Martin winced when he heard the counter's reaction to the added weight. That thing didn't look that heavy, but from the sound of it, it probably weighed more than him! "Not quite sure where you're going with this, but I'll give it a try," he said, trying to look tough, but inwardly (and probably outwardly) worried he'd just be making a fool of himself, or worse, hurting himself before the tournament and putting himself out of the running. He cracked his knuckles, reached out, and: "Right, so with my aura 'tied behind my back' then? Here goes..."He put his fingers around the handle as if it was just any old umbrella, and began his attempt. The wiry muscles in his arm flexed and stood out, a vein bulged on his temple, but (after adding the leverage and strength of his other arm) he managed to lift it. The effort visible on his face, he grinned lopsidedly. "That's... not so bad."