Wooden Barrel Theory

The world record bench presses range from 320 kg to 349 kg raw. Gorou could lift 322 kg raw. Raw means without a bench shirt.

A bench shirt is a stiff supporting shirt, most often used in powerlifting competitions to enhance performance in the bench press.

Bench shirts usually come in single- or multi-ply thicknesses and are made of polyester, denim, or canvas.

The weightlifter's shoulders and deltoid muscles are assisted by the extremely tight fit of a bench shirt.

The highest world record with a bench shirt is 501 kg.

When Gorou went back inside the gym, he had spotted Hikaru in the corner sitting on the seated leg press machine. Hikaru also gazed back.

Gorou went to finish his exercises. He never skips a day of workout. No excuses.

More than half the people at the gym left because they couldn't concentrate after that incident.

Hikaru returned to exercise by trying a lot of the gym equipment.

Linear leg press, seated calf, iso-lateral row, lat pulldown, low row, triceps pushdown, seated leg curl, leg extension, seated leg press, pectoral fly/rear deltoid, dual adjustable pulley, chest press, fixed pull down, seated row, shoulders press, triceps extension, biceps curl, etc.

Hikaru was using the gym machines because he didn't know the forms and correct motion for equivalent exercises with free weights.

He did the exercises without muscle enhancements, so he could get a good idea of his base strength. He could do each of them at over 200 kgs with varying numbers as that depended on multiple factors regarding the muscles and the physics involved with each exercise.

Whereas if he concentrated his muscle mass in the muscles involved in a particular exercise, he was adding 300% of his base strength value to the exercise (4 times).

The size of his strength enhancement was due to his current volume of biomass.

So Hikaru could lift or pull over 800 kgs if he focused on one thing. However, if he dispersed the muscle mass, his overall strength was increased by 150% base strength. Although, Hikaru didn't like to look all muscular. It wasn't his style.

He wouldn't complain during battle. He just wouldn't be explaining to his acquaintances how he became a bodybuilder overnight. His father would definitely freak out if he came home to a bulked-out son. Steroids would be the culprit.

The size of this enhancement depends on his stock of muscle mass. He needed more.

The remaining gym rats tired of Hikaru showing off his magic tricks around the gym. Some of them were bodybuilders too, but they specialised in one or two workouts.

However, what good was that when Hikaru could excel in their areas of speciality? It seemed like he was good at everything and that was against common sense. It defied against the wooden barrel theory.

A wooden barrel is assembled by several wooden staves held by a metallic ring. The wooden barrel's capacity is not dependent on the longest stave but by the shortest one. If one were to fill it with water, water would leak out over the shortest stave.

The wooden barrel theory can be applied to many situations. A chain is as strong as its weakest link. Similarly, in agriculture, crop growth doesn't improve by increasing the number of plentiful nutrients but by increasing the amount of the limiting nutrient did the growth improve.

Even if Hikaru was a generalist, he shouldn't be able to excel in all areas better than the specialist could. He should be thinned out. Yet it was happening right in front of their eyes.

They all gloomily left the gym. What have they been doing all their lives? Working every day for?

Hikaru had already finished his workouts. He was leaning against the wall mirrors eyeing Gorou who was sitting on the linear leg press machine.

Gorou felt the eyes on the back of his neck and shivered. He turned his head to squint his eyes at Hikaru.

They were the only two left in the gym.

Why was it that a chill ran down his spine when Hikaru had his eyes on him?

Gorou felt like a pair of snake eyes were watching him, waiting to swallow him up.

'Am I really spooked out by a middle schooler!'

Gorou pushed the last rep before he locked the weights. It clanged loudly like a metallic thunderstorm.

Hikaru smiled in response.

"You finished?" Gorou asked.

There was a car battery in the storage unit with clamps and a mop bucket. Gorou imagined tying Hikaru to a chair and zapping him till he shat his pants.

He wanted to see the same guy who had an arrogant smile on his face beg for mercy.

"Yea. Want to do something fun?"

Gorou stood up from his seat and cricked his neck one side and the other.

"Yeah… And what game is that?" He said grimly.

"How much do you bench press?"

"Hm. 320 kg."

"Then, if you could bench press 350 kg once, I'll tell you the secret to my tricks."

"… What game are you playing at?"

"A game maybe… but I'm willing to payout. So, what do you say?"

Gorou stared Hikaru down. Over the years as a 2-metre tall Yakuza, his oppressive figure has made other underworld dwellers think twice about crossing him. Not even the higher-ups could ignore his presence even from a distance. Anyone lower than his status would shiver before him.

He was towering over Hikaru, whose thin bones he could snap like stepping on twigs, yet Hikaru wasn't bothered at all.

It was he who felt afraid!

Gorou went over to the bench press and set weights on the barbell.

30, 30, 30, 30, 30, 20, 5 kg on one side and the same on the right.

Each side had 175 kg totalling 350 kg.

He laid on the bench and gripped the barbell. After taking a deep breath, he lifted the bar off the J-hooks and his face immediately scrunched up.

He almost couldn't do it. It took all his strength to stop it from crushing him.

However, Gorou's mind was unbreakable. He pushed the barbell up, but suddenly it rammed itself into his throat.

Directly above him was Hikaru's face staring back down at him.