Chapter 16: Who Intimidates Whom First? (Extra Chapter Added~ Please Support and Vote~~)

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There was no time for adjustment. Before Su Shen could even properly introduce himself to everyone in the dormitory, the formal afternoon training was about to begin.
The academic classes at the sports school were relatively relaxed, but the training sessions were undoubtedly very strict.
Training was divided into group sessions and individual sessions. Group sessions were mainly for newcomers, while individual sessions were for athletes who had already achieved some results, receiving special one-on-one coaching. Ning Debao brought Su Shen over to begin warm-ups. The sports school had a detailed division of labor and specialized coaches for different events.
Ma Zhiqiang was the sprint coach in charge of the short-distance running program. He had heard that Ning Debao had recruited a talent. Today, upon seeing Su Shen, he said nothing else but was immediately captivated by Su Shen’s physique—far stronger and more robust than peers of his age. Nowadays, sprint training rarely emphasized “strength,” and some mainstream views even believed that being too muscular hindered flexibility and agility.
Of course, Su Shen would later prove all those notions baseless, mere nonsense without a shred of scientific evidence.
Indeed, if you become too bulky, your muscles might affect speed and agility, but...
With natural training, do you really think you can get that big?
Athletes need to maintain body fat. For males, keeping around 15% body fat allows visible abs. Your human physiological limit is roughly capped at that. Achieving a physique like Schwarzenegger’s is absolutely impossible—unless you grow eight “eggs.”
This was later confirmed by a professional athletic formula called the FFMI—Fat-Free Mass Index. Unlike BMI, FFMI is a specialized formula calculating lean body mass, allowing easy computation of your theoretical lean mass limit.
In other words, you don’t even have to train yet to scientifically estimate your natural ceiling.
Typically, an FFMI of 25 to 26 is the upper limit. So far, no one has broken this barrier under scientific scrutiny. Claims from self-proclaimed masters are either drug-fueled or keyboard warriors. The system in the US is well-developed and has debunked such “folk legends” long ago. Even Mr. Olympia’s FFMI before steroid use was below this number. The average FFMI for those using drugs is only about 24.8.
Think about it: with an average drug-assisted FFMI of 24.8, and without a professional team catering to you 24/7, how can you possibly push further?
So this is your natural ceiling.
To surpass it, there are only two options: drug use or disregarding body fat by continuously gaining weight.
This is why you often hear that natural bodybuilding cannot achieve a physique that is both large and lean.
You can be big, but then your body fat will definitely be high—lifting your shirt might reveal a body fat well over 15%, and abs become a rare sight.
Or you can be lean, but then you cannot be very large.
Once you grasp this scientific theory, it becomes easy to judge whether someone is natural or not. For example, if you are 1.75 meters tall, weigh 70 kilograms, and have 15% body fat, your FFMI is about 19.47. If you want to know your natural upper limit, at 15% body fat it’s roughly 90 to 95 kilograms. At 10% body fat, the upper limit at that height is around 85 kilograms.
Unless you intentionally bulk up to extremes or use drugs, your natural muscle gain has limits while maintaining visible abs and agility.
Never think that someone lighter is just a “skinny guy.” In reality, at the same body fat percentage, you might be even leaner. Talking about weight without considering height and body fat is misleading.
So as long as you stay within the appropriate range, you cannot reach the heavens. The unfortunate fact is that these scientific formulas were developed in the West long ago but had yet to become widespread domestically even by 2021. Fitness influencers still promise miracles in ten minutes, scamming people everywhere. Thus, fitness starts with training your mind, and sports begin with studying—absolutely no mistake.
Now, Su Shen wanted to explain all this but couldn’t. He was, in fact, an “outlier among outliers.”
Looking at Su Shen’s physique changes in his past life, before and after Randy Huntington’s arrival in 2013, one would immediately understand. Back in 2004, a lean and slightly slender body was the mainstream physique among domestic runners.
“You used to train in what? Your upper body is too big. This kind of build doesn’t suit sprinting. Lose some weight,” the coach Ma said. It wasn’t his fault; Su Shen knew he meant well. But in his heart, he thought: lose weight? I’m still too skinny. I need to get stronger, okay?
The widely circulated figure of 65 kilograms was far from the truth. When Su Shen appeared on a variety show years ago, he stepped on a scale wearing slippers and weighed 74.1 kilograms, yet his physique then was still far from his 2021 form. His 2021 Tokyo Olympics physique was muscular, a stark contrast to other domestic sprinters—he was truly a muscle man. Even Usain Bolt’s 94 kilograms was from many years ago. Comparing photos across Bolt’s career shows that at his peak, he probably weighed over 100 kilograms. For someone 195 cm tall, 94 kilograms doesn’t exactly mean strong—ask a friend around that height and you’ll see.
Yet many so-called professional coaches still use outdated data as references, which naturally skews their judgment.
But now, Su Shen was just a small fry, without access to such international insights, so how could he argue? He remained silent.
This wasn’t the fault of Coach Ma but a reflection of the domestic sports science and system lagging far behind.
