Each of us knows Bruce Lee. For many, he is a real idol - a person they want to imitate. Indeed, his lifestyle deserves admiration. Bruce Lee is not only a magnificent athlete who has reached unprecedented heights, but also an actor and a philosopher, which is also reflected in his training.
For most, his phenomenal physical fitness remains a mystery. For decades, many have tried to achieve the same results, but all to no avail. The reason for the failures is due to the fact that in the pursuit of a perfect body, almost all athletes took into account only the physical component, while completely forgetting about the technique of performing exercises and preliminary mental preparation. Bruce Lee's training is a real philosophy where every detail is important. But more about everything.
Bruce Lee: personality in brief
What do we know about this person? Interestingly, the moment of his birth - between 6 and 8 am on November 27, 1940 - fell on the Year of the Dragon and the Hour of the Dragon in accordance with the Chinese time system. So the popular nickname “Dragon” and the frequent appearance of this word in the titles of the actor’s films is not accidental. By the way, Bruce's childhood name was Li Xiaolong, that is, Li Little Dragon.
The parents were Chinese-born Lee Hoi Chen and Eurasian (half German) Grace Lee. Actually, the fact of birth took place in San Francisco, where at that moment his father, an actor-comedian of the Cantonese Chinese opera, was on tour with his wife.
As an actor, Bruce Lee began his career at the age of three months, he was cast as a baby girl in the film Golden Gate Girl. The next filming took place at the age of six, in the film “The Origin of Humanity.”
Despite his excellent body physics in adulthood, Lee was not very well developed physically as a child and teenager. On the contrary, he was considered frail and weak. He tried to train since childhood, but did not have much success. Active studies began only in 1954, but he became interested not in martial arts, but... in dancing. Yes, yes, he was an excellent cha-cha dancer. He even won the Hong Kong championship in this type of dance at the age of 18. At the same time, he took up boxing, which led to victory in competitions between schools. It was after this that he became interested in kung fu.
Martial arts classes began with the study of Tai Chi Chuan, then Bruce studied the style of Wing Chun (Wing Chun) with the famous Ip Man, mastered the techniques of judo, jiu-jitsu, and boxing. He mainly focused on fighting without weapons, although he also owned them. She worked especially impressively – and effectively – with nunchucks.
Bruce Lee's family and civil life developed quite smoothly. In 1959, he moved to the States to confirm his citizenship by birth. Lived in San Francisco, then in Seattle. He graduated from the Seattle Technical School and entered the University of Washington to study philosophy (not bad, right?) Faculty. It was there that he met his future wife, Linda. They got married in 1964, their son Brandon was born in 1965, and their daughter Shannon was born in 1969.
In the USA, the actor starred in TV series, but not in leading roles, and to ensure financial independence he gave private martial arts lessons. Among his students were many famous people, including basketball player Kerim-Abdul Jabar, with whom Lee later staged an interesting fight scene in the film “Game of Death.”
In 1971, Bruce moved to Hong Kong, where his career as an action star began. The shooting of the first film from the Golden Harvest studio, “Big Boss,” where the actor himself choreographed the action scenes, brought resounding success, cemented by the more budget-friendly “Fist of Fury” and “Return of the Dragon.” During his career, Bruce starred in 36 films, but only in the last five did he play the lead role.
The actor’s death occurred in 1973, he was 33 years old... This happened during the filming of the film “Tower of Death.” Under the new title “Game of Death,” this picture was completed five years after Lee’s death, where two doubles were used instead of him.
Achievements of Bruce Lee
As already mentioned, Lee’s main successes as an actor include fame and solid earnings. At the same time, his films, unique for those times, served to actively popularize martial arts. It was then that he gained a huge number of followers around the world.
The Jeet Kune Do system (“Way of the Leading Fist”), developed by Bruce Lee, based on the principle of outrunning the enemy’s blows, is still considered one of the most promising and effective schools of martial art.
As an athlete and fighter, Lee has achieved impressive success. Among his records:
- Highest impact speed. It was not possible to film them at normal speed (24 frames per second); for battle scenes, technology with 32 frames per second was used. A movement of one meter was recorded in 0.02 seconds.
