Sports Medicine Master System

"What's important is post-training recovery."

Chen Yu led the group straight to the training hall.

The spacious training hall was filled with all sorts of training equipment, divided into multiple zones. A quick glance revealed an equipment room, a medical office, a physical therapy room, and a utility room—it had everything.

At that moment, some athletes were also doing recovery training with the help of a Trainer.

It was said that the daily training time was six to eight hours, but the situation varied for each individual.

Some were physically weaker and couldn't handle it, so their workload would be appropriately reduced.

Others, with a better foundation, would have their sessions slightly extended.

So, a small number of people hadn't quite finished their training yet.

Seeing the large crowd of people entering, the few young athletes turned their heads to look.

When they arrived, Yuan Weimin had even asked his secretary to prepare a speech, planning to gather the kids to read it and offer some encouragement.

But seeing that Chen Yu had no intention of stopping the athletes who were training, Yuan Weimin could only drop the idea and follow him on the tour.

Much of the equipment had been mentioned in the documents Chen Yu provided, but hearing about it and seeing it in person were two completely different experiences.

"This must be the microgravity Floating Pod," Yuan Weimin asked, looking at the device in front of him, which resembled a hibernation chamber from a sci-fi movie.

Chen Yu nodded.

These things were originally large-scale, but as technology has gradually advanced, smaller, single-person units have become available.

"Our information packet explained it. Its main purpose is to provide a microgravity environment, allowing the body's muscles to achieve a better state of relaxation and relieve training fatigue."

Before Chen Yu could finish his introduction, a coach from the back couldn't resist asking if they could try it out.

No matter how well it was described, it couldn't compare to experiencing it firsthand.

"Of course," Chen Yu nodded. "But not today. According to the plan, all the coaches and Trainers will be staying at the training base. We will arrange for you to train alongside the athletes, and then you'll understand the entire training process."

Gong Luming and the others nodded in agreement.

Chen Yu had provided the Sports Bureau with a large amount of data and case studies.

North America's Four Major Leagues and the European Five Major Leagues were all gradually adopting this kind of high-tech auxiliary training equipment.

But what the actual effects would be, no one knew for sure.

They really had to experience it themselves to find out.

The group asked no more questions and obediently continued the tour.

Yuan Weimin didn't say much or ask much; he mostly observed.

It wasn't just the training hardware, but also the midday meals.

He visited the cafeteria and learned that Chen Yu formulated specialized nutritional meals for each athlete based on their physical condition.

The domestic National Team had similar practices, but they weren't fully implemented across the board.

And even where they were implemented, there was a huge gap compared to what Chen Yu was doing here.

They might only do simple calculations for protein and carbohydrate intake, but here with Chen Yu, micronutrients, training expenditure, and nutritional substances were all calculated with absolute clarity.

They even had scientific backing for everything.

This level of research left Yuan Weimin speechless.

He knew there was a large gap between their training methods and those abroad, but he never expected it to be this vast.

It wasn't just the training methods, but also the fundamental training philosophies and the degree of research into the human body. Chen Yu's operation was far ahead of anything back home.

It was in the cafeteria that Yuan Weimin finally saw all the young athletes together.

"Director-General, I feel like these kids have changed so much," Li Yuanwei whispered.

They had seen them before when everyone gathered in the Capital.

Based on their appearance back then, they really didn't look promising.

Some were skinny, some were tall, and some were both skinny and tall.

"Look at that one, his name is Zheng something, right? I vaguely remember him," Li Yuanwei said, pointing to one of the boys.

How could a 13-year-old standing at 6'11" not leave an impression?

A little over two months ago—or even earlier, since it took them almost a month to process their paperwork in the Capital—

Three months ago, Zheng Zhun really had nothing but height. He was so thin he was almost emaciated.

His calves were so thin that you felt they might snap if he ran too fast.

You can imagine how skinny he was, standing 6'11" but weighing only 167 pounds.

But now, Li Yuanwei was shocked to find that Zheng Zhun looked like a completely different person. His body had filled out considerably.

His arms, which were once skin and bones like a beanpole, now had substance, and his muscle definition was even quite noticeable.

Yuan Weimin took it all in, pointed to Zheng Zhun, and asked about his weight.

Chen Yu beckoned to a Trainer, who brought over a training manual. He glanced at it and said, "91.2 kilograms."

A simple physical examination was conducted every morning to monitor their physical changes.

Li Yuanwei's eyebrows shot up. "So you're saying he gained 15 kilograms in two months."

'That's thirty-three pounds of muscle!'

"Dr. Chen, won't such rapid weight gain cause problems?" Li Yuanwei asked cautiously.

Gaining 15 kilograms in two months wasn't that exaggerated, numerically speaking.