All Su Shen needed to do was keep breaking records and improving data, becoming a benchmark to naturally lead a shift in the culture.
Seeing Su Shen not responding, Coach Ma frowned—was this a “troublesome recruit”?
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He didn’t mind “troublesome recruits,” but first, you had to have the ability.
Only with genius-level talent could you expect genius treatment, right?
Ma Zhiqiang understood that many untrained people failed to grasp the gap between professional and amateur levels, thinking it was all about the same. Some even got the illusion from TV that “they could do it too.” The reality was, trying it out usually ended with a humiliating failure. So Ma wanted to temper this “amateur genius’s” arrogance.
From the sports school’s perspective, anyone who hadn’t been through professional training was an amateur—that was the reality.
This viewpoint wasn’t necessarily bad; for most people, it helped them stay humble, recognize there were always greater heights, and train seriously. It had broad applicability.
After a basic warm-up, Ma suddenly said, “You’ve all joined less than half a year. Today a junior comes in—he just broke the junior high 100-meter record in Xiangshan City. You all better compete and learn from him.”
Everyone understood this was the “new recruit meeting,” a kind of re-education most newcomers experienced upon entry.
Starting off by showcasing Su Shen’s results was clearly intended to let everyone know what professionalism meant.
“Let’s start with a few laps, see how the junior’s endurance is. If he has endurance, then we’ll talk about other skills.”
It could be said that after a few months to half a year of training at the sports school, your ability would leap forward—especially endurance.
Untrained newcomers would struggle to even finish a few laps without collapsing or vomiting.
These guys were veterans; some still shuddered at the memory. Others who arrived earlier smirked, watching Su Shen closely.
Su Shen noticed that not one of them was shorter than him. They picked people based on the current ideal sprint height range, mostly around 180 cm or close. In the future, most would exceed that height.
Though some foreign sprint stars were under 180 cm, those were exceptions. The optimal range remained 180 to 185 cm.
Only Su Shen was slightly short at 173 cm.
Yes, compared to just after summer break, Su Shen had grown two extra centimeters—proof of scientific nutrition, protein intake, and proper rest. This was the main reason most students grew taller nowadays. When growing, don’t mess around—don’t skip meals, don’t waste money at internet cafes or arcades, go to bed early, don’t stay up late. You’ll grow even more than theory predicts.
His basic stats now were—
Name: Su Shen
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 61 kg
Strength: 28
Speed: 30
Endurance: 28
Reaction: 31
Flexibility: 31
Remaining attribute points plus 200-meter championship bonus: 689 points
His attributes were gradually increasing but at a slower pace, signaling it was time to move to a higher level for more scientific, systematic training.
Simple basic training no longer met Su Shen’s standards.
The result after running...
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Su Shen remained remarkably sturdy.
The expected fall-off never happened. He followed steadily, even chatting occasionally with those beside him.
Ma Zhiqiang and the other athletes were somewhat surprised.
This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go.
“How is it? Not bad, right?” Ning Debao smiled.
“Too early to say,” Ma replied. With a command, he ordered the team to speed up. For these months-trained athletes, this was already their limit. An ordinary person would collapse by now.
This was a reality check.
Know where you are, realize you’re just an “ordinary amateur.”
But Su Shen’s endurance was already more than enough for this level of junior sprinting. He hadn’t come here for nothing these past six months; his own training intensity exceeded this.
“How is it? Not bad, right?” Ning Debao asked again, his smile even brighter.
“What are you all doing?” Ma’s face showed some embarrassment. This was the first time someone new to the sports school managed to endure the “new recruit drill” without vomiting everywhere. Hadn’t he prepared the cleaning tools, expecting Su Shen to fail and be sent to clean? But...
“Faster! Haven’t you eaten? Are you really worse than a new junior?” That comment was like an injection of adrenaline. Young athletes were spirited, and the previous intent to see Su Shen fail vanished. Now everyone was holding on with all their might, determined to give him a “reality check.”
Otherwise, all their suffering would be for nothing.
Why should he get to look good?
Su Shen kept pace steadily. Though breathing heavily, he showed no sign of giving up.
Instead, some newcomers who had trained only two to three months couldn’t hold on. One suddenly felt sick and vomited.
Ma Zhiqiang was embarrassed.
Here was a “pure newcomer” who had just arrived, already outperforming “rookies” who had trained for months properly.
Though these “rookies” had gone through official training for several months, this kid...
Ma Zhiqiang had no idea if the school’s history had ever seen this before; it was the first time for him.
P.S.: If interested, you can calculate your FFMI using the formula—
FFMI = [Weight in kg × (100% - Body Fat %)] / (Height in meters)²
If height exceeds 180 cm, the adjusted FFMI = FFMI + 6.0 × (Height (m) - 1.8)
This is currently the most scientific formula. But don’t trust body fat measurements from gyms—they are often inaccurate. It’s better to post a photo on a professional forum or fitness community; experts will estimate it visually. Yes, visual estimation is more accurate than gym machines. If you want, you can get a hospital test or buy skinfold calipers.
Come on, come on, cast your votes—Su Shen is waiting for you to take off.