- Unique endurance. He could hold his legs in a “corner” position on his hands for more than half an hour, and held a 34-kilogram weight in one hand for several seconds.
- Incredible precision of movements - the fighter managed to catch thrown grains of rice with chopsticks;
- The force of the impact - Lee punched his fingers through sealed steel cans of Cola.
- Incomparable strength of the hands and forearms - the actor did push-ups on two fingers and pull-ups on the little finger of one hand.
How Bruce Lee trained
Nowadays the network contains a huge number of scattered and sometimes contradictory materials about the actor’s training methods. Having collected and analyzed the main sources, I identified the following main points.
- It’s wrong to think that Bruce Lee only practiced martial arts. Bodybuilding, fitness, special nutrition systems - all this was in his career as an athlete.
- At the peak of his form, the athlete worked out with a load equal to or greater than his own weight. At the same time, he preferred to practice bodybuilding at home rather than in the gym, having all the necessary arsenal of tools for pumping.
- The training consisted of isometric and static exercises, aerobic exercise and professional training - striking techniques.
- Even on rest days, Lee did not stop exercising, doing strength, speed, and flexibility exercises while reading and watching TV.
Training principles and methods: thoughtful and grueling
Personal notes and videos, photographs taken at different moments in Bruce Lee’s life, his communication with other athletes and journalists allow us to draw conclusions about what the principles and methods of his training were.
- Absorb what is useful and cut off what is useless. These words are attributed to Lee, and although it is unknown whether he actually said this, his style of fighting and training fully supports the phrase. This style can be described as "instinctive".
- Train to fight. Absolutely all of the actor’s activities were aimed at making the body the most perfect, ideally functioning mechanism. Strength training provided the necessary endurance and energy, aerobic training helped improve blood circulation and reaction, combat training helped to hone technique.
- Training every day. As you know, Bruce Lee performed sets and repetitions for speed and flexibility every day, and worked with heavy iron at least three times a week.
- Practicing strikes cannot be impersonal. Lee recommended imagining the most hated person in the place of the punching bag or exercise machine and putting emotions into every blow.
- The training must be progressive.
What colleagues and eyewitnesses say
The person closest to the actor, his wife Linda, claimed that she was amazed by her husband’s ability to perform many activities at the same time (watch boxing, read in between interesting moments and simultaneously perform kicks and pump his biceps with a dumbbell). His fanatical attitude to training, daily “torture” of his body, bringing it to unimaginable perfection was the most significant part of their family life. She reported in her memoirs that Bruce devoted a lot of time to searching for information about new possibilities for improving the body and developing his own training systems, including meditation.
The US wrestling champion noted that Lee, who weighed 40 kilograms less than him, managed to defeat him in arm wrestling, and without visible strain. Bruce's incredible physical strength is also noted by his colleagues John Lewis and John Rea. Herb Jackson, who designed new simulators for him, reported that wooden products broke instantly, and only those reinforced with metal had a chance to last at least a few workouts.
Interestingly, Chuck Norris claimed that Lee did not use kicks above the waist, considering them impractical in martial arts. However, Norris managed to convince him of the effectiveness of such techniques on the screen, after which Lee mastered a full arsenal of high kicks within six months.
Training complex for various parts of the body
The above examples are mainly suitable for the muscles and tendons of the arms. We will describe below a set of isometric exercises for other parts of the body and give a few more examples that can be performed at home or in the office, without any special sports equipment.
To strengthen the buttocks and legs
- While sitting at a table, cross your legs. Use your upper knee to push the table upward.
- Standing on one leg, bend the other at the knee and hold your foot with your hand. Press your foot down as hard as you can.
- Sitting on a chair, straighten your legs, place them one on top of the other and lift them up. Press your lower leg up and your upper leg down.
To strengthen the press
- Sitting on a chair, clasp your hands behind its back. Try to lean forward like this.
