How to Be Like Bruce Lee
Be open to different types of training., Vary your workouts constantly., Learn martial arts – the Bruce Lee way., Train the arms and feet., Strength train., Condition yourself., Focus on core training.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Be open to different types of training.
Lee approached physical training in an open and flexible way.
He embraced many different traditions, and he didn’t like training regimens that were one-size-fits all.
Instead, Lee borrowed from many disciplines, including martial arts, bodybuilding, and other types of training.
He used barbells, kettle balls and circuit training regimens on different days of the week.
Lee believed in organizing workouts by similarities; he would train differently on each day.
For example, some days would be devoted to punching, and some devoted to kicking.It’s said that he could hold a barbell that weighed 40 kilograms (88 pounds!) for 40 seconds at arm’s length and that he could punch his finger through a closed can of soda.
He could swap a coin in your hand before you had time to close it. -
Step 2: Vary your workouts constantly.
Bruce Lee was not a person who found a single workout to stick with forever.
He was constantly changing his workouts and trying new things to push his body to every limit and to prevent his body from being able to adapt.
He ran, rode bikes, and jumped rope as well as practiced kicking and punching.
In other words, he was interested in all-around training.
Bruce Lee was an all-around athlete with an extremely defined body and an incredibly impressive combination of speed and strength.
Lee did enjoy martial arts, but he didn’t want his body to get too used to any fitness regimen.
Check your ego at the door.
The goal of Lee’s training was not to physically look great.
He wanted a functional body and described training as “the art of expressing the human body.” , Although Bruce Lee practiced many different physical fitness regimens, he is clearly defined in part by his ability to excel at martial arts.
To some degree, he used other fitness styles in order to become a better martial artist.
He started learning the Wing Chun style of Kung Fu from a grandmaster and then he formed his own method, Jeet June Do, which was not bound by rigid rules.
Lee defined this as “a style without a style,” meaning the fighter was open to fight in whichever way he or she thought would be effective.
He practiced martial arts rigorously though so that he had all kicks and punches at his disposal if needed.
Some martial arts studios in your area might use the Bruce Lee style of fighting. , Lee put a lot of emphasis on training the muscles in the forearms, which he felt were extremely important for any martial artist.
It was by no means the only training he focused on, but he considered it important.
Lee would hit heavy bags as aggressively as he could.
He was always on the move, side-stepping and feinting, even when hitting a bag, because he believed you shouldn’t leave yourself open to attack.
He used jabs, crosses and hooks when punching.
He felt the feet were also incredibly important, and that it was important to be able to move fast and lightly with them.
He used side kicks, hook kicks, spin kicks, rear and front thrusts, and heel kicks when training. , Bruce Lee knew that martial artists also needed to build their strength.
He was one of the visionaries who first made this connection.
Thus, he worked on developing his arm and leg strength with weight training.
He didn’t only punch and kick bags.
He used weights in his workouts.
Lee would use kettle balls and barbells to do squats, pullovers, and bench presses.
He is known for his extremely well defined muscles, as his body was in the best shape that is possible.
He was also known for being able to do two-finger pushups, which is where he used the thumb and index finger of one hand, with his feet a shoulder-length apart, while he performed a push up. , In addition to strength training and martial arts, Lee was a big fan of conditioning the body.
He felt that endurance training mattered too because increased stamina would make him a better fighter.
To condition his extremely finely tuned body, Lee would run.
He considered this a form of meditation to bring inner peace as well as conditioning.
He would typically run about 40 miles per day three times a week, changing tempo as he ran.
Lee enjoyed jumping rope because he thought it would increase his stamina as well as build the muscles in his legs.
He jumped rope three times a week for about 30 minutes a day.
Lee enjoyed stationary cycling, again to focus on his stamina and his legs.
He could get an exercycle up to high speeds for 45 minute at a time and would try to do this for three days a week. , Lee felt that the abdominal muscles were really important to an elite martial artist because they enabled the martial artist to withstand even the hardest punches.
Lee’s famous six-pack abs were not about looking great.
They were about creating a shield that could ward off tough punches from opponents.
In order to strengthen his abdominal muscles, Lee would have a person drop a medicine ball on his stomach, while he was lying on the ground.
Be careful with this maneuver if you are not already in impeccable shape so you don’t get hurt.
Side bends, leg raises and sit ups were some of the ways that Lee worked his abs.
