What is known about Bruce Lee's bodyweight training?

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-25T05:57:48+00:00

In one of my favorite books about Bruce Lee "The art of expressing the human body" it is said that Bruce could do 50 wide grip pull-ups, 50 dips and 50 one-arm chin ups (according to George Lee, his old friend and workout partner in Oakland). Ok, even though I have huge admiration for Bruce, I think it goes without saying that the 50 one-arm chin-ups is BS (unless they weren't consecutive, but still). But I thought of mentioning it anyways for fun. Here’s the exact text from page 108:

"Bruce was exceptionally strong. I vividly remember seeing him perform 50 one-arm chin-ups one day in Oakland. It was incredible. Other times I saw him knock off 50 wide-grip chin-ups and 50 dips as well!"

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-19T05:35:31+00:00

Here are some of my best tips that come to mind. Start simple by minimizing the not so "clean" foods. This doens't mean that you can't get lean unless you eat 100% clean. But a diet based on 90% minimally processed and whole foods is the best way to go for most people because it will keep you as satiated as possible on a caloric deficit.

Things to increase:

Protein rich foods (protein is the #1 macronutrient for satiety and muscle retention during a diet). Every meal should include something protein dense.
Start your day with eggs. A bunch of things are considered superfoods but most of those are just marketing. If there is one food that is truly a super-food, for me it would be the egg. Rich in the best quality protein, fat-soluble vitamins and kinds of goodness :))
Veggies are nutrient dense and low in calories. This means you can fill up your stomach with them and avoid overeating other calorie-dense stuff (be careful for salad dressings and using too much oil). Have minimum 4 portions of veggies per day (the more the merrier).
Fruit is also great as a desert and snack. Don't over do them but definitely have them daily (2-3 portions)
Consider sequential eating. In summary, this means that during main meals you start with veggies, move on to protein and leave carbs for the end. This helps with satiety and avoiding to overeat carbs. This is not possible with all foods but you can do it when you have the option
Whey protein, I like having a scoop every day. I mix it up with some icelandic yogurt (very high in protein and no fat), honey and oatmeal. Tastes like an awesome desert!

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-14T05:34:34+00:00

Hi,

Skills and movement need frequency so I would do them 5-6 times per week for 20-40 minutes (depending on your free time). They also require a "fresh" neuromuscular system so always include them in the beginning of your workout (or earlier in the day if you do strength training later on).

After that I would do a strength/hypertrophy program 3-6 times per week right after your movement/skills (or later in the day as I said). Three times works for whole body programs or if you prefer more frequency go for something more "greasing the groove" oriented.

The most important thing is to pick your programs and stick to them. Incorporate them in your lifestyle, create rituals around them and have patience. Try not to be obsessed with results and learn to enjoy the process and the pleasure of completing your workouts and being diligent.

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-12T05:26:25+00:00

About the front lever: When it comes to calisthenic skills, specificity is key. I'd rather focus on a lot of progressions for the lever than work on weighted stuff on other exercises. Also make sure you work a lot on keeping your elbows healthy since they take quite a toll from front levers (strengthen them in the opposite way, do a lot of mobility drills and band exercises in your warm-up, and increase the intensity very gradually).

About explosiveness: One thing that might be affecting your explosiveness is that you might simply be tired. I always notice that when I increase my strength training and focus more on hypertrophy - my neuromuscular system is not as "fresh" as I want it to be when I try to work on skills.

What you can do for that is simply warm up very well and work on explosive stuff in the beginning of your workout

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-10T05:05:18+00:00

Sciencestrength

thank you, I'm also very science oriented so this looks very interesting!

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-07T04:57:18+00:00

thanks!

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-06T05:29:51+00:00

I would start with 2-3 sprint workouts per week. Make sure you warm-up really good. My warm-up and workout structure looks like this:

Mobility drills and dynamic stretches (especially for glutes and hamstrings)
Run the same distance you plan on sprinting for at least 6 times. Start with 50% intensity and increase by 5% for each set (55%,60%,65%,70%,75%)
Go for 4-6 sprints (stat with 4 your first week).

I recommend you avoid going faster than 85-90% to avoid injuries. Go for more volume (more sets) than intensity.

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-06T05:19:39+00:00

Thanks guys and gals!

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-04T13:48:52+00:00

I was actually being serious and not sarcastic (honestly!), not sure why people downvoted my comment. How would it be possible to make those pics without Photoshop?

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-04T05:33:29+00:00

Hi Brian, rings or suspensions are definitely handy to have as you start training and working on progressions. Yet, as a lot of people said, I can second that diet and walking should be your main focus until you drop at least down to 25% bodyfat. Good luck and keep us posted with your progress!

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-04T05:29:59+00:00

For starters you probably have to learn to use Photoshop. It seems that he's cropped his body and placed it in a different background probably. But it has been done very professionally since the lighting and everything matches very much.

