bruce lee's workout

[bruceleevegas]

These are just summarized from the book "The Art of Expressing the Human Body".

Bruce Lee's Beginning Bodybuilding Routine:

Squat: 3 set of 10
French Press: 4 sets of 6
Incline Curl:4 sets of 6
Concentration Curl: 4 sets of 6
Push-up: 3 sets of 10 (Weighted)
Barbell Curl: 3 sets of 8
One-Armed French Press: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps
Dumbell Circle: 4 sets of as many reps as possible.

Dumbell circle is rotating dumbells simultaneously in vertical circles in front of your body, with wrists up at the bottom of the arc and down at the top.

Reverse Curl: 4 sets of 6
Wrist Curl: 4 sets of as many possible
Reverse Wrist Curl: 4 sets of as many possible
Sit up: 5 sets of 12
Calf Raise: 5 sets of 20.

Done 3 days a week.

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Lee's Overall Development Routine:

Clean and Press: 2 sets of 8-12 reps.
Barbell curl: 2 sets of 8-12 reps.
Press Behind Neck (Military Press): 2 sets of 8-12
Upright Rowing: 2 sets of 8 -12
Squat: 2 sets of 12-20 reps.
Rowing: 2 sets of 8-12
Bench Press: 2 sets of 8-12
Pullover: 2 sets of 8-12

Done 3 days a week.

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Bruce Lee's 20-Minute Strength and Shape Routine:

Clean and press: 2 sets of 8
Squat: 2 sets of 12
Barbell pullover: 2 sets of 8
Bench press: 2 sets of 6
Good Morning: 2 sets of 8
Barbell Curl: 2 sets of 8

Done 3 days a week.

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Bruce Lee's Circut Training for Total Fitness:

Sequence 1a Monday, Wednesday, Friday:

Rope jumping, 1 minute.
Forward bend, 1 minute.
Cat stretch, 1 minute.
Jumping jack, 1 minute.
Bodyweight squat, 1 minute.
High kick, 1 minute.

Sequence 1b, Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Waist twists, 1 minute.
Palm up curl, 1 minute.
Roman chair, 1minute.
Knee drawing, 1 minute.
Side bending, 1 minute.
Palm down curl, 1 minute.

Sequence 2a, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

Groin stretch, 1 minute.
Side leg raise, 1 minute. (Hold each side for 30 seconds)
Jumping bodyweight squat, 1 minute.
Shoulder circling, 1 minute.
Alternate splits, 1 minute.
Leg stretches, 2 minutes. (Each leg for 1 minute, 30 seconds for front, 30 seconds for side.)

Sequence 2b, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

Leg raise, 1 minute.
Reverse curl, 1 minute.
Sit up twist, 1 minute.
Leverage bar twist, 1 minute.
Alternate leg raise, 1 minute.
Wrist roller, 1 minute.

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Bruce Lee Circuit Training for Increased Muscularity

Overhand pullup, 30 seconds.
Seated leg press, 30 seconds.
Standing leg thrust, 30 seconds.
Shoulder press, 30 seconds.
Calf raise, toes in 10 secs, toes forward 10 secs, toes out 10 secs.
Alternating curl, 8-12 reps each arm in 30 seconds.
Standing Unilateral Horizontal Arm Adduction, 30 seconds.

For this exercise, you pull a cable with your arm straight on a horizontal plane at chest height.

Bench press, 30 seconds.
Squat, 30 seconds.
Lat pulldown behind neck, 30 seconds.
Triceps push-down, 30 seconds.
Cardio (Run) full pace, 1 minute, 30 seconds.
Wrist roller, 1 minute.
Neck flexion/extension/rotation, 1 minute.

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Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon Routine for MA's:

Kettlebell rows: 4 sets of 8-12 reps, increasing kettlebell weight.
Deadlifts: 8-12 reps.
Hyperextensions: 8-12 reps.
Standing Leg-Thrust Machine: 12-20 reps each leg. (1 set per leg)
Leg extensions: 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps.
Seated Leg-Thrust: 4 sets 12-20
Calf raises: 3 sets of 8-10
Reverse curl: 4 sets, 8-12 reps.

Bruce then kicked with a cable around his ankle.

Shoulder press: 3-4 sets, 10-12 reps.
what do you guys think about this?

 

[Urban]

Lee's lifting routine sucked. All of them did. Lee did many things very well, lifting weights was not one of them.