- Lying on your back, place your hands on the floor. Raise your outstretched legs and hold for 6-12 seconds. Then lower your legs and raise your back to 45 degrees and hold in this position.
For the back
- While sitting on a chair, bend over and squeeze the legs of the chair with your hands. Try to pull them up.
- Sitting on a chair, tuck your legs and clasp your hands around your hips. Without bending your arms, try to lift your shoulders up.
For the chest
- Sit down and clasp your bent arms in your palms at chest level. Squeeze them vigorously for 6-12 seconds.
- With your arms extended in front of you, clasp your hands together. Try to break this lock.
- Clench one palm into a fist, and with the other palm press firmly on the fist, extending your arms at chest level.
For neck muscles
- Place your hands behind your neck and clasp them there. With maximum effort, try to pull your neck forward, while your neck should resist the pressure on it.
- Sitting on a chair, throw your head back and rest your elbows on the table. Place your chin in your palms and try to lower your head.
- Do the same, only rest your forehead on your palms instead of your chin.
Well, we looked at many different trainings. We hope that this information was useful to you and these classes will be a good help for you in developing the strength of your muscles and tendons. Good luck in the gym and beyond!
Technique and types of exercises
Reconstructing diary entries, eyewitness accounts and photos of Bruce Lee, experts came to the conclusion that he worked using the following physical training techniques:
- Basic exercises in three sets with 15...30 approaches depending on the weight.
- Alternate exercises, they change in each workout.
- Constantly increasing load.
One of the programs for training the abs and leg muscles is shown in the photo.
The table below summarizes the basic principles of operation.
Cardio is everything
The main reason a fighter loses is lack of stamina. A healthy and trained cardiovascular system is much more often needed in life than the ability to lift weights. “If you go into a three-minute round of Muay Thai – I don’t care what muscles you have – and you don’t have enough stamina, in 45 seconds you’ll be a dead man, and I’ll still be fighting. When you're over 30, bulging biceps and powerful chest may boost your ego, but your life and health depend on the health of your heart and lungs."
Bruce's favorite form of cardio was running. Running does not require investment or special equipment and is accessible to everyone. Bruce ran every day, regardless of the weather or time of day. “You have to run through I can’t,” said Bruce, “that’s the only way you can increase your endurance. But if, on the contrary, every time you limit your capabilities, physical and not only, this will gradually spread to everything else: work, morality, everything that you are.”
If it is stronger than you, it will kill you. A person should always strive to raise his level.
Workouts by day
Another photo from his personal notes:
Regarding combat techniques specifically, I managed to find the following program:
- Punching on Monday/Wednesday/Friday - jab, cross, hook, cross from below, speed training, series. All exercises, except speed ones, are done on a pneumatic bag, punching bag, regular bag and wall pad; speed exercises are done only on a pneumatic bag in the gym or at home.
- Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday kicks - side, side hooks, twist, heel, straight and back.
Records (not complete) for January 1968 report that the following training sessions took place per month: 15 for stretching and punching, 12 for speed, 121 and 129 for twisting (including lifting the torso) and hanging leg raises. , for legs (squats and others) 19, running (including sprints) - 10 hours.
Almost all the exercises were performed at home - sports equipment for this occupied the entire actor’s house, and there were even exercise machines in the garage. Eyewitnesses report that dumbbells and a barbell were available everywhere he spent at least half an hour - even in the office.
Below are links to videos with recordings of Bruce Lee's training and fights, and a selection of his rare photographs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtJuYp5cTiw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkOaZgKSSNk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PM5pjB40wY
Rod path
Even before the fight with Won Jae Man, Lee understood that no fighter could do without proper strength training. However, it was this fight, which coincided with the beginning of television and cinematic activities, that became the beginning of Bruce Lee's serious relationship with heavy iron.
