Sports Medicine Master System

The two-hour training session concluded, and only then did Chen Yu make an appearance.

He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, then smiled and praised them. "Not bad. I honestly thought you wouldn't be able to finish the training plan. But you did great. You all stuck it out."

The group of boys looked at each other, then lowered their heads without a word.

Whatever complaints they might have had were forgotten. Right now, they were so tired all they wanted was to rest.

"Let's go."

Chen Yu didn't say anything more. He just gestured for everyone to follow him to the recovery room next door.

Training and maintenance go hand in hand.

Pure, hard training alone will only damage the body.

In Chen Yu's view, it was fifty percent training and fifty percent maintenance.

Only with proper maintenance could training be effective.

"Come on, strip down."

Chen Yu instructed them to take off their clothes and get into the Ultra-Low Temperature Freezing Chambers one by one.

The ultra-low temperature was still a great way to relieve training fatigue and prevent deep tissue damage.

"Holy shit, what is this thing? It's so cold!"

"I'm freezing to death."

"Damn, this really wakes you up."

The boys couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

Chen Yu stood to the side, explaining the purpose of the Ultra-Low Temperature Freezing Chamber.

When he heard the temperature would drop to over one hundred degrees below zero, Han Zhilu was astonished. He had never even heard of such a thing.

But he had to admit, the effects were obvious.

Before entering the freezing chamber, his legs had been so sore he could barely walk. His lower back ached, too. In fact, his whole body was in pain.

He knew it was because he had overexerted himself; his body couldn't take it.

But after just one minute in the cold, he came out and was surprised to find the pain all over his body had lessened significantly.

At first, he thought he was just numb from the cold.

But that wasn't the case, according to Chen Yu's clear explanation. The ultra-low temperature caused the blood vessels to constrict, slowing blood flow and metabolism.

After getting out, the blood vessels would undergo a process of rapid dilation. Once dilated, they could carry more blood, delivering more oxygen to all parts of the body and thus repairing damaged tissue.

Chen Yu even used an analogy: it was like stepping out of a blizzard and into a warm house. Your heart would start pumping blood faster to restore your body temperature, which had a restorative effect.

It was logical and well-reasoned, leaving no room for rebuttal.

And it wasn't over. After the freezing, everyone went to the massage room for a targeted relaxation massage from the therapists.

Chen Yu stood by and watched, telling each therapist which areas to focus on for each boy.

Han Zhilu watched in silence. He didn't know how Chen Yu did it. Without even performing a physical check, he told the therapist to massage the muscles on the right side of Han Zhilu's own back.

His training today had focused on his legs, but during one explosive movement, he had overexerted himself and accidentally pulled a muscle in his back.

It was just a faint ache, and he hadn't thought much of it at the time.

But he never expected Chen Yu to point it out and request a recovery massage for it.

The therapist's technique was incredible, too. The pressure was just right. After the massage, he felt like every muscle in his body had relaxed.

The fatigue from training was largely alleviated through this process.

Then, it was time for a supplemental meal.

They ate bananas and other fruits and drank sports drinks to replenish the minerals lost during training.

Han Zhilu thought that was the end of it, but he was wrong. After the light snack, a Trainer had them do some ultra-low-intensity recovery exercises like ligament stretches and slow walking.

It was the first time Han Zhilu had ever encountered the concept of "active recovery" after training.

Back at the sports school, they would just collapse after training and lie there until whenever, then get up the next day to train again.

The concept of active recovery training simply didn't exist.

"You know, after all that fuss, I actually don't feel as tired anymore," Sun Keming said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He even felt an urge to go another round.

Han Zhilu, walking slowly on a treadmill, thought for a moment before replying, "I have to say, their training methods are way better than ours. There are so many concepts I'm only hearing about for the first time."

Sun Keming had to admit that was true. To be honest, he hadn't believed he could endure such high-intensity training.

"It's just Song Jun. That bastard is something else," Sun Keming said through clenched teeth. "Old Han, how about we get a few guys later and teach him a lesson? He thinks he's tough? I'd like to see how many of us he can take on." He had been one of the ones who collapsed, but Song Jun's intimidating presence had forced him back on his feet to finish the training.

Han Zhilu didn't respond. He generally couldn't be bothered to engage in pointless conversations.

He knew in his heart that Song Jun was just a blade wielded by Chen Yu.

'He was actually quite curious. What was the deal with that kid, Song Jun? Why was he so willing to be used by Chen Yu?'

Just then, someone came over and told those who had finished their recovery to go to the recreation room next door.

The next activity, surprisingly, was play.

The recreation room had a big-screen TV, brand-new game consoles, a book corner, a pool table, and even a small self-serve bar with drinks and snacks. You could watch movies, play games, or read.

This recreation room hadn't been open to them before.

Han Zhilu noticed that just a moment ago, a few of the boys had been muttering about how brutal the training was, wondering who they could complain to, or talking about telling their parents and backing out. But now, their eyes were shining as they huddled around the game consoles.

Seeing Sun Keming's eyes light up as he pulled him toward the consoles, Han Zhilu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'Is this a form of corruption? A little bit of sugar to make the medicine go down?'

And the entertainment wasn't all. A psychologist was also there to chat with them, asking how they felt about living in a foreign country, whether they had any resistance to the high-intensity training, and if they missed their families.

At first, Han Zhilu was a bit resistant.

But then the psychologist explained that the psychological evaluation was also part of the assessment. If they didn't pass it, they could be cut.

There was no extra training that evening.

But from what Chen Yu said, in the future there would be three or even four training sessions a day.

That night, Han Zhilu received a call from his parents.

It was the first call he'd gotten from them since arriving in the United States.

His mother still held some resentment toward him.

But it was clear she couldn't hold it in any longer. She asked with concern how Han Zhilu was doing in the United States, whether he was eating well, and as she spoke, she couldn't stop herself from crying.

"Alright, you promised you wouldn't cry, and here you go again," his father, Han Siwei, grumbled over the phone.

His mother's complaining voice could be heard in the background, but his father ignored it. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Son, are you doing okay?"

Just that one question.

There was silence on the line. Han Zhilu felt his nose tingle, and he controlled his voice as he said, "Dad, I'm fine. I'm doing great."

"Really?" Han Siwei pressed.

"Yeah, really great. You always used to tell me to broaden my horizons and see the world. And this time, coming to the United States, I've really had my eyes opened."

The biggest impression Han Zhilu had after a full day of training was how professional everything was.

He was only now learning that training could permeate every aspect of life. Chen Yu was teaching them what it meant to be a true professional athlete.

In Chen Yu's words, even recreation was a necessary tool for relieving inner frustrations.

"Dad, I'm sure you want to ask if I have any regrets."

Han Zhilu thought back on the day's events. "Before coming to the United States, I didn't know if I would regret it or not. But now that I'm here and have started training, I have no regrets."

"Dad, I'm doing what I love most right now. Just you wait. One day, I'll wear the National Team uniform, and you'll watch me on TV, bringing honor to our country!"