Bruce Lee Training (SECRETS REVEALED!)

Have you ever wanted to train like Bruce Lee? In this video, I am going to show you five core principles pertaining to the Bruce Lee workout and diet plan that helped to make him a lasting fitness icon so that you can implement them into your own workouts and meal plan.

Jeff: What’s up, guys? Jeff Cavaliere  Athleanx. com. Today I stand next to greatness, the legendary Bruce Lee. And today you are going  to learn from him because we’re going to cover the most effective training principles  of his time that still apply today.

Jesse: Hiya! Jeff: Oh, my Lord. What are you doing? What are you wearing? Jesse: I’m wearing my Game of Death replica outfit because I love Bruce Lee, and  we’re doing a Bruce Lee video today.

Speaking of which, Bruce Lee, Master, can I  challenge you to a kung fu fight? Because I would be honored to display my skills against you. Jeff: You, you realize he’s a cardboard cutout, right? Jesse: Jesse, are you saying he can’t defend himself? Jeff: No, I would never say that about Bruce Lee, but Jesse: So, let me go prepare for my kung fu match with the great legendary Bruce Lee.

Hiya! Jeff: I got nothing to say. Now, I think it’s important to point out that while Bruce Lee was  certainly a fitness icon, it wasn’t necessarily the size of his muscles that commanded attention  with forearms at 11 to 12 inches or even biceps at just 13 to 14 and wrists that were very, very  tiny at just over 6 inches and thighs that even measured at just 21 to 22 inches. There wasn’t  a single measurement that would define him as a very muscular guy. Though some would argue  that his 44-inch chest measurement was pretty damn impressive considering especially the fact  that it wasn’t coming from his chest development, but more so the wrap around measurement effect  that had to go all the way around those Cobra lats.

But what is important is that it was the  accumulation of all of those measurements that created one iconic physique. And one that not only  looked good, but most importantly, could perform at the highest of levels. Talk about getting every  single ounce out of one’s body, that’s exactly what Bruce Lee did. Now, when it comes to his  workout, there’s actually not that much that is specifically known about what it entailed. As a matter of fact, a lot of it is shrouded in mystery, like the man himself.

There is one  particular workout card that makes the rounds that people feel is the official workout of Bruce Lee,  however, there is even some debate about this. But what I want you to notice is that the  weight totals here are not incredibly high, and that is because what’s most important about  knowing specifically what exercises he did is more about knowing the principles of how he  trained. And that brings us to the first one, Lift What Can Be Lifted? It wasn’t about the  weight, it was about being able to command that weight from point A to point Z, which is something  we talk about here all the time. And one of the ways he did this is by incorporating additional  range of motion or more time under tension.

And one of the famous ways for doing this was a Launch  Curl. So not just curling the weight up, but then having to extend the arms out that demanded that  the weight that he curled could be controlled at this longer moment arm. That means he might have  to drop the weight just a little bit, but in return get much better contractions and focused  intention with every single rep that he did. One of the techniques that I talked about on this  channel was being able to stop a weight in motion at any point in motion because that displays total  command of the weight that you’re lifting. We can take something like a Front Shoulder Raise.

Yeah, you might be able to swing the weight up, but could you stop them at any point on the  way up or on the way down? The next time you do a Lat Pull Down, don’t just swing the weight  down to your chest and pray for a safe return, try to actually stop the weight and control  it at any point in time. Even just to prove to yourself that you’re using a weight that  allows you to lift what can be lifted. One of my favorite ways to do this is just to  incorporate a couple sets of this on a Dumbbell Bench Press. Yeah, you could do your straight  sets, but why not incorporate at least one set where you can prove to yourself that you’re  commanding that weight at every single portion of every single repetition?

Challenge yourself and  your ability to command a weight through space, and I promise you, you may have to  lower the weight just a little bit, but the levels of muscularity that you will  see from this will go up in return. The next thing that doesn’t show up on a workout  card are the principles that Bruce Lee employed during the exercises that you’re reading. So, on those Pushups or on those Bicep Curls, where’s it mentioned the use of ISO Tension as  a way to amplify the effects of those exercises? This was a technique used by the legend because  he knew that contraction could create command. If you took a simple push up and performed your  repetitions to failure but instead of resting in between sets, just simply got into a kneeling  position and added to the contraction by crossing your arms over each other into abduction and  increase that my muscle development that might be lacking.

Because every set of pushups that  you do where you allow either the shoulders or the triceps to take over, is one set that you’re  taking away from the work capacity of the chest. And with each one of those, you’re taking away  from the potential development of that muscle. By simply incorporating these additional low  level, low intensity contractions in between sets, you’re neurologically grooving that ability to  create a better contraction out of a muscle. And we can modernize this, it doesn’t have to  just occur on, let’s say, a pushup. After the set of Lat Pulldowns allow yourself to get into  that good solid back contraction.

It might be the best one you’ve felt the entire set because maybe  you’re not obeying principle number one and you’re using weight that you’re just swinging around. And of course, Bruce Lee, as I mentioned, applied this to the curl as well. Again, you read  just barbell curls, but what about employing this technique in between sets of those? Don’t forget  the opportunity that you have to do a little bit of this additional low-level contraction that  is just an additive to the benefits of the first portion of that set, the one that we all do,  but this part, the one we all forget to do. And while now, Bruce Lee never demonstrated  the highest levels, as we talked about, of absolute strength in the gym.

Why was it that  he had such incredible strength when he actually did something? Because he had the ability to  create total body strength and he knew that creating strength was first and foremost about  not losing strength. And when we talk about this all the time, the energy leaks that are  present in exercises that we do and when we’re not aware of them, well we lose strength. One of the most famous ways he did this was with the Fingertip Pushup or the Two Finger Pushup. He  made this look incredibly easy.

I, on the other hand, struggled very mightily here to do just  a few repetitions and I have an understanding of how to control strength and not lose it through  these energy leaks. It’s just a hard exercise. But what will make it a lot easier for you, or even  possible when it might seem impossible right now, is by contracting the other muscles in the  body. When you perform it, contract the quads, tighten the glutes, tighten your core, drive your  toes into the floor, start in a solid position, contract the triceps, extend the arms fully. By doing this, you’re preventing the dissipation of energy, the exact energy that you need to drive  not just into the floor, but most importantly to drive your body back up in the opposite directi