Chapter 146 - 105: Upgraded Human Flag

The commotion in the back row about crushing an apple lasted only for a moment. Once the bell rang for class, Li Rui appeared at the lectern and began his lecture, and the classroom immediately fell silent.

All the students, including Ma Qiang, regardless of how much they joked around before class, became serious, listening attentively and taking notes once class officially started.

This was because although Jiang University was a top institution in Huaxia, its physical education department was not its strong suit.

Generally, more talented athletes or physical education students wouldn’t apply to Jiang University; most would go to Beijing Sports University or Qingbei for advanced studies.

Among those specially recruited to study at Jiang University, aside from the Class I Athletes, the most accomplished were the National Master Athletes.

As for those who reached the level of International Master Athlete and could compete for gold and silver on the international stage, they were exceedingly rare at Jiang University.

This was because International Master Athletes could join provincial or national sports teams and receive a fixed monthly salary and subsidies. For example, if their best individual achievement was an Asian championship, they could earn around 18,000 a month, which wasn’t as high as ordinary people imagined.

Only by becoming a world-class sports star, continuously winning gold medals in major competitions, getting swamped with endorsements and commercials, and frequently trending online could one be considered to have truly "made it" among all the physical education students.

After graduation or retirement, most physical education students, just like ordinary university graduates, had to find jobs on their own to make a living.

Their post-graduation paths generally fell into one of three categories: they could work as PE teachers or sports coaches, which matched their majors; or, they could rely on family support to open a club related to their specialty.

That’s why these freshmen, including Ma Qiang, were all diligently absorbing as much knowledge as possible, to ensure they could embark on a new, more stable life path after graduation or retirement.

Seeing such a strong learning atmosphere in the class, Chen Jue was also quite inspired. He took notes while squeezing a hand gripper.

By the end of the sports training class, the [Strength] Attribute on his panel had increased by another 0.01, and he had also learned professional knowledge related to sprinting.

...

After class, the physical education students began to disperse, but Li Rui, the course instructor, stopped Chen Jue at the classroom door.

"Xiaochen, I’ve been busy with classes this week and have had limited time. I’ve only designed half of your training plan. It should be finalized by Sunday."

"I’ll give you a list of the training items you’ll need first. It’s best to prepare these supplies in advance since they’ll affect your training progress. We want to avoid injuries due to a lack of logistical support when you start." After speaking, Li Rui took out an A4 sheet of paper and handed it to Chen Jue.

Chen Jue took a look and saw dozens of different items densely listed on it.

Besides sports-related equipment like dumbbells, barbells, and jump ropes, there was also sports gear and protective equipment like a swimsuit, goggles, and a weightlifting belt.

At the bottom of the list, several common sports supplements were also listed, such as whey protein, liquid pre-workout, and sugar-free electrolytes.

’As expected of a track and field coach from Jiang University!’ Chen Jue couldn’t help but exclaim internally after reading the list.

Compared to Chen Jue’s own random online shopping sprees, the list of supplies Li Rui provided was clearly much more professional.

Much of the protective gear and many of the supplements on it even had English import labels. Chen Jue had not only never seen them before, he’d never even heard of them. It was clear that Li Rui had gone to great lengths to find these quality items from the most advanced training methods abroad.

"Teacher Li, thank you! I’ll get right on buying these when I get back," Chen Jue said hurriedly, accepting the list.

Li Rui waved his hand dismissively. "It’s nothing, don’t be so formal with me. Once Haohao is out of the hospital, my whole family wants to treat you and Xiaofang to a meal to thank you both properly!"

"Besides, in order to design this training plan for a fitness enthusiast like you, I specifically looked through some foreign forums. I learned a lot of new, cutting-edge knowledge that will be a great help to my own teaching."

According to Li Rui, sports science related to the human body was advancing daily. In particular, some foreign training techniques were much more advanced than the old-fashioned methods followed in the domestic sports circle.

However, while these cutting-edge theories seemed powerful, they hadn’t been fully established yet. They had a small following and came with considerable risks and side effects, so their applicability wasn’t high.

For example, the list mentioned "BFR (Blood Flow Restriction) bands." They were said to stimulate localized muscle growth when worn during training, but only a very small number of foreign athletes were experimenting with them.

In addition, the mindset in the domestic training circles was quite rigid, prioritizing a "steady" approach that sought no merits but also accepted no faults. As a result, these cutting-edge theories and equipment were even less likely to be widely introduced and used.

Only some amateur enthusiasts or fitness lovers would take the risk to try them.

Chen Jue happened to be a prime example of this type of person. His main drive was a "fanatical" desire to achieve god-like muscles, and taking some risks in the pursuit of a higher, faster, and stronger physique was to be expected.

So, after hearing Chen Jue’s somewhat crazy ideas, Li Rui had used his spare time to find a pile of cutting-edge theories and training methods from abroad to add some potent ingredients to Chen Jue’s training plan.

’I’m really looking forward to Teacher Li’s training plan!’ Chen Jue rubbed his hands together excitedly.

...

After taking the list of supplies from Li Rui, he said his goodbyes and headed toward the track and field stadium with his 22-pound sports backpack on.

He only had one class to attend on Friday morning, so Chen Jue planned to use the large chunk of free time to get in some extra practice.

As for the dozens of items on the list, Chen Jue searched for them on Taobao as he walked. It took him nearly 20 minutes to add all the mentioned supplies to his shopping cart, after which he checked out with a single click.

Seeing that he had spent another 20,000-plus yuan, Chen Jue felt more and more that the "pay-to-win" aspect of the sports and health industry, once you got deep into it, was no less intense than spending money to become number one on the server in a mobile game.

After all, this was Earth Online in real life. Just buying some decent sports gear had already cost tens of thousands.

’If I really train to the level of a top athlete and hire a professional logistical support team, wouldn’t the expenses have a few more zeros added on?’

’Money is a bastard. Spend it, and you can always earn it back!’ Chen Jue pursed his lips, finally starting to understand the mentality of those Silicon Valley tycoons who threw billions of USD in pursuit of longevity.

...

Strolling to the track and field stadium, he didn’t see many people.

The star students of Jiang University were probably busy with classes. He only saw a few track and field athletes practicing hard.

Chen Jue put down his sports backpack and first went to the nearby concession stand to buy a large bottle of a sports drink and some mineral water in preparation.

Then, just as he’d learned in the practical training session guided by Li Rui, he did a warm-up, stretching and loosening his joints, before starting to jog on the rubber track.

One lap, two laps, three laps... The pace wasn’t fast. He spent 15 minutes jogging 10 laps.

After nearly 4 kilometers of aerobic exercise, Chen Jue’s body began to heat up and he was sweating profusely. He even managed to grind out 0.01 Free Attribute points.

"Hooo~"

Chen Jue let out a long breath. After the run, his body felt hot and his entire being felt energized.

He took a few gulps of the sports drink, followed by some mineral water to replenish the fluids lost during exercise.

After his heart rate settled, Chen Jue went over to the uneven bars in the corner to start his Street Fitness workout.

’First up, 5 sets of 30 push-ups!’

As his arm strength grew, Chen Jue’s push-ups were no longer limited to the traditional, standard form. Referencing Street Fitness tutorial videos online, he started doing all sorts of variations on the ground.

From side-to-side push-ups and lizard push-ups to 120-degree pike push-ups, and then to the more difficult archer push-ups, Chen Jue was like a reckless hothead, practicing pushing the Earth away.

As for the difficulty levels of push-ups, Chen Jue had looked it up online and found that some foreign expert had divided them into 80 difficulty levels.

The higher the number, the more difficult the push-up variation.

Currently, the highest Chen Jue could manage was the Level 60 archer push-up, where you keep both hands on the ground but shift your weight from side to side like an archer drawing a bow. It was very difficult; without a few years of Street Fitness training, it was basically impossible.

As for the even higher Level 79, it was a move called the "unsupported push-up."

’Just listen to how ridiculous and abstract that name is!’

’It’s a push-up, but it’s unsupported?’

Without any support or leverage, the body is held in a handstand at a 70°~80° angle, with the legs held straight up in the air, performing a push-up supported only by the hands.

This technical move is very similar to the Planche, one of the five "god-tier" skills of Street Fitness. Besides testing arm strength, one’s core support from the waist and abdomen, as well as overall balance, must be trained to a top-tier level to have any hope of achieving it.

Although Chen Jue’s current arm strength was up to par, enough to support his 165-plus-pound self, his core strength in his waist and abdomen, as well as his lower body strength, were still lacking. He could manage a few push-ups in a 90° vertical handstand, but he had no way of completing the Lv. 79 unsupported push-up.

However, his training during this period hadn’t been without its rewards.

After finishing 5 sets of fancy push-ups, completing his upper body warm-up and incidentally grinding out 0.01 Strength Attribute points, Chen Jue reached for the nearby horizontal bar.

After doing a few muscle-ups and one-arm pull-ups, Chen Jue tried grabbing the vertical pole on the side of the bars. With a swing of his waist and abs, he lifted his body sideways into the air, hanging horizontally from the side of the bar just like a waving flag.

Chen Jue had finally mastered the Human Flag, one of the five god-tier skills of Street Fitness!

’Damn, this move is actually pretty cool.’

Chen Jue tried the Human Flag a couple of times. After realizing he had mastered the Street Fitness move, he quickly propped his phone up on the ground with his bag, turned on the video recorder, and filmed his entire elegant performance of the Human Flag.

According to the difficulty progression of the five god-tier Street Fitness skills, the Human Flag should technically only rank fifth. The Front Lever, Muscle-Up, and One-Arm Pull-Up are all more difficult.

But because Chen Jue had only switched to Street Fitness partway through, the first few [Skills] he learned only strengthened his arm strength and didn’t drive any improvement in his core strength. It was like being lopsided in his studies for an exam; only now had he truly mastered the Human Flag.

Moreover, after getting the hang of the Human Flag, Chen Jue still wasn’t satisfied. While holding the vertical pole with both hands to support himself, he actually started using his [Climbing] Skill, using his immense grip strength to slowly ascend the pole with his body held horizontally.

This scene happened to be witnessed by a group of members from the Self-Discipline Club, who had just finished class and run over to the track to do some "self-disciplined fitness."

In an instant, the corner of the track and field stadium erupted with all sorts of astonished cries of "Holy shit!"

And who could blame them?

It was too fucking cool!

Other people doing the Human Flag just hang there without moving.

But this guy, Chen Jue, not only did he do the Human Flag, he even fucking made the flag rise up the flagpole!

This explosive scene made the social butterflies of the Self-Discipline Club shout "Holy shit!" and "Senior, you’re awesome!" while scrambling to take out their phones to take pictures and record videos.

They say that moderate fitness attracts the opposite sex, while excessive fitness attracts the same sex. Chen Jue’s move, an advanced version of one of the five god-tier skills—the Human Flag + Flag Raise—directly attracted a crowd of onlookers.

Even Chen Jue himself smiled slightly after seeing the notification that popped up on his panel:

——————

[Ding~]

[You have completed a bout of anaerobic exercise that surpassed your limits. Your upper body muscle groups have been thoroughly exercised, and your arm muscle endurance has slightly increased.]

[The explosive power of the core muscle groups in your waist, abdomen, and back has been greatly enhanced. Your sense of balance has improved.]

[Strength Attribute +0.02]

[Free Attribute +0.01]