Lee started by spending his days doing reverse-grip curls to tone up his forearm muscles. Having experienced the full benefits of strength training, he moved on to comprehensive strength training. On an ongoing basis, Bruce used two alternative training programs to develop incredible strength:
Alternate workouts A and B every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Workout A
Kettlebell shoulder press 2
set of
8
reps
Squats 2
set of
12
reps
Pullover with a barbell on a straight bench 2
set of
8
reps
Bench press 2
set of
6
reps
Exercise "Good morning" with straight legs 2
set of
8
reps
Barbell curl 2
set of
8
reps
Workout B
Kettlebell shoulder press 4
set of
6
reps
Squats 4
set of
6
reps
Bench press 4
set of
5
reps
Exercise "Good morning" with straight legs 4
set of
6
reps
Barbell curl 4
set of
6
reps
In his ability to simultaneously work on muscle development and functional training, Bruce Lee was ahead of his time. Hungry for knowledge, he looked for evidence of the effectiveness of each technique and made his choice consciously, based on the results of research and experiments. As a result, he managed to transform himself from a skinny 50-pound guy into a 65-pound warrior who strikes with the force of a jackhammer.
How Bruce Lee ate: a balanced diet
All his life, Lee preferred Chinese cuisine, preferring protein dishes, including soy-based ones. Relatives claimed that he avoided flour - he ate only out of politeness, when visiting. The emphasis on protein products was also expressed in a large number of protein shakes, the actor drank them every day: with powdered milk, eggs, bananas, peanut butter, sprouted wheat, brewer's yeast and lecithin. The composition was constantly changing.
Lee adhered to the principle of fractional nutrition - small portions five to six times a day. The diet was accompanied by energy drinks based on ginseng and honey, vitamins and nutritional supplements.
What supplements did Bruce Lee use?
According to his wife and other eyewitnesses, he actively experimented with all synthetic vitamins, mainly groups B, E, C, and constantly consumed rosehip syrup and bee pollen. As mentioned above, ginseng was on the menu every day in the form of drinks, like honey.
1.Avoid empty calories
What did Bruce Lee mean? By empty calories, he understood those foods that supply the human body with energy and calories, but in his opinion they do not provide any other benefit.
For example: Instead of these empty calories, Bruce Lee suggested taking confectionery products (flour products) from such familiar and basic products (wild rice, spaghetti from coarse varieties of wheat and the same oatmeal).
2.Eat less, but more often
A very familiar rule J, everyone has known it for a long time. But perhaps at the beginning of the 60-70s people did not yet understand this, although there are only a few who still do not understand.
3.Honey and ginseng
Bruce Lee prepared energy drinks for himself for filming and training, and many people, such as his partner (colleague) on the set of m.
4. Balance your diet
What does this mean? What I meant was the same proportion between proteins, fats and carbohydrates, which I have mentioned many times in many issues.
In short this is:
- Carbohydrates - 50-60%
- proteins – 20-30%
- fats – 10-20%
Many people, even now, do not understand that this is true, that it is vitally important to adhere to such proportions, because this proportion is optimal, first of all, for health, and only then for the rapid growth of muscle strength and mass. Now it seems to us that all these postulates have long been known to everyone, but do not forget that Bruce Lee created them in the 60-70s, in those days there were no sources of information as there are now (the Internet, etc.) just think about it these postulates are not only true, at that time they were simply brilliant
Now it seems to us that all these postulates have long been known to everyone, but do not forget that Bruce Lee created them in the 60-70s, in those days there were no sources of information as there are now (the Internet, etc.) just think about it These postulates are not only true, at that time they were simply brilliant.
5.Drink tea
Bruce Lee, as a true man from the East, of course loved tea, used many varieties in his diet and diet.
6. Use sports supplements
At that time, I think there were practically no sports supplements. I heard everything about those times, people took brewer's yeast and mixed it with something, and mixed milk powder, in general, all sorts of outlandish cocktails (a kind of primitive cocktails), but in the case of Bruce Lee, he still lived in California, Some protein shakes, vitamins and minerals have already appeared. So, Bruce Lee, again, according to eyewitnesses at that time, said he prepared cocktails for himself according to special recipes and drank them 2 times a day. Bruce Lee was also convinced that he needed to take multivitamins and minerals. Those. you see that he relied on both regular healthy food and sports supplements. This is the sixth rule of his diet.
