Chapter 64: Chapter 61: The Racer Can’t Handle the Dominant Lady
"Xiangbei, physical training mainly consists of strength, endurance, and reaction."
"You’ve done shoulder and neck muscle training before, so you should be familiar with strength training. Today, we’ll focus on endurance and reaction training."
Lu Xiaoman held a sketchpad in her hand, which had a pre-arranged training plan and was used to record Chen Xiangbei’s physical data during training.
Lu Xiaoman had specially changed into an extremely cool gym outfit to assist training, showcasing her graceful and curvy figure, leaving Chen Xiangbei unsure of where to look.
She didn’t notice Chen Xiangbei’s wandering gaze at all and continued seriously, "Endurance training mainly targets cardiopulmonary endurance. During races, rapid dehydration and long periods of high heart rate require strong cardiopulmonary function support."
"Otherwise, there’s a high risk of fainting or sudden death during driving."
Lu Xiaoman’s words were not mere alarmism. Due to the high G-force pressure of racing and the high level of concentration and tension, F1 drivers have an average heart rate of over 160 beats per minute during races.
At the start or during heavy braking and overtaking, the heart rate can exceed 190 beats per minute.
Keep in mind that the median normal heart rate for adult males is around 80 beats per minute. Maintaining a rate of 160 for a long time is equivalent to needing emergency medical intervention for tachycardia.
That’s why cardiopulmonary endurance training is a significant component of the fitness programs for race car drivers.
Some F1 drivers even achieve good results in other sports events due to this training.
For example, F1 World Champion Button participates in triathlons during the off-season, and the Finnish driver Bottas, well-known to Chinese audiences, is also a professional cyclist.
"I understand."
Chen Xiangbei nodded. Having gone through this training in his past life, he naturally understood its importance.
"Not bad, good boy~~"
Lu Xiaoman praised him smilingly for his cooperative attitude and even reached out to pinch his cheek.
This action left Chen Xiangbei a bit stunned. After pausing for a moment, he replied, "Sister Xiaoman, are you mistaking me for one of those ten-year-old karting students at the base?"
"Seems like it, but you’re not much older either."
Lu Xiaoman replied nonchalantly. Having mainly taught karting students around ten at the racing base, she was used to this type of encouraging training method.
"I’m already eighteen, thank you very much!"
"Really? Let me take a closer look."
Lu Xiaoman said as she leaned closer to Chen Xiangbei.
As the two grew closer, a faint fragrance wafted into his nose.
In his past life, Chen Xiangbei followed the standard route from karting to formula racing, spending his entire youth in racing training camps.
In motorsports, unless political correctness is deliberately maintained, there isn’t much competitive space for female drivers.
This meant that for a long time, Chen Xiangbei seldom saw women, let alone experienced such situations.
Their eyes met briefly, and finally, Chen Xiangbei conceded and looked away, only to see a large expanse of whiteness upon lowering his gaze.
Despite his steely resolve, his teenage age still made him unable to suppress a surge of blood, his ears turning slightly red.
Damn, a student really can’t compete with a mature woman!
Seeing Chen Xiangbei’s slightly embarrassed expression, Lu Xiaoman beamed with a mischievous smile, stepping back with laughter, "Hehe, such a shy little guy~~"
"No, can’t we be more professional and focus on training?"
Chen Xiangbei remarked helplessly, realizing why the world of racers didn’t need women. Having someone as mature and charming as Lu Xiaoman around would affect more than just driving speed...
"Why are you rushing? We still haven’t covered the reaction training."
"Also, with today’s high-intensity practice, you need to allow your body time to relax and recover; otherwise, there’s a high risk of injury."
Joking aside, Lu Xiaoman knew the importance of her work. She could joke with Chen Xiangbei today because it was more about explaining training programs and formulating an initial plan.
Driver fitness relies on self-discipline and persistence; it’s never about rushing.
After finishing, Lu Xiaoman took two tennis balls out of her pocket and asked.
"Xiangbei, have you done ball-catching exercises?"
"Yes."
Chen Xiangbei nodded. It was the reaction training exercise he had done the most.
"Alright, let’s give it a try and see how you..."
Just as Lu Xiaoman spoke, she suddenly released the tennis ball from her right hand.
Almost simultaneously, Chen Xiangbei swiftly reached out and caught it, with the ball dropping no more than thirty centimeters.
"Not bad, very quick reaction."
Lu Xiaoman sounded pleasantly surprised.
Though youth can offer a big advantage in reaction speed, she had released the ball without any preparation on his part.
For Chen Xiangbei to catch it meant that his basic reaction speed was already on par with the focused state of an ordinary karting driver.
"It’s okay."
Chen Xiangbei reacted calmly; for him, this was basic.
"Not bad, give me the ball."
Lu Xiaoman commended him and, as Chen Xiangbei handed over the tennis ball, she let go with her left hand without warning, playing "sudden attack" again.
This time, however, Lu Xiaoman underestimated Chen Xiangbei’s focus; he caught the ball even faster, with a drop of at most twenty centimeters.
Seeing this, Lu Xiaoman was genuinely shocked. Chen Xiangbei’s reaction time probably reached the human neural transmission limit of 0.1 seconds.
No wonder President Zhang maintained the racing base under the pressure of Huasi Sports going under, insisting on training the "overage" driver Chen Xiangbei. Indeed, this level of racing talent is extraordinary.
"Xiangbei, do you practice often?"
"Occasionally."
"You haven’t gone pro yet and you still practice this?"
Anything taken to the level of training is bound to become tedious and difficult to persist with through repetition.
For Chen Xiangbei to have prepared with neck and shoulder training even before turning professional was already remarkable in Lu Xiaoman’s eyes; had he even kept up with reaction training?
"Well, I used to race on the streets, so I needed quick reactions too."
Having no other explanation for his professional experience, Chen Xiangbei could only attribute it to street racing.
Street racing?
The mention of it reminded Lu Xiaoman of an explosive rumor circulating in East Sea’s underground circles.
Last night, the East Sea SRT Team’s long-haired driver and Jinling Team’s Sun Tao lost to a Subaru STI on the Central Elevated Road.
The opponent’s car was so fast that it disappeared within three kilometers.
It’s said that the Subaru STI driver looked very young and somewhat resembled Edison Chen.
The thought of this made Lu Xiaoman examine Chen Xiangbei’s face closely, and indeed, there was some resemblance!
"Xiangbei, did you win against a BMW M3 and a Ford Cobra last night?"
"Yes."
"But the car in the parking lot is an ordinary Subaru."
Lu Xiaoman asked, as she hadn’t initially linked it to Chen Xiangbei due to the car model mismatch.
"Uncle Liang modified the appearance and removed the WRX STI badges."
Upon Chen Xiangbei’s confirmation, Lu Xiaoman first showed surprise, then spoke excitedly, "Wow, so it was really you."
"Xiangbei, do you know that the entire East Sea underground circle is talking about this, and they’re calling you the Subaru God!"