 

[LCDforMe]

Lee's lifting routine sucked. All of them did. Lee did many things very well, lifting weights was not one of them.

lol.

Yeah, he was pretty cool but like Urban said, he just wasn't the best lifter around.

 

[neosamurai1979]

I remember seeing a photo of him curling a 45 lb barbell with 35lb plates on each side...so that's like 115lbs...for a guy that weighed on 135...pretty impressive to me. You may think it sucks now...but it was pretty innovative back in his time. Back then not many martial artists/fighters incorporate weight training.

 

[bruceleevegas]

for a guy his weight i think he's strong but nowadays it might be diffrent since it's 2005 and he died in 1973 so i think they've got more/better exercises.

 

[S.D.Force]

That workout is extremely lame for anybody who is a serious fighter. His workout revolved around looking good primarily it seems. Lots of curls and upper body weight lifting, etc. to make him cut/muscular. The fact that he didn't have any body fat made what muscle he did have pop out.

He did absolutely no cardio and no grappling work it seems. In an all out war (even a standing only battle), with a guy like Bang Ludwig under a normal 5 minute rounds situation Lee would have gassed and gotten creamed. As we all know. Looks don't translate into performance. And Lee didn't seem to do a lot of Performance related drills.

Just look at some of the TUF training that is being done. Put's Lee's workout to shame.
But back then, of course nobody knew any better anyway. I'm sure that was considered an "amazing", and very difficult workout back then.

 

[slayer36]

lee's workout did include cardio, the above stuff is his weight lifting routine.

i tihnk considering the time period he was from, the fact that he even lifted weights to supplement his training was a big step.

i personally think that the way he trained- by incorporating standup, grappling, strength and conditioning was waaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of his time.
have you ever seen the guy throw a punch? he was a beast.

i really think that anyone who disses bruce lee is missing the point.
that all being said, bruce lee's routine is 30 years old. the sport has evolved past it, and by todays standard, it does, ineed suck. Incorpoating new techniques that work was at the core of his teaching, and i am positive if he knew what we knew today, Lee's routine would have looked much different.

 

[neosamurai1979]

lee's workout did include cardio, the above stuff is his weight lifting routine.

i tihnk considering the time period he was from, the fact that he even lifted weights to supplement his training was a big step.

i personally think that the way he trained- by incorporating standup, grappling, strength and conditioning was waaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of his time.
have you ever seen the guy throw a punch? he was a beast.

i really think that anyone who disses bruce lee is missing the point.
that all being said, bruce lee's routine is 30 years old. the sport has evolved past it, and by todays standard, it does, ineed suck. Incorpoating new techniques that work was at the core of his teaching, and i am positive if he knew what we knew today, Lee's routine would have looked much different.

I agree. Lee would have evolved had he lived long enough.

 

[Mav3rick]

That workout is extremely lame for anybody who is a serious fighter. His workout revolved around looking good primarily it seems. Lots of curls and upper body weight lifting, etc. to make him cut/muscular. The fact that he didn't have any body fat made what muscle he did have pop out.

He did absolutely no cardio and no grappling work it seems. In an all out war (even a standing only battle), with a guy like Bang Ludwig under a normal 5 minute rounds situation Lee would have gassed and gotten creamed. As we all know. Looks don't translate into performance. And Lee didn't seem to do a lot of Performance related drills.

Just look at some of the TUF training that is being done. Put's Lee's workout to shame.
But back then, of course nobody knew any better anyway. I'm sure that was considered an "amazing", and very difficult workout back then.

You think Bruce didn't do any cardio? He ran two miles a day rain or shine doing sprint intervals. On top of that he stationary biked a lot. If you think that doesn't cut it try making just about every single waking moment of your life dedicated to training.

He did no grappling??? If I remember correctly he did train with Gene Label (not sure on the spelling) and you obviously haven't seen Enter the Dragon. Watch the opening scene with Samo Hung.

The reason he started training so physically was because one of his early challenge matches ended up with him being a little winded. He was not happy with this and sought to develop the best stamina he could possibly develop.

 

[Duncon76]

He did absolutely no cardio and no grappling work it seems

Thats funny. Lee Ran 3 days a week and Jumped Rope 2-3 times a week as well.

