Bruce Lee’s Weight Training Record

Gyakuto

Senior Master
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
2,549
Reaction score
2,211
Location
UK
I came across this and thought it was interesting.

BDBF381D-CD95-412C-967A-A69A1A8A7991.jpeg
 

Oily Dragon

Senior Master
Joined
May 2, 2020
Messages
3,257
Reaction score
1,651
I came across this and thought it was interesting.

View attachment 30295
Like most Bruce Lee things this one is heavily debated online (e.g. lunkheads are not impressed at 95lb squats).

Does anyone actually own the "Art of Expressing...". I'd love to know if this image is actually from it. It's far too easy to fake such things now.
 
OP
Gyakuto

Gyakuto

Senior Master
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
2,549
Reaction score
2,211
Location
UK
It can clearly be shown to be true and real because-

1) It’s from the Internet.

2) It’s written with ink and with hands and stuff no compoota typey-wipey.

3) I looks like the olden days paper an’ stuff.

4) Bruce is standing right next to it. He’s there!
 

jks9199

Administrator
Staff member
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
23,523
Reaction score
3,869
Location
Northern VA
Like most Bruce Lee things this one is heavily debated online (e.g. lunkheads are not impressed at 95lb squats).

Does anyone actually own the "Art of Expressing...". I'd love to know if this image is actually from it. It's far too easy to fake such things now.
Clearly not a leg workout, so I wouldn't worry about "only" 95 lbs. Most of the exercises listed are arm, with a little bit of chest and leg.
 
OP
Gyakuto

Gyakuto

Senior Master
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
2,549
Reaction score
2,211
Location
UK
Clearly not a leg workout, so I wouldn't worry about "only" 95 lbs. Most of the exercises listed are arm, with a little bit of chest and leg.
Well, he wasn’t know for his amazing leg dexterity/speed or anything, was he?

I admit I keep the weight of my leg workouts down to avoid knee injury and big thighs aren’t required for my art. But by that, I mean 115kg (253lbs) x 10 (5 sets).
 

Oily Dragon

Senior Master
Joined
May 2, 2020
Messages
3,257
Reaction score
1,651
Well, he wasn’t know for his amazing leg dexterity/speed or anything, was he?

I admit I keep the weight of my leg workouts down to avoid knee injury and big thighs aren’t required for my art. But by that, I mean 115kg (253lbs) x 10 (5 sets).
He had really strong legs, and didn't use a stunt double for any of his movie or TV kicks.

His kicks as Kato in the Green Hornet were part of what led to his movie stardom, where insane kicks became his calling card.

1699819588603.png


 
OP
Gyakuto

Gyakuto

Senior Master
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
2,549
Reaction score
2,211
Location
UK
Sorry…that was my British sarcasm!
 

Oily Dragon

Senior Master
Joined
May 2, 2020
Messages
3,257
Reaction score
1,651
Sorry…that was my British sarcasm!
Trust me...I know.

That's why I felt compelled to help out all the people without a sarcasm meter, and to get in ahead of the rabid, feral people who will write an essay about how WRONG you are.

Like, how dare you. Bruce Lee's hair, man.
 
OP
Gyakuto

Gyakuto

Senior Master
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
2,549
Reaction score
2,211
Location
UK
…then I thank you for your gentlemanly behaviour 🙏🏽
 

_Simon_

Senior Master
Joined
Jan 3, 2018
Messages
4,437
Reaction score
2,979
Location
Australia
Like most Bruce Lee things this one is heavily debated online (e.g. lunkheads are not impressed at 95lb squats).

Does anyone actually own the "Art of Expressing...". I'd love to know if this image is actually from it. It's far too easy to fake such things now.
Yep, page 42! The book actually has heaps of little scribbles notes and workouts from Bruce scattered throughout

20231114_165327.jpg
 
OP
Gyakuto

Gyakuto

Senior Master
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
2,549
Reaction score
2,211
Location
UK
….see, the Internet never lies. 😑
 
OP
Gyakuto

Gyakuto

Senior Master
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
2,549
Reaction score
2,211
Location
UK
Why do you think the "exercise" column is repeated? It's such a short form.
To help you read across the line in case you forget what the row is…like in a huge Excel spreadsheet.
And the request at the bottom?
People lose slips of paper. It probably had a little pigeon hole in the gym.
 

Buka

Sr. Grandmaster
Staff member
MT Mentor
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
13,010
Reaction score
10,559
Location
Maui
He had really strong legs, and didn't use a stunt double for any of his movie or TV kicks.

His kicks as Kato in the Green Hornet were part of what led to his movie stardom, where insane kicks became his calling card.

View attachment 30296

That black and white photo of Bruce Lee has always been my favorite photo of him.
Also my favorite photo of a sidekick.
Thanks. :)
 

Oily Dragon

Senior Master
Joined
May 2, 2020
Messages
3,257
Reaction score
1,651
To help you read across the line in case you forget what the row is…like in a huge Excel spreadsheet.
But...it's not. It's 5 columns.

But upon a second view, noticed that the Exercise columns are not all the same.

So now I'm really confused. Is this form filled out wrong? Or is it a forgery?

The "Art of..." book was published in 1998. Lee had been dead for quite some time. So

Any handwriting experts here? Is this even his writing? How are you supposed to read this?

So many questions...ugh.

1700011929037.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Oily Dragon

Senior Master
Joined
May 2, 2020
Messages
3,257
Reaction score
1,651
People lose slips of paper. It probably had a little pigeon hole in the gym.
I've been trying to translate bits of the hanzi here but now the English itself is suspect.

This wouldn't be the first time I read something "Written by Bruce Lee" that wasn't. His wife is notorious for this sort of thing. They made a whole movie about it, remember? Where his back gets broken by a Hung Ga Kuen fighter, which leads him to invent Jeet Kune Do.

Great scene. Totally fake.

 
Last edited:
OP
Gyakuto

Gyakuto

Senior Master
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
2,549
Reaction score
2,211
Location
UK
Bruce Lee is surrounded by such myth and misinformation it’d be nigh-on impossible to know anything about him, definitively. I’d suggest that the ‘secrets’ of his training regîme would be central to this and I’d view this document ‘cum grano salis’

However, it could be tested, if you could find a skinny guy willing to follow it faithfully.

Has anyone read Matthew Polly’s meticulously researched and referenced biography of Bruce Lee? Lee doesn’t come across as a very likeable person. Arrogant, childish behaviour, infidelity…and that’s just Matthew Polly!😉
 

punisher73

Senior Master
Joined
Mar 20, 2004
Messages
3,959
Reaction score
1,058
John Little was the author, who at the time, was married to Linda Lee. She gave him full access to all of Bruce's notes etc.

A couple important things to notice.

1) Look at the date, Bruce would have been around 24 years old at the time. Based on other biographical details, this would have been right around the time that he was introduced to weight lifting. So, this is NOT a workout from the tail end of his life or when he had his famous physique.

2) Other biographical information suggests that Bruce didn't keep detailed workout records like we see here after a few years of lifting. He became more spontaneous in his workouts and kept a lot of different lifting apparatuses around him to always be doing something.

There really isn't any reason to think that the workout sheet was forged. Its just not indicative of his progression and actual strength levels once he really got into lifting. Based on his height and weight at the time (ranging from 5'6 to 5'8) and a max weight of around 145 lbs. These numbers seem consistent with a skinny male first starting to lift.
 
Top