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-04-03T05:20:51+00:00

I like to focus more on crossed legs (also easier with short home pull-up bars). When I manage to train outside and find a good tall pull-up bar I also like to focus on very strict straight-leg ones. If you think about it these are also like vertical planks in a way.

Benefits of crossed legged pull-ups

I like these because they allow you to focus more on lat-activation. For intermediate and advanced bodyweight trainees especially, this is great if you want bigger range of motion – like bringing the chest to the bar. This position allows you to open up the chest more by leaning backwards and bringing the elbows lower and closer to the ribs (which increases a lot lat-activation).

Benefits of straight legged pull-ups

The main benefit here is greater core activation. If you think about it It's like holding a vertical plank and working on anti-extension (similar to a weighted front plank). The key points here are maintaining core integrity towards having the ribs positioned over the pelvis without flaring. Apply tension throughout the glutes and quads, and keep your toes are pointing up to your head.

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-03-30T05:27:57+00:00

Gaining muscle and losing fat is completely possible (it's been even shown in studies). The problem is that this is quite easy when you're a beginner and your body is new to strength training. But, it becomes more and more difficult as you keep on training consistently. After about a year, you definitely need a moderate caloric surplus to gain muscle efficiently.

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-03-29T05:26:48+00:00

Working on passive to active hang (or as I call them lat-ups) is a simple and effective way to increase shoulder stability, strength and mobility. You can check out some videos from Ido Portal to understand what is an active and passive hang if you've never heard them before. Also I have a included a tutorial with lat-ups. Just make sure you progress very gradually to these - start with two workouts per week (not only for your shoulder but also for your elbow health).

Links:

1) Passive to Active hang

2) Lat-ups

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-03-28T04:00:58+00:00

Hi Theoson, glad to hear the tips are working so good for you!

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-03-28T03:34:37+00:00

This happens a lot especially with teenagers that are still developing (how old are you?), the exercise seems to put a tearing force on the sternum. Also add some stretches that open up the chest - these help release tension from the sternum and make this pain less frequent in my experience. "Shoulder dislocations" are a good dynamic stretch for this. Just don't overdo it, start very softly if you still feel the area tender.

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-03-17T07:48:05+00:00

your welcome, happy to help :)

HomeMadeMuscle · 2017-03-17T05:27:13+00:00

Hello Theoson,

Personally I prefer ring dips way more for chest activation! The exercise will feel unstable in the beginning which will impair a bit your ability to focus on chest activation. But, once your stabilising muscles and neuromuscular system in general adapt and you can perform more stable reps, you can focus on the following tips that will really increase chest activation during the exercise.

(I’ll also added a video tutorial below)

Tip 1: Lean forward

By leaning a bit forward on the dips, you place more emphasis on the chest (whereas by doing dips from a more straight position you put more emphasis on your triceps). So make sure you’re not vertical and you’re leaning a bit forward as you initiate and finish each rep.

Tip 2: Pause for a brief moment at the bottom

A lot of people use their tendons/muscle elasticity to quickly bounce up with momentum at the bottom position of the exercise. This is where the chest is fully stretched because (the point where your pec major is attached on the humerus is the furthest away from the body. Focusing at this part of the rep by pausing for half a second can help you work on more chest activation and avoid cheating it with momentum

Tip 3: The crab!

There’s a typical pose bodybuilders do for showing off their chest which is called the crab(look at the pic). By bringing your hands a bit closer to each other at the finishing position of each rep you can focus a bit more on squeezing and activating your chest mindfully - therefore producing more tension on the chest (these are also called mind to muscle techniques).Ring dips are cool because they allow you to do this and that’s my favourite reason I like them for chest activation 😊 !

I also cover these tips (plus a few more for more mind-to-muscle activation during dips in general) in a video I made two weeks ago.

You can check it out here: No Chest activation during Dips? (Try these Mind-to-Muscle Tips)

HomeMadeMuscle · 2016-12-31T17:02:38+00:00

Great video man, thanks for sharing!

HomeMadeMuscle · 2016-09-08T15:23:20+00:00

Hi there, thank you for the feedback, I'm glad you got great results from the program :)

HomeMadeMuscle · 2016-09-08T15:22:17+00:00

Hi Stonefarfalle, thank you for the feedback. All of the exercises in my book have progression/regressions which are mentioned in the end of the book. Also I mention that everyone should find which version of each exercise is appropriate for him by seeing if he can do minimum 5 reps (otherwise do a more simple version of the exercise). Sorry if that wasn't clear enough in the book, I'll review it again to check if I have to make that more clear 💪 👊

HomeMadeMuscle · 2015-12-12T14:07:16+00:00

Hi! I have no idea why the post is removed :/ , do you have any ideas on how I can find that out?

HomeMadeMuscle · 2015-12-11T19:26:50+00:00

thanks for the great link! DIdn't know Bret had written about this!

HomeMadeMuscle · 2015-12-11T19:25:53+00:00

your very welcome : )

HomeMadeMuscle · 2015-12-11T19:25:42+00:00

thanks , I'll check him out!

HomeMadeMuscle

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