As soon as I changed my clothes in the gym locker room, someone came in.
"I saw the gym door open, so I guessed it was you."
The person who came in was Kenneth Miller (formerly Fujima Kenji).
Facing Jake (formerly Lin Dong), Kenneth showed no signs of frustration or confusion from being defeated by a newcomer the day before. Instead, he was enthusiastic and calm, indicating his mindset had adjusted well overnight.
"I used to be the first one to arrive at the gym," Kenneth said with a smile.
"It seems you'll be second from now on," Jake replied with a grin.
Kenneth laughed and looked at the large backpack next to Jake. "What's in it? It doesn't look like books."
"Training equipment."
"Can I see it?"
"Of course."
Kenneth had come specifically for this.
He was very curious about Jake's training regimen.
What allows a 6'4" man to possess such flexibility and speed? What gives him such skills and agility?
Though the United States isn't always considered a basketball powerhouse in every category, it consistently excels in many international competitions.
Kenneth felt that Jake's training might be worth learning from.
He walked over curiously and attempted to lift the backpack, finding it incredibly heavy. With his arm strength, he couldn't lift it with one hand.
Opening it, he saw two large dumbbells on top of the backpack. The 25KG mark indicated that these dumbbells alone weighed 50 kilograms. No wonder it was so heavy.
Beneath the dumbbells, there were various items like bandages, resistance bands, and battle ropes.
The battle rope was as thick as a child's arm and long. It seemed to weigh at least 20 to 30 kilograms. It was coiled up and secured with an iron buckle, necessitating such a large backpack.
The entire backpack was estimated to weigh nearly 150 kilograms.
Kenneth looked at Jake in surprise.
Did he carry it all the way from home?
It seems that during our confrontation yesterday, he didn't really compete with me physically...
Kenneth felt an invisible pressure again, as if the man from overseas beside him was an athletic powerhouse.
He came so early today, not only to see Jake's training but also to compare himself secretly.
In terms of skills and one-on-one, he lost yesterday, completely defeated, and not just because of the height difference.
Needless to say, strength also played a significant role.
But at least in terms of physical fitness and endurance, I, being shorter, should have the advantage... Although it's no longer an open competition, I can't lose this again.
"These are all for physical training. How do you use them?"
Jake replied with a smile, "Didn't you want to train together? You'll find out soon."
The two changed into their uniforms and arrived at the gym. Jake didn't rush to use the items in his backpack.
His recovery training included two main parts: physical training to adjust and enhance physical fitness, and recovering basketball skills.
The best aerobic effect occurs in the morning, so he focused on physical training.
First, he sat and stretched his ligaments, followed by hip joint flexibility training.
He performed squats with support, leg swings, internal and external rotation exercises, and hip joint rotations.
These exercises could be completed without specific training equipment, and each movement was done in five sets.
This routine helps open up the body, enhancing stretchability and flexibility.
While his physique was strong, the focus of physical fitness for boxers and basketball players is obviously different, not to mention that his previous boxing experience was only average.
Currently, his upper body strength is okay, but his core and lower body strength are lacking. The force starts from the ground, resulting in insufficient core strength, and overall flexibility needs improvement.
Additionally, he likely consumed protein powder before, and his arms, which overly focused on appearance, were just for show. These are all areas that need adjustment through systematic training.
—Stretching the resistance band to activate it, using extremely tight rubber bands to tighten the legs, swinging the legs left and right, and moving sideways to strengthen lower limb strength.
The workout started with mat jumps, fast return sprints, high leg lifts to cross continuous obstacles, lateral obstacle movements, and other nerve excitation and explosive training, followed by fancy planks, weighted squats, dumbbell deadlifts, bench presses, and other strength training, each starting with three sets to whet the appetite.
Additionally, energy system training using battle ropes at the end...
It took more than half an hour to complete the entire set without taking a break.
Kenneth felt himself sweating profusely, with his hands and feet a little sore. The battle rope didn't look very heavy, but the inertia generated when it swayed like a wave required great control and continuous endurance.
Although he hadn't seen Jake's basketball training yet, these physical training exercises alone were novel and impressive.
Although Japan had a relatively mature basketball system in 2000, for high school students like Kenneth, most physical training still involved sit-ups, push-ups, shuttle runs, long-distance running, and some simple equipment. They used whatever was available at school.
Dumbbells were also used, but they were mostly just picked up occasionally, with a greater psychological effect than practical use.
Compared to Jake's training regimen, which was adjusted by various experts and combined with the most advanced methods from top leagues, the training effect was on a completely different level.
After a good sweat, Kenneth felt a sense of numbness but transparency throughout his body, more exhilarating than running two 10,000-meter runs.
But before he could express his amazement, he heard Jake say, "Okay, the warm-up is almost done. I'm going to start the next round. Do you want to continue?"
Kenneth was startled.
He, he called the training just now a warm-up?
"What are we doing in the next round?" Kenneth, obviously not one to concede easily, was determined to keep up despite his fatigue.
"It's very simple. We'll do another round of the same exercises, except for the stretching and hip joints," Jake said, as he stuffed a dumbbell into a slightly smaller backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "Only this time, you have to carry this throughout the round."
Another round... carrying that giant dumbbell?
Although he had been mentally prepared, Kenneth couldn't help but gape.
That thing weighs 25KG!
"This is your first time experiencing systematic energy training. Don't be too hard on yourself. Besides, these dumbbells are indeed too heavy for your body. Actually, it's better to tie a sandbag around your waist. The center of gravity is more stable. It's mainly to exercise core strength. It's just that I couldn't find any sand when I got home yesterday..." Jake smiled and began a new set of exercises: "There's no extra equipment. If you want to follow, just do it with empty hands."
"There's a beach near where Thomas and Hasegawa live. It's easy to find some sand. I can ask them to make you a few sandbags that can be tied around... I'd better follow with empty hands."
*(End of this chapter)*