 

[KONRINZAIKIREMA]

Lee's daily training consisted of aerobic exercises, plus others which were patterned to develop his skill in fighting. He varied his exercises to avoid boredom. One of his favorite exercises was running four miles a day in 24 to 25 minutes. He would change his tempo while running - after several miles of constant, even strides, he would sprint several feet and then return to easier running. Between changes in running tempo, he would also shuffle his feet. Lee was not particular where he ran: at the beach, in parks or woods, up and down hills or on surfaced streets.

Besides running, he also rode an exercycle to develop his endurance, legs and cardiovascular muscles. He usually rode full speed - 35 to 40 miles an hour continuously for 45 minutes to an hour. Frequently, he would ride his exercycle right after his running.

 

[JamieO]

rip on his lifting routine if you want, but for his weight at that time, he was one of the strongest men in the world.
two things he did at 135 : hold a 75 lb dumbell straight out in front of him with his arm parallel for 10s
he could kick a 300lb heavy bag hard enough to slap the ceiling

if you read enough about him im sure you could find a lot more, but these are the two that really stick out in my mind.

 

[JamieO]

"Yeah, he was pretty cool but like Urban said, he just wasn't the best lifter around. "
for that time at his weight, yes he was. if you dont think he researched the best methods around at that time, then you really dont know much about him

 

[slayer36]

like you said, "the best methods at that time", the sport has evolved and we currently have a better understanding of lifting for performance.

 

[JamieO]

"like you said, "the best methods at that time", the sport has evolved and we currently have a better understanding of lifting for performance. "

yeah, well give me one fighter in the world at 135 who has the kind of power he did.
really i think his workouts show how far someone can go even with the most basic lifting techniques and discipline.

 

[rippingrudy]

Lee's lifting routine sucked. All of them did. Lee did many things very well, lifting weights was not one of them.

True, true.

 

[S.D.Force]

I have no idea that the guy did lots of cardio. It didn't say so in his "workout routine" that was posted. That's all i'm really going by. From what i understand, he did learn a little bit of grappling and subs, but as we all know that doesn't really make much of a difference if you're not on the mat on a regular basis practicing. The cardio for grappling, and the balance required for that kind of combat is much different than any standing art. And no matter what you do for training you can't excel at a grappling art unless you are on the mat. From what i know Lee never spent any considerable time on the mat "sparring". Learning a few subs or having a few sessions here and there, even with Lebell wouldn't really cut it.

So of course, from what i know of Lee, if you took him down he would have a hard time against somebody well versed on the ground. If you don't know how to use your energy on the ground correctly then you WiLL get winded. No matter how many weights you lift, and even if you run two miles daily....That's the totally unique aspect of ground fighting.

 

[Madmick]

"Yeah, he was pretty cool but like Urban said, he just wasn't the best lifter around. "
for that time at his weight, yes he was. if you dont think he researched the best methods around at that time, then you really dont know much about him

What is it we don't know? You've offered and proven nothing.

Every one of these routines sucks balls.

 

[Madmick]

rip on his lifting routine if you want, but for his weight at that time, he was one of the strongest men in the world.
two things he did at 135 : hold a 75 lb dumbell straight out in front of him with his arm parallel for 10s
he could kick a 300lb heavy bag hard enough to slap the ceiling

if you read enough about him im sure you could find a lot more, but these are the two that really stick out in my mind.

My coach had the opportunity to train with Bruce Lee and he said he saw him hit the bag. He says he couldn't hit it worth shit. He said the guys in Thailand at the time would have destroyed Lee in a Thai fight.

I appreciate Lee for his philosophy and his work ethic, but really, this mystique bullshit has to end. Any top lightweight today would demolish him.

 

[flyingknee16]

My coach had the opportunity to train with Bruce Lee and he said he saw him hit the bag. He says he couldn't hit it worth shit. He said the guys in Thailand at the time would have destroyed Lee in a Thai fight.

I appreciate Lee for his philosophy and his work ethic, but really, this mystique bullshit has to end. Any top lightweight today would demolish him.

Your coach is a douche bag. I'm sure your coach could do better than Bruce, huh?

A lot of you guys on these boards don't give Bruce any respect. It's just because he's Chinese and because MMA is the best fighting system today (which evolved from traditional Asian arts), you think that anything remotely Asian is shit. Shit, it feels like you guys give buggers like Chuck Norris and Steven Segal more respect than Bruce. You fuckin' s.