Bruce Lee’s Weight Training Record

[Oily Dragon]

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.

So isn't it most likely, this form is just filled out wrong? There are a lot of little hidden symbols on the form, too. One weight listing has an "x" next to it.

There are 14 rows filled out including 2 bodyweight exercises, but these are mapped out 1-7 on the left margin. And the second could of exercises with no weight, reps, or sets listed.

This form is relatively modern. But it doesn't seem to make sense.

It's uncanny to me.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Yes, but that was the olden days

I find the sheet very interesting because 1) it's a great routine and 2) fierce debate online over it.

People get really sensitive when you ask questions about Bruce Lee!

 

[punisher73]

So isn't it most likely, this form is just filled out wrong? There are a lot of little hidden symbols on the form, too. One weight listing has an "x" next to it.

There are 14 rows filled out including 2 bodyweight exercises, but these are mapped out 1-7 on the left margin. And the second could of exercises with no weight, reps, or sets listed.

This form is relatively modern. But it doesn't seem to make sense.

It's uncanny to me.

Pure speculation on my part, but "yes" I think it was probably filled out incorrectly. Or, it was filled out how Bruce wanted it to look and not the intent of the form's design.

The other thing to consider is that it is a Chinese gym trying to translate the form into English. Could be something with that.

 

[BorntoRaiseHell]

He used isometric training too

 

[Prince_Alarming100]

I'm pretty sure he was unusual among martial artists of the time for actually doing any weight training

 

[Same Trick46]

I bet Ip Man told him over and over to 放松

 

[Kung Fu Wang100]

I'm pretty sure he was unusual among martial artists of the time for actually doing any weight training

Weight training was popular in our previous generation already.

 

[Gyakuto100]

I bet Ip Man told him over and over to 放松

We all need to do that!

 

[Same Trick46]

We all need to do that!

Yeah, I just did , told him, well the pic of him in the OP

 

[Kung Fu Wang100]

I bet Ip Man told him over and over to 放松

When your body cannot be hard anymore, soft will be the only thing that you have left.

 

[Same Trick46]

When your body cannot be hard anymore, soft will be the only thing that you have left.

“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

Bruce Lee

 

[Kung Fu Wang100]

“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

Bruce Lee

Soft 放松 can mean lazy most of the time.

 

[Gyakuto100]

Imagawa Ryoshin (1325-1420)

Like his martial art, Bruce Lee ‘borrowed’ his ideas from many different philosophers but he never cited their origins. When I read his philosophical writings I find myself thinking, ‘…hang on, it was Neitzche/Socrates/Hippocrates/Aurelius who said that!’ Outright plagiarism.

 

[Same Trick46]

View attachment 33780View attachment 33779
Imagawa Ryoshin (1325-1420)

Like his martial art, Bruce Lee ‘borrowed’ his ideas from many different philosophers but he never cited their origins. When I read his philosophical writings I find myself thinking, ‘…hang on, it was Neitzche/Socrates/Hippocrates/Aurelius who said that!’ Outright plagiarism.

At least his movie charisma was original ?

 

[Gyakuto100]

At least his movie charisma was original ?

We all have at least one original idea. For some it’s the smoldering, monosyllabic, deep, ethical, body-weapon film character, others for realising that gravity isn’t a force but is the effect of bent space-time and non-Euclidean geometry or that the idea of a distinct ‘self’ is illusory and that I am you and you are me.

 

[Same Trick46]

We all have at least one original idea. For some it’s the smoldering, monosyllabic, deep, ethical, body-weapon film character, others for realising that gravity isn’t a force but is the effect of bent space-time and non-Euclidean geometry or that the idea of a distinct ‘self’ is illusory and that I am you and you are me.

Definitely, we are all one, we are all Bruce Lee

 

[HighKick]

We all have at least one original idea. For some it’s the smoldering, monosyllabic, deep, ethical, body-weapon film character, others for realising that gravity isn’t a force but is the effect of bent space-time and non-Euclidean geometry or that the idea of a distinct ‘self’ is illusory and that I am you and you are me.

Do you mean bull-sh*tery?

 

[BorntoRaiseHell]

We all have at least one original idea. For some it’s the smoldering, monosyllabic, deep, ethical, body-weapon film character, others for realising that gravity isn’t a force but is the effect of bent space-time and non-Euclidean geometry or that the idea of a distinct ‘self’ is illusory and that I am you and you are me.

 

[Prince_Alarming100]

And for some, it's loaded fries with brie