He would usually do 5 sets to failure. -
Step 3: Learn martial arts – the Bruce Lee way.
-
Step 4: Train the arms and feet.
-
Step 5: Strength train.
-
Step 6: Condition yourself.
-
Step 7: Focus on core training.
Detailed Guide
Lee approached physical training in an open and flexible way.
He embraced many different traditions, and he didn’t like training regimens that were one-size-fits all.
Instead, Lee borrowed from many disciplines, including martial arts, bodybuilding, and other types of training.
He used barbells, kettle balls and circuit training regimens on different days of the week.
Lee believed in organizing workouts by similarities; he would train differently on each day.
For example, some days would be devoted to punching, and some devoted to kicking.It’s said that he could hold a barbell that weighed 40 kilograms (88 pounds!) for 40 seconds at arm’s length and that he could punch his finger through a closed can of soda.
He could swap a coin in your hand before you had time to close it.
Bruce Lee was not a person who found a single workout to stick with forever.
He was constantly changing his workouts and trying new things to push his body to every limit and to prevent his body from being able to adapt.
He ran, rode bikes, and jumped rope as well as practiced kicking and punching.
In other words, he was interested in all-around training.
Bruce Lee was an all-around athlete with an extremely defined body and an incredibly impressive combination of speed and strength.
Lee did enjoy martial arts, but he didn’t want his body to get too used to any fitness regimen.
Check your ego at the door.
The goal of Lee’s training was not to physically look great.
He wanted a functional body and described training as “the art of expressing the human body.” , Although Bruce Lee practiced many different physical fitness regimens, he is clearly defined in part by his ability to excel at martial arts.
To some degree, he used other fitness styles in order to become a better martial artist.
He started learning the Wing Chun style of Kung Fu from a grandmaster and then he formed his own method, Jeet June Do, which was not bound by rigid rules.
Lee defined this as “a style without a style,” meaning the fighter was open to fight in whichever way he or she thought would be effective.
He practiced martial arts rigorously though so that he had all kicks and punches at his disposal if needed.
Some martial arts studios in your area might use the Bruce Lee style of fighting. , Lee put a lot of emphasis on training the muscles in the forearms, which he felt were extremely important for any martial artist.
It was by no means the only training he focused on, but he considered it important.
Lee would hit heavy bags as aggressively as he could.
He was always on the move, side-stepping and feinting, even when hitting a bag, because he believed you shouldn’t leave yourself open to attack.
He used jabs, crosses and hooks when punching.
He felt the feet were also incredibly important, and that it was important to be able to move fast and lightly with them.
He used side kicks, hook kicks, spin kicks, rear and front thrusts, and heel kicks when training. , Bruce Lee knew that martial artists also needed to build their strength.
He was one of the visionaries who first made this connection.
Thus, he worked on developing his arm and leg strength with weight training.
He didn’t only punch and kick bags.
He used weights in his workouts.
Lee would use kettle balls and barbells to do squats, pullovers, and bench presses.
He is known for his extremely well defined muscles, as his body was in the best shape that is possible.
He was also known for being able to do two-finger pushups, which is where he used the thumb and index finger of one hand, with his feet a shoulder-length apart, while he performed a push up. , In addition to strength training and martial arts, Lee was a big fan of conditioning the body.
He felt that endurance training mattered too because increased stamina would make him a better fighter.
To condition his extremely finely tuned body, Lee would run.
He considered this a form of meditation to bring inner peace as well as conditioning.
He would typically run about 40 miles per day three times a week, changing tempo as he ran.
Lee enjoyed jumping rope because he thought it would increase his stamina as well as build the muscles in his legs.
He jumped rope three times a week for about 30 minutes a day.
Lee enjoyed stationary cycling, again to focus on his stamina and his legs.
He could get an exercycle up to high speeds for 45 minute at a time and would try to do this for three days a week. , Lee felt that the abdominal muscles were really important to an elite martial artist because they enabled the martial artist to withstand even the hardest punches.
Lee’s famous six-pack abs were not about looking great.
They were about creating a shield that could ward off tough punches from opponents.
In order to strengthen his abdominal muscles, Lee would have a person drop a medicine ball on his stomach, while he was lying on the ground.
Be careful with this maneuver if you are not already in impeccable shape so you don’t get hurt.
Side bends, leg raises and sit ups were some of the ways that Lee worked his abs.
He would usually do 5 sets to failure.
About the Author
Carolyn Wood
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in home improvement and beyond.
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