Some people who binged could easily gain 5 kilograms in a week.

But that was for ordinary people, and most of what they gained was fat.

Zheng Zhun had gained weight, but his muscle definition was still clear. That was what was so astounding.

Moreover, rapid weight gain could also lead to many physical problems, like increased strain on the heart.

"It's not a problem." Chen Yu shook his head. He had been paying close attention to Zheng Zhun's case.

He was the skinniest of all the kids.

So he had to be treated differently.

For someone his height, even 90 kilograms was light, abnormally so.

"We created a weight gain plan for him. He's now in the adaptation period. We'll stabilize his weight around 90 kilograms, then give him two to three months to adapt and regain his proper athletic ability before starting the next weight gain cycle."

He was excessively thin, like a dried-out sponge. It's easy to absorb water at first, but once it's absorbed a certain amount, you have to consider expanding the sponge's surface area to keep absorbing more.

Li Yuanwei nodded, suppressing the questions in his mind.

Yuan Weimin was also beginning to understand why the food budget was so high.

Thirty-five growing boys, eating their fill every day, and all of it was high-quality stuff. He had just seen it: fresh beef, shrimp, various ocean fish, all kinds of dairy products—none of it was cheap.

Add to that the precise physical monitoring and the manpower required for nutritional calculations, and the quote Chen Yu had given him actually seemed quite reasonable.

Yuan Weimin recalled that during his previous interactions with Chen Yu, Chen had mentioned more than once that domestic athletes didn't pay enough attention to their diet, and their nutrition was neither balanced nor comprehensive.

Chen Yu had also said that this aspect was crucial and would directly impact training results.

So, it was only normal for Chen Yu to charge a high price for providing such excellent nutritional support.

Yuan Weimin wasn't afraid of spending money. Since the higher-ups had approved this project, they were prepared to invest heavily.

In any case, the fully commercialized CBA and Chinese Super League could recoup some of the costs.

The future growth of the sports industry it would spur would be an even greater achievement.

So spending money wasn't the problem, as long as it was worth it. He was only worried that Chen Yu might cut corners or pull some tricks in this area.

But Yuan Weimin's inspection this time was not as simple as just taking a look.

His next plan was to go to Los Angeles, inspect various places in the United States, and meet with some people from the American sports world. His schedule was very tight.

Yet, he still stayed in Phoenix for another three days.

He was waiting for the coaching team and the Trainers, who had already moved into the training base, to conduct an in-depth and comprehensive evaluation of Chen Yu's training methods.

On the day of his departure, Yuan Weimin had an afternoon flight. That morning, he went to see Liu Xiang and his mentor, who had also arrived in the United States for training. Upon returning to the hotel, he summoned Gong Luming and the others to ask how they felt about shadowing the training for the past two days.

The seven representatives in the room exchanged glances, but no one spoke first.

"What, you didn't understand any of it? If no one's going to talk, I'll start calling on people," Director Li said with a chuckle.

The seven exchanged another glance. Jia Xiuquan—a former key player for the National Team, last year's head coach for Shen Hua before being dismissed, and the soon-to-be head coach of the U19 national youth team—was the first to speak.

"Director Li, it's not that we don't want to talk. It's that there's so much to say, we don't know where to begin."

The others in the room nodded in agreement.

Shui Qingxia, the current assistant coach of the women's national team and one of only three women in the entire coaching group, spoke up from across the table. "Their training philosophy, their training methods... there are so many things worth learning. I was just talking to Coach Lu about it yesterday."

"He studied in Europe before, but he told me that when he was there, he couldn't fully grasp many things, and people wouldn't necessarily share the deeper-level concepts. But this time, I feel like Dr. Chen's team held nothing back. They explained some of the fundamental concepts with extreme clarity."

"They also showed us a large volume of training logs and related data. I truly believe their methods are far ahead of ours."

At this, Yuan Weimin pondered for a moment before saying, "Let me ask this a different way. You've all probably heard how much money we've spent this time. So, do you think spending all this money is worth it?"

There was too much to discuss, so he cut to the chase. What Yuan Weimin really cared about was whether the money was well spent.

He had been rehired post-retirement, delaying his final departure specifically to push this project forward. If they ended up spending a lot of money only to be left with a complete mess, it would be an undeniable stain on his legacy.

That's why he was so concerned about whether the money was worth it.

The seven of them exchanged glances again, and after a moment of thought, they all nodded.

Gong Luming even took the initiative to say, "I feel it's absolutely worth it. And if we can seize this opportunity properly, it could have a profound impact on our country's sports programs for the next ten years, or even longer."

"Oh?"

That statement made Yuan Weimin raise an eyebrow, his eyes brightening considerably.