Embed or link this publication
Popular Pages
p. 4
as revealed through the notes letters diaries interviews reading annotations and library of bruce lee the 8rt of expressing the human hod by john little tuttle publishing to kyo · rutland verm ont · sin gapore[close]
p. 5
disclaimer please note that the publisher and authors of this instructional book are not responsible in any manner whatsoever for any injury that may result from practicing the techniques and/or following the instructions