My Formula 1 System

[SYSTEM ONLINE...]

[System and host will soon resume original Daily Routine]

Just like the other day, Amir arrived so they could conclude Luca's recovery routine with a tougher gym session to strengthen his muscles, which had weakened after weeks of healing.

Isabella would leave for her seminar around 10 a.m. and return four hours later. It was 7:00 a.m., and she wasn't awake when Amir and Luca began their stretches and warm-ups to start the day.

"You're looking strong," Amir remarked, noticing Luca's improvement. He could move and perform any activity without discomfort, and the bandage now seemed more like an aesthetic than a necessity.

Luca started the warm-up with the Advanced Bundle exercises—ones he hadn't done in a few weeks. His body needed to be reminded of them, picking up from where it had left off.

As expected, his body responded smoothly, only straining where he anticipated at the early stages. Amir joined in on the warm-up, motivating Luca to push through more reps than intended and reignite the fire and thirst for more that his body once had.

Before they knew it, both of them were softly panting, exchanging a cheerful high-five. But they froze like mannequins at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Quickly, Luca and Amir turned their heads toward the gym entrance, awaiting the visitor. Luca already knew who it was, and Amir could only guess who Luca had let into his house.

Slowly, Isabella came into view, stepping hesitantly into the gym. She was definitely not familiar with the massive house yet and had likely followed the sound of their voices to find her way. Her tousled hair and slightly squinted eyes made it clear she had just woken up—probably stirred by the noise of their workout. That was Luca's wild guess. She now wore an oversized hoodie over her pajama shirt, its sleeves hanging past her wrists, and the loose pajama pants brushed against the floor as she walked.

Luca and Amir, still catching their breath from their warm-up, remained frozen for a moment, staring at her.

"Good morning, Luca," Isabella greeted, stepping just two feet into the gym.

"Good morning to you too," Luca replied, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead. "Slept well?"

"Very," she said, then turned her attention to Amir. "Good morning."

Amir, always one for theatrics, beamed. "Ah! Good morning to you too, young lady!" His voice was unnecessarily loud, echoing slightly in the spacious room. "How do you do?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Isabella replied, suppressing a small smile at his energy.

Luca slung a friendly arm around Amir's neck, pulling him into a casual half-hug. "Isabella, this is Amir, my personal trainer. Amir, this is Isabella."

Both exchanged polite nods. "It's very nice to meet you," they said in unison before Isabella turned her focus back to Luca. "So... this is like your morning gym session?" Explore more adventures at empire

"Yes. Are you getting ready to leave? Do you want to eat something?" Luca asked.

"No, I'm not leaving yet. Actually, I wouldn't mind arriving a few minutes late." She stretched slightly, glancing around. "And as for breakfast, I'll try and make something myself—don't bother."

She turned toward the door, then paused with a thoughtful expression. "Since it's morning, I might as well take a proper tour of the house. I won't get lost, but if I do, I'll just shout your name."

Luca nodded, watching her leave before he returned to Amir. "Alright, let's get back to it."

Since Luca was still in the first few days following his full recovery, Amir knew the exact set of exercise activities to prescribe to him. Luca would need to regain his driver-like physique, focusing on core stability, flexibility, and endurance while also minimizing the risk of reintroducing strain to his abdominal area.

Two highly effective exercise activities for the day were Pallof Press and Seated Medicine Ball Russian Twists. The first was specifically aimed at muscle strengthening for someone recovering from a rib injury, while the second was designed to build rotational strength and flexibility without placing excessive stress on the ribs.

[SYSTEM ONLINE...]

[System is analyzing and retrieving training program issued to host.]

[Pallof Press analyzed]

[Seated Medicine Ball Russian Twists analyzed]

[Ding!]

[Successfully Retrieved!]

[EXERCISE: PALLOF PRESS]

[EQUIPMENT: RESISTANCE BAND / CABLE MACHINE]

[Host is required to stand perpendicular to the resistance band or cable machine and press the handle forward while resisting the pull. This strengthens the core's anti-rotation ability, crucial for stability under high G-forces during races.]

[This will be done for 3 sets of 12 reps per side, focusing on maintaining a strong posture and controlled movement to prevent excessive strain on the recovering ribs.]

Luca had a cable machine.

He took a deep breath, positioning himself perpendicular to the machine before he gripped the handle and listened to Amir's instruction about keeping his stance strong.

Luca exhaled as he slowly pressed the handle forward and instantly, he could feel the tension pull at his midsection. His core tightened instinctively to keep his torso from twisting. The movement seemed simple, but as he held the extended position for a second before bringing it back in, he could feel the challenge.

"Good, control it," Amir encouraged. "Don't let the band jerk you back. You're training your core to stabilize—just like in the car when you're handling those high-speed turns."

Luca completed the reps on one side, then switched. The strain was there, but it wasn't discomforting. It felt like his muscles were waking up, rebuilding the strength they had lost.

It was time to get back behind a wheel, on the track and racing an F2 Grand Prix. Luca missed the thrill.

After finishing the first set, he rolled his shoulders and flexed his fingers, resetting his stance to begin the next and final two sets.

