Chapter 123: The Importance of Massage and Stretching

Chapter 123: Chapter 90: The Importance of Massage and Stretching

It was clear he’d had his fair share of run-ins with the school doctor and masseurs.

“Is that thing really that bad?” Chen Jue asked Ma Qiang, who stood beside him with a look of terror.

“That’s a fascia scraper, senior!”

“To us sports majors, that thing is one of the ten great tortures!”

“Try it once, and you’ll know what I mean by ‘exhilarating pain’,” Ma Qiang said in a low voice, sharing his hard-earned wisdom.

On the stage, Li Rui saw the students groaning in dismay and said with a smile, “If you want to become top-tier athletes, you have to be able to endure a little pain.”

“Proper stretching and massage can loosen our muscles, prevent adhesions and knots, speed up the breakdown of lactic acid, and maintain your muscles’ elasticity and vitality.”

“If you want to have a long career as an athlete, you must learn not only how to train but also how to maintain and protect your bodies from injury. An athlete’s career is incredibly short.”

…

Chen Jue found the sports massage class fascinating. He’d never imagined there were so many key principles and precautions when it came to athletic recovery.

The massages he’d gotten from the technicians at the Jingtang Club were worlds apart from a professional sports stretch and massage.

But the main reason was Teacher Li’s superb teaching ability. He was leagues better than a substitute teacher who just reads from a textbook; the lively classroom atmosphere alone made the difference obvious.

As soon as the bell rang, Chen Jue pulled out his phone and ordered the fascia scraper and massage gun Teacher Li had mentioned, intending to use them for his own muscle recovery.

Then, carrying a large bag, he hurried to catch up with Teacher Li.

“Teacher Li!”

“I didn’t expect you back teaching so soon. How is Haohao doing?” Chen Jue called out, stopping him and making some polite small talk.

“Ah, Xiaochen! Haohao is doing much better. He’s on the waiting list for his follow-up rehabilitative surgery and should be out of the hospital in about two weeks at the earliest.”

“I have a practical sports training class to teach next. Would you like to come and sit in?” Seeing Chen Jue had followed him, Li Rui was happy to chat.

After all, Chen Jue and Wu Fang had saved his precious son.

“Practical sports training? You mean a professional coaching session for the sports majors on the track?” Chen Jue was immediately interested, recalling the two javelin-throwing students he’d met before.

“That’s right. Besides teaching theory for the physical education department, I’m also the university’s track and field coach. I’m in charge of all the sports majors, from freshmen to seniors,” Li Rui explained as he led Chen Jue toward the athletic field.

On the way to the field, Chen Jue hesitated for a moment before finally voicing his thoughts. “Teacher Li, I actually have a favor to ask, though it might be a bit much. I was hoping you could design a professional, systematic training plan tailored for me.”

“A training plan? You’re not a sports major or an athlete. What do you need a training plan for?” Li Rui found the request a bit unusual.

The sports majors he coached were drilled by him day in and day out, and they’d all grown weary and fearful of his high-intensity training plans.

He never expected an outsider like Chen Jue to actually want a similar training plan for himself.

‘Isn’t this just asking for trouble? Throwing away a comfortable life to jump into the fire?’

“Teacher Li, just think of me as a sports enthusiast!”

“I just want to improve my physical condition through professional training.” Sensing the doubt in the coach’s eyes, Chen Jue changed his approach and tried a more tactful explanation.

‘I can’t just tell him about my cringey “Ultimate Human Training Plan 1.0.0,” can I? I’d die of social embarrassment on the spot!’

“A sports enthusiast?”

Li Rui was taken aback by the term. Looking Chen Jue over again, he realized that his ordinary-looking savior did, in fact, have some of the physical traits of a professional athlete.

High, broad shoulders, ramrod-straight posture, a brisk and steady gait, and exceptionally stable breathing.

On top of that, Chen Jue was dressed in loose-fitting athletic wear and carrying a sports backpack that looked quite heavy—the spitting image of a sports major.

“Have you trained in any particular sports before?” Li Rui asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Darts, Hidden Weapons from traditional Martial Arts, Rock Climbing, street fitness, javelin… and I just started learning Archery recently…” Chen Jue counted them off on his fingers.

Hearing this hodgepodge of sports, Li Rui, who was walking beside him, stopped in his tracks, nearly stumbling and missing a step on the stairs.

As a professional coach, it was the first time he’d ever heard of a non-professional being involved in so many niche sports.

‘Kids these days are really into some weird stuff!’

“Xiaochen, you said you’ve trained in all these things? Did you train seriously, or did you just try them a few times for novelty’s sake?” Li Rui set aside his initial shock and condescension, his tone turning serious as he inquired about Chen Jue’s specifics.

“I trained them seriously for a while, but I feel like my progress has slowed down recently. That’s why I was hoping you could give me some guidance and create a professional training plan,” Chen Jue said. Thinking quickly, he decided to mention his performance with the javelin, which he’d just started learning.

When he heard that Chen Jue had thrown the javelin 63.7 meters on his very first attempt, Li Rui was stunned!

“A 63.7-meter javelin throw?”

“That’s the level of a Second-Class Athlete!”

“No wonder… No wonder you call yourself a sports enthusiast! To surpass the Second-Class threshold on your first throw, and to be just shy of the First-Class Athlete standard… that’s not something any ‘ordinary enthusiast’ can achieve!”