Iansan

Hello

Hi there, I'm Iansan from the Collective of Plenty, and I'm the most well-known fitness coach in my tribe. You look like you're in pretty good shape... do you work out, too?

About Iansan: Fitness Coach

Physical fitness has always been a big part of my tribe's culture. Young people even show off their muscles to each other as a friendly gesture. So obviously, if you want to call yourself a fitness coach around here, you've gotta have the goods, or no one will take you seriously. In my case though, I never actually set out to become a fitness coach. For years, I was just minding my own business, following my training plan, and then somewhere along the way people started taking notice. Suddenly, people were watching in amazement while I was working out. Then they started asking me for tips, and it just grew from there.

About Iansan: Height

Don't take me for a little kid — I'm just short, like all my ancestors before me. I guess it must be genetic... But thankfully, it doesn't affect my strength at all.

More About Iansan: I

Have you ever heard of the "Pilgrimage Victors Academy"? It's a training program I set up after my string of victories at the Pilgrimage. A lot of people assumed that I was blessed with superhuman strength — I guess it's not every day you see a short girl like me best everyone else in the stadium. But I wanted to show them that no, there's no mysterious force at work behind my strength, just years of consistent hard work. Join my training program and you'll see for yourself. It was a strange experience at the start, though... First, I had people reporting me as a scammer, despite the fact that the classes were free — then I took Mavuika's advice and introduced a fee, and suddenly the class was oversubscribed... Weird.

More About Iansan: II

Standard barbells are too large for me. They block my vision when I'm lifting them, and I almost injured a student once because I couldn't see who was around me. So, I got Xilonen to make me a custom barbell from a special material that has a good weight, but takes up far less space. It makes things so much easier. The only downside is that looks can be deceiving... people are always mistaking it for a toy. Once, I forgot to bring it home from the fitness club, and some new students spotted it on the ground. One of them thought he'd have some fun with it, but when he went to pick it up, it wouldn't budge and he ended up pulling a muscle in his back. The other students didn't believe him, and before long the rest of them had pulled muscles in their backs, too... I make sure to carry it with me everywhere now.

More About Iansan: III

My first foray into the science of nutrition came when I was recovering from an injury. Back then, people didn't have a very sophisticated idea of what a good training diet looks like — the general consensus was just "eat more meat." And for most of the fitness club, that worked well enough. They're the kind of people who can devour entire platters of grilled meat in one sitting. But at my size, I could never fit that much food in me, so I was already on the market for a more efficient way of meeting my nutritional needs. Since I was stuck at home recovering for a while, I borrowed some reading material to research various ingredients and started experimenting in the kitchen, trying to cook some meals to support my training goals. After several failed attempts, I finally found a recipe that worked for me, and it was game-changing. Not only did it speed up my recovery, it also helped me to break my bench press record. My only regret is that, despite sharing it around, it's still relatively unknown outside the fitness club.

More About Iansan: IV

After I became head coach, I introduced a challenge for newcomers to the club — pick an exercise of your choice, and go head-to-head against me. Of course, it always ends the same way — after the newcomer collapses from exhaustion, I pick up their weights and continue for another ten to twenty sets of quality reps. My goal isn't so much to show them who's boss as to give them a taste of what serious training actually looks like. You get a lot of people joining the club who just want to ego-lift and show off, so it's my job to hammer home to them that fitness is hard work, not fun and games.

More About Iansan: V

Wrestling tatankasaurs is a longstanding tradition in my tribe, and winning is seen as a great honor. I decided to give it a shot after I'd been training for a while, but failed several times over, and the experience left me doubting my entire approach to training. Then, a short while later, the chief of the tatankasaurs suddenly flipped and went on a rampage through our settlement. Amid the chaos, I found myself standing between the saurian and a little girl who hadn't managed to escape in time. I had to save her... so I confronted the tatankasaur chief head-on. Somehow, knowing that she was right behind me and needed my protection helped me find a strength within me that I never knew existed. I wrestled with all my might, and I threw that tatankasaur onto its back. That was the day I learned to trust in my training approach again. I realized that training does steadily build your strength over time, but to summon your full strength, you have to call on it from somewhere deep in your soul.

About Us: Travel Experiences

I heard that you've traveled all over the world, and explored domains that few people have ever seen. It sounds amazing... Would you have time to tell me more about some of those experiences? Sometimes, what my students really need is the right inspiration, and I think your tales of braving the unknown and conquering adversity would be perfect for that.

About Us: Motivating Each Other

As a coach, I'm often expected to give advice to other people, but I actually prefer to work in a team where we all motivate each other. Fitness is a lifelong endeavor, and like with anything, going it alone for too long leads to burnout — even for me. You're my friend, so could I ask you to be my motivation buddy? If there ever comes a day when I give in to the temptation to laze around and eat candy, I'll need someone by my side with the courage to call me out on it.

Citlali

I have a lot of respect for Granny Itztli, but... I can't say I agree with her lifestyle choices. I used to think she was a fellow early riser, because I'd always see her up and about on my morning runs — turns out she'd actually stayed up all night and was finally heading home to sleep... And she's been living like that for what, 200 years? How her body hasn't given out on her by now, I'll never know. The shamans in that tribe are just built different, I guess.

Mualani

Mualani has always impressed me. She's never taken any formal fitness training, and yet her strength and physique are better than most of the students I've had. She actually did sign up for a class once upon a time, but never ended up coming along. Maybe water sports are just more effective at inducing all-round muscle development? Who knows, but I suspect the key is her frame of mind. As far as I know, she's never gone out and trained with the specific goal of achieving a certain kind of body.

Xilonen

Xilonen is the first friend I ever made from the Children of Echoes. I have all sorts of new ideas when I'm designing fitness equipment, and she's one of the few people who can actually bring them to life. And not just that, but the build quality is always exceptional. My only issue is that she always pushes back on my deadlines... but I guess if you want something done well, it takes the time it takes.

Mavuika

Because of the childhood I had, I don't like relying on other people or needing their protection. But when Mavuika is around, even I feel comfortable letting her take the lead. To be clear, that's not because she's the leader and I'm intimidated by her. Quite the opposite. It's because I trust her as a close friend. Following her just feels right... almost instinctive, like moving towards the light when you're surrounded by darkness.

Kachina

Kachina's a very special student. Mostly because of the sheer number of classes she's attended over the years... So many times, I've watched her nervously walk into the stadium, only to leave later looking crushed and defeated. Then she comes to find me to apologize for her poor performance — although honestly, I feel like I've failed her by not delivering on the promises I make in my advertising. Anyway, since then, I've waived all her fees, and told her she can train with me whenever she wants. I see huge potential in her, but I know she has her own issues... I've done all I can do as a coach, so whatever other challenges she faces, she'll have to conquer them on her own.

Kinich

Kinich always does a great job whenever I need someone to hand-pick the best fruit from Varesa's orchard. Working with him would be a joy — if it weren't for that little monster he hangs around with... He says the nastiest things. Someone really needs to teach him some manners. I'd very happily do that myself, of course — I'm sure one of my training programs would whip Ajaw into shape — and in fact I've offered that to Kinich before. But, he turned me down. I guess he has his own way of keeping Ajaw in line.

Varesa

Ah, Varesa... She's my star student, my pride and joy. I hope she hasn't made a bad impression on you... Oh — no, not like that. When push comes to shove, I'm sure she pulls her weight in battle, and I know she has things under control at the end of the day. It's just, she can be a little... too relaxed, you know? I feel like if I'm not there constantly pushing her to stay focused, she'll lose all sense of time and treat every day like she's on vacation. Leave the house to run an errand, but then saunter along without a care in the world, letting herself get distracted by every morsel of food she passes along the way... Once in a while that's fine, but you can't live like that when you're out adventuring, and the stakes are so high! Anyway, I've told her all this before, so hopefully I've gotten through to her by now. But... the other thing that worries me is the amount of food she needs. I mean, you tell me — is it really practical to go hiking through the hills with a sack of food on your back the size of a baby tatankasaur?

Varesa

My biggest concern for Varesa right now is that her energy management seems out of control. Her metabolism seems like it's stuck on a high-burn mode, meaning she wastes an awful lot of energy, and I suspect that's the cause of her alarming appetite. I do hope she takes some time to look into what makes her this way. I'd love to see her gain the ability to manage her energy expenditure a little better, so she doesn't need to eat like a horse every single meal... I mean, it's nice to see her thoroughly enjoy her food, but at the same time, I want to urge her to be more mindful of what she's putting in her body. It's never a good idea to just gorge yourself — you have to pay attention to nutrition and quantity, and especially limit your fat and sugar intake. Much better to get her diet under control now than have to deal with the consequences when she develops health issues later in life.

Iansan's Hobbies

Researching training methods, designing training equipment, developing high-nutrition training meals... In a nutshell, training.

Iansan's Troubles

I hate being short. Not because I dream of being tall and athletic-looking though, it's just inconvenient. Like, whenever I'm teaching a group of students, I have to stand on a stool. Otherwise, when I demonstrate the proper technique, the students at the back won't see.

Favorite Food

My favorite food is... Hmm, honestly, I don't really have a favorite. I'm more concerned about the calories and the nutritional profile of what I eat. Taste is a secondary concern.

Least Favorite Food

Deep-fried food and ultra-processed food... I know, that pretty much rules out most of what the rest of the world considers delicious. I know it all tastes good, and I have no problem with that, but if you look at the calorie content and the nutrient density, all that stuff is just awful.

Feelings About Ascension: Intro

The key to effective fitness training is sound methodology. Namely, gradual progression and science-backed nutrition.

Feelings About Ascension: Building Up

Any fitness enthusiast who puts blind faith in perseverance alone will end up getting injured — I learned that the hard way. Pushing yourself to take on more than you can comfortably bear will just lead to two fractured arms and weeks of recovery in isolation. The right outlet for your perseverance is to stick doggedly to the right training methods.

Feelings About Ascension: Climax

A younger me would get all excited whenever I added another push-up to my personal record, but that rarely happens these days. I've come to realize that as long as I stay consistent with my training, progress is the inevitable outcome whether I see it or not.

Feelings About Ascension: Conclusion

Maybe this was all a test I had to go through, to prove myself worthy of my ancient name. Either way, those words spoken by my ancestors ring true to this day: "No matter what strength one is born with, true strength must be toiled for."

Receiving a Gift: I

Great choice. Good amount of calories, nutritionally balanced — exactly the kind of thing I eat when I am training. I actually have a slightly improved version of this recipe, though. Let me know if you ever want to try it.

Receiving a Gift: II

Aw, thanks. This is a very popular dish, although the calories are a little high, so it's not really something I go for... Sorry, I'm pretty strict with what I eat. Diet's one of the most important parts of any fitness regimen.

Receiving a Gift: III

Oh goodness... Everyone should stay away from calorie bombs like these! Athlete or not, this kind of thing is disastrous for your health!