"Good! Energy! Energy! That's what we want here!" Amir encouraged when Luca was finished. "They won't see you coming, my friend! Not at all!"

[EXERCISE: SEATED MEDICINE BALL RUSSIAN TWISTS]

[EQUIPMENT: MEDICINE BALL]

[Host is required to sit on the floor with knees slightly bent and feet either planted or elevated for added difficulty. Holding the medicine ball with both hands, rotate the torso from side to side, tapping the ball on the ground beside the hips each time. This enhances rotational core strength, essential for maintaining control and endurance during high-speed maneuvers.]

[This will be done for 3 sets of 15 reps per side, ensuring controlled movements to avoid unnecessary strain while rebuilding core stability and balance.]

A medicine ball was a very important equipment, without it, a gym would be termed incomplete.

Even though Luca's gym was a personal one, he had five of them neatly stacked in the corner. Without hesitation, he picked one up for the exercise.

He then sat on a laid mat with his knees slightly bent, gripping the medicine ball firmly while Amir crouched beside him, watching closely.

"Alright, keep your core tight," Amir instructed. "Control each twist, don't rush it."

Luca nodded, lifting his feet off the ground to engage his core even more. As he twisted from side to side, tapping the ball against the mat, he felt the familiar tension in his obliques. The motion was deliberate, smooth, and focused, nothing reckless that could aggravate his ribs.

Luca exhaled sharply with each twist, maintaining his form. By the time he neared the end of the first set, his abs burned, but he welcomed the feeling. It was a sign of progress, a reminder that his body was returning to its peak.

"Fifteen reps per side, done," Luca muttered, dropping the ball briefly to shake out his arms.

He didn't even let Amir remind him as he quickly picked up the ball again to resume the reps and completed it within the next minute.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Great job, my friend!" Amir praised when Luca was done.

[Good job, host. All exercises assigned have been completed]

It even felt easier.

"Doctor said they'll be removing the bandage tomorrow," he told Amir as he sank onto the bench beside him, catching his breath. "Kind of a tradition to mark the end of it all. After that, the Federation's medical team will run some final tests to confirm I'm fully recovered."

"Perfect," Amir said, giving Luca's shoulders a firm shake. But then his expression shifted into a suspicious glare, his eyes narrowing as if he'd just uncovered some secret. "Now… do you mind telling me who the girl was? I held back earlier, didn't want to ask while she was still around."

Luca chuckled, taking a long sip of water. "She's… someone I'm trying to get to know, if you get what I mean."

"Ohhh, I see," Amir said, nodding in exaggerated approval. "That's very good. I'm in full support. So, in the next few years, the pitter-patter of little feet will fill this grand house? Wonderful!"

Luca blinked, taking a second to process Amir's words. The moment he did, he groaned in exasperation.

"What? It's a blessing!" Amir insisted, laughing.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Alright, that's enough. We're done with this conversation," Luca said, shaking his head as he pushed himself up. "Gym session's over. Time for you to go."

----------------------

After Amir left, Luca followed the scent of toast into the kitchen. Stepping inside, he found Isabella munching on what could only be described as burnt bread—over-toasted to the point of crispiness, with a drizzle of mayonnaise on top and a glass of orange juice beside it.

Seeing the state of her breakfast, Luca immediately offered to make something better, but Isabella refused. She tried to mask her frustration, but it was clear she was annoyed that she couldn't even toast bread properly. That small failure lingered in her mood, subtly dampening her spirits until she left for the seminar.

Being Luca's last day of forcefully staying at home, he decided he'd make it count with the most races he could watch and simulations he could finish.

He felt so eager to hop back into F2 action, reminding him of his first day in Grey-Husson's.

Luca made sure he kept his phone next to him while he used the simulator. It was a good move, because Isabella called just after 2 PM, letting him know she was on her way back in a cab. He was actually leading the race at that moment, but without hesitation, he abandoned it to go meet her.

After paying for the cab again, he let her in and mentioned there was lunch if she was hungry. He also reminded her to start getting ready for her evening flight back to the UK, since her stay in Berlin had only been planned for a single day.

However, as 4 PM approached, Isabella still hadn't come downstairs, even though her flight was scheduled for 4:30. Luca assumed she had either dozed off from exhaustion after the seminar or had simply forgotten about her own flight.

Yet, he made no effort to remind her.

It wasn't until 6 PM that Isabella finally appeared, clearly unfazed, and running on an empty stomach. Neither of them acknowledged the missed flight, as if it hadn't happened at all. Instead, they casually agreed to watch Attack of the Clones, continuing their Star Wars discussion from earlier.

While Luca prepared a simple dinner for Isabella, he helped himself to her untouched lunch to avoid wasting food.

Outside, the sky rumbled with thunder, and rain poured heavily, making him somewhat relieved she hadn't boarded a plane just to battle turbulence.

Fetching some snacks from the pantry, he poured them into bowls before flipping through the movie selection on his high-tier subscription service, which allowed him to request any film on demand.

Settling together on the couch, Luca turned to Isabella. "So, how was the seminar?"

As Attack of the Clones began rolling on the massive screen, they munched on chips, their conversation flowing as if the missed flight had never been a concern.