a family bucket of chicken wings.

His deviances from the exercise and food plan were very poorly kept secrets. It wasn’t as if he was broadcasting them on social media or anything, but given how minimal progress he’d made between his sessions, it was fairly obvious to anybody keeping a close eye. As a good personal trainer, Alex was incredibly attentive to his clients, and he definitely wasn’t blind to James’ struggles. After talking with the gym owner and learning that James hadn’t been present since their last session together, he had invited his client for a cup of coffee at a small coffee shop that was his go-to place for private conversations thanks to how rarely it was occupied. He didn’t anticipate raised voices, as he planned to be reassuring rather than scolding, but it was better to be safe rather than sorry.

Little did Alex know but James had already put his plan into place by that point. He’d anticipated what the personal trainer wanted to speak to him about and grew irate at the thought that he was about to get lectured for slipping so easily back into his bad habits. It’s so damn easy for him to say when he’s already got the perfect body, James thought bitterly. He’s probably never been out of shape at all. He doesn’t know how hard it is for guys like me! He was firm in his belief that if he had a toned body like Alex, he wouldn’t have struggled to find the motivation to get in the gym or eat healthy.

As far as he saw it starting from scratch, like he was, happened to be so much more difficult than personal trainers ever appreciated!

When he’d arrived at the small coffee shop, he was relieved to find that it was only Alex and the barista present, and the barista seemed far more interested in whatever he was doing on his mobile phone than the lone two customers. Just as James had expected though, the conversation began with Alex spouting the usual patronising comments - “I know how difficult it is” and “I don’t want you to be throwing your money away on these sessions”. James bristled but, with some effort, kept his expression relatively neutral. He was the type to get argumentative quickly and definitely had a stubborn streak, but his nefarious intentions would only be achieved if he played it open and vulnerable rather than closed off.

After about twenty minutes of conversing that felt more like Alex trying to offer him therapy, the personal trainer excused himself for a quick toilet break, and that was precisely what James had been waiting for. Once his trainer had left the table, he pulled out a small pill box from his jacket’s inside pocket and emptied the contents into the palm of his hand. The two pills - one purple, one orange - were some of the most expensive purchases James had ever made and it had been a bitch tracking them down on the dark web, so he was really hoping they weren’t bogus. Checking that the barista was still distracted by his phone, James dropped the purple pill into Alex’s cup of coffee and then took the orange pill himself and washed it down with some of his own warm beverage.

With no reason to suspect any foul play, Alex unwittingly ingested the contents of the pill shortly after returning to their table. He continued on with what in James’ opinion was a rather self-congratulatory speech, explaining the choices he had made for the diet and workout plans and trying to enthuse his client about them. James feigned interest but truthfully the entirety of his attention was on the other man’s handsome face, waiting for the inevitable signs of discomfort to begin crossing it. He himself could feel the strange stirring in his gut and it was hardly the most pleasant of sensations, so surely the same would be happening to the man sat across from him. Sure enough, just a few minutes later, distress had crept into Alex’s expression and he had a hand to his midsection before excusing himself to return to the bathroom.

In a surprising twist of good fortune, the barista had stepped outside to take a call, leaving James completely alone in the café. He squirmed in his seat as his internal discomfort intensified, like there was some sort of creature writhing around within his guts. Heat spread across the vast expanse of his out of shape body as if he had stepped right into the heart of a volcano, and he all but ripped his shirt away to try and get some relief from the café’s air conditioning unit. No such relief could be found; James only seemed to be heating up further. His breaths became shallow and his brain throbbed, threatening to break through the prison of his skull.

Now certain that he had ingested some sort of poison and would soon be responsible for the deaths of himself and his trainer, James made a silent prayer as he staggered out of his chair and towards the exit door. He could see the barista beyond and figured that he could call for an emergency ambulance to try and save them, but the young man’s back was turned to him and every little moment sent such shooting pains through James that he simply couldn’t continue. He attempted to call out - to scream - but it was as if his throat had sealed up. His knees went weak and he fell forward, crashing down towards the ground. The last thing he saw was the rapidly approaching floor of the coffee shop before he lost consciousness.

Not long after, hands on James’ shoulders shook him awake. His senses were slow to return, but he could hear a muffled voice coming from above him, and once his vision had stopped swimming, he realised that it was the barista crouched over him. After a few seconds, James was finally able to understand what was being said: “That’s it, I’m gonna call an ambulance!” Even as the barista began to rise to his feet, reaching for his mobile phone in his pocket in the process, James snapped out a hand and grabbed the young man by the wrist, startling them both. “Oh, thank fuck you’re awake! I didn’t know what the hell happened to you! Do you need help getting up?”

“Yeah, thanks,” James responded, his heartbeat racing when he recognised the voice as not being his own, but rather that of Alex Crockford. Accepting the hand that was offered to him, James rose to his feet and in the process got a good look at his new body: the rippling abs, the muscular quads and the light tan. It wasn’t just the appearance that was different though; he felt so much better in himself. He felt stronger, lighter, healthier. Running a hand across his tight core muscles, James couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Despite the rather traumatic process, the pills had actually done the job!

“So uh, can I ask why your shirt is off?” the barista asked, his cheeks pink as he did his best to look anywhere but at the six-pack abs of the personal trainer. “Or, uh, why you were sprawled on the floor?”

“Must have been a hot flush,” James said with a shrug, admiring the tribal tattoo on his left shoulder in the process. “A really bad one.” He glanced over towards the coffee shop’s lone restroom. The door was still closed and there were no sounds coming from within. “I should go freshen up a bit. Thanks for making sure I was okay though, buddy!” He delivered the words with a gentle slap to the other’s arm and relished in how the younger man’s blush intensified.

Much to his relief, the restroom door was unlocked. Probably rushed to hurl, thinking it was really that simple. As he entered and then ensured their privacy by locking the door behind him, James caught sight of his former body slumped on the floor next to the toilet. From an outsider’s perspective he could focus on little else other than just how sad and pathetic that body truly was. The transformation to the other man’s body had pushed his athletic gear to their very limits and a sizable gut was hanging out from the bottom of his shirt, while his fat thighs had caused some of the seams in his shorts to split. Pausing by the mirror, James took a moment to admire the fact smirking back at him. Alex was a goddamn looker in a way he had never been, and he certainly wasn’t going to be shying away from mirrors or cameras anymore!

Crouching down next to his now-former trainer, James slapped him a couple of times on the doughy cheeks of his round face until the other man began to stir. “Come on, fatty, time to wake up!” he taunted, making himself start to chub in his pants. I’m not sure if it’s me or this body with the humiliation kink, but I’m not complaining! As the other man’s eyes opened, James placed his hand over Alex’s mouth to silence him before he could even think of screaming. Certainly seeing his own face being worn by another man would be quite the startling thing to see, but he’d soon be forced to get used to it. “Okay, okay, you’re gonna have to stay calm for me, big guy. You even think about calling out for help then I’m gonna make your life even more miserable. After all, nobody’s going to believe that you’re Alex Crockford. I mean, look at me and then look at you!” At this, James’ temporary captive looked down at his body and his eyes went wide. There were even tears beginning to well up as the other writhed underneath him, forcing James to strengthen his grip. “Like I said, if you don’t want to end up in a padded cell for claiming that you’ve been bodyswapped, you’re going to shut up and listen to me!”

The resistance that the other man was putting up died down after a few more seconds, but the look of terror lingered in his eyes. “I’m not gonna hurt you, dude,” James chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, not physically, at least. I suppose this is gonna do some mental and emotional damage, but I’m paying you to be concerned about my wellbeing, not the other way around.” He took a moment to admire how the muscles in his arms flexed as he tightened and then loosened his grip around the other’s mouth. Oh, he was going to have so much fun with Alex’s body! “Now, I’m sick of you fitness guys preaching about how you’ve got to love the process and the grind and all that bullshit… pretty boys like you have never had to struggle like us big guys. I know that you were judging me for not sticking to your diet plan and for skipping out on the gym between our sessions, but I thought you should get a front row seat to learn why. It’s all about perception, you see. It’s easy to preach about the ‘process’ when you started at a privileged position. I wanna see what you can do with a real uphill battle.”

“So here’s what we’re going to do,” he continued, growing more accustomed to hearing the other man’s voice speaking his words. “You’re going to eat all the right foods and do all the right exercises until you’ve got my body into a good enough shape. Then and only then will I swap us back, and I’ll even be nice and pay you a nice lump sum for all your hard work. I’d ask if that sounds fair, but honestly I don’t care what you think of the deal. This is what we’re doing, no ifs and buts. Understood?” James finally released his grip over the other’s mouth, allowing Alex to take in several heavy breaths.

“Why are you doing this to me?” the former personal trainer croaked weakly.

James just rolled his eyes. He’d anticipated the question, but it didn’t make it any less annoying. “I’ve already explained that. Any other questions?”

After a pause, his former body spoke again: “How did you do it?”

He didn’t see the pills, of course. Keeping the real Alex in the dark would prevent him from using the same method to try and switch them back - not that James was ever going to be dumb enough to drink anything in the presence of the man whose body he had stolen - so that was what he was going to do!

Rather than replying, James rose to his feet and stepped back in front of the mirror to admire his abs a bit more. “Come on, get off your arse. I think we’re due for a session at the gym, don’t you?” A look of dread flashed in the other’s eyes, only furthering the body thief’s delight. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this, James. You’re going to be such a sweaty mess by the time we’re done together and then you can go back to that tiny little box apartment and see how those of us in the real world live, while I get to go back to that fancy house you bought with all your sponsorship money and enjoy all of this!” As he spoke, he let his hand travel down across his abs and grab at his prominent crotch, feeling the hard length underneath. Oh, what fun he and that hardness were going to have together!

The events of that day - including the humiliation he had delivered Alex at the training session that followed - had replayed themselves in James’ dreams on the regular in the month that followed.

He had made himself incredibly comfortable within Alex’s skin and it was glaringly obvious that the same could not be said for the other man. He so clearly resented being stuck in a body that wasn’t nearly as aesthetically pleasing and most definitely lacked the stamina and strength that he had grown so accustomed to. He had even been on the receiving end from a few fat jokes courtesy of other guys at the gym, and even though James had played the saviour by stepping in and telling them not to be mean, he secretly loved having others get in on the act of humiliating the former fitness influencer. How far the mighty have fallen!

Snapping back into the present moment as the photographer confirmed that they had all the shots they needed, James thanked the other man and even threw him a flirtatious wink for good measure. The photographer’s stammering response and flushed cheeks were precisely the reaction he had both anticipated and wanted - having other men melt from even the briefest interaction with him was one of James’ favourite things about occupying Alex’s body. Even the straightest man alive wouldn’t be able to deny how handsome he was, or how awesome his physique was! Of course, Alex wasn’t to know, but James had already had some fun taking advantage of his newfound good looks and he didn’t even have to try that hard to find somebody who was willing to give his perfect muscles the worshipping they deserved.

As the crew from Men’s Health began setting up for the interview that was to follow, James excused himself to make a phone call. He could feel the eyes on him - particularly on his ass, which there was no denying looked spectacular in his tight workout shorts - as he left the room, taking his brand new smartphone from his backpack and scrolling through his contacts. While he was in regular contact with the real Alex back in his body, it wasn’t him he was making the call to, but rather to the owner of the gym they both had memberships with - the same gym owner who had previously ratted him out to Alex about his lack of attendance. While the man in James’ body insisted that he was putting in the hard work, James wanted to hear it straight from the source, just as his trainer had once done to him.

It was only a few moments of waiting before the call was accepted and he received a friendly greeting from the gym owner. “Hey man, how are you doing?” he asked in response, talking to the other man as if they were old friends - which, as long as he was Alex, they technically were. They exchanged a little bit of small talk, mainly about how the gym was doing, before James got the chase: “Hey, look, I was wondering if you could do another check up on a client for me. Yeah, it’s James Killjoy again. Has he been in this week?”

While he waited for the gym owner to sort through the computer system and find the new James’ attendance record, the two men engaged in some more casual discussion about fitness. James was thrilled at how easily it came to him now that he was properly settled into Alex’s life. He no longer felt awkward while talking to bodybuilders or guys who had been out of his league and he loved how they treated him with respect and admiration. It was the kind of positive relationship he’d never had with other men before, and truth be told he didn’t want to give it up.

Thankfully, he was soon delivered some information that made that desire much more justifiable: “Oh, he’s not been in at all this week? Yeah, I guess I expected as much. He’s probably not been sticking to the diet plan I wrote out for him either. Such a shame… I just don’t know why they pay for my help and then ignore my advice.”

Despite the downcast tone he was projecting in his voice, James could hardly hide the grin from his face. Just as he’d anticipated, Alex was struggling to stick to the plans he’d insisted were key to getting fit and was no doubt giving in to all of the cravings that he was experiencing in his new body. There hadn’t been any drastic changes in his physical shape over their past few sessions together and James had certainly had his suspicions, but it felt great to have them confirmed.

Of course, as he’d outlined to his former trainer in the minutes after their original switch the only way he was prepared to give up the incredible body he was now in was if Alex was able to whip his body into shape. If he was already struggling to stick to the plans he himself had put in place… well, it seemed unlikely Alex would be getting his body back any time soon, if ever. The other would probably cry and beg, but he had made the conditions of the deal crystal clear, so the former fitness influencer would only have himself to blame for not being able to commit to his own plans. Why should anybody put their trust in a personal trainer who couldn’t practice what they preached?

I guess it’s time I start thinking of myself as Alex permanently, huh? He was already tenting his athletic shorts at the realisation that this was his life from now on. They were his muscles, his handsome face, his sexy tattoo, his personal training business and his online following. There was no sense of loss when he thought about never returning to his former body, instead he only felt excitement for what the future would hold. The new Alex was going to build his online presence further by posting even more thirst traps, and maybe he’d even think about starting an OnlyFans to really get the money rolling in! After all, with such a perfect body, why would he ever bother hiding it behind clothes?

Returning to the studio to conduct the interview for his next magazine feature, a single thought echoed through the stud’s mind that perfectly summarised where he was at in life: Goodbye James Killjoy, hello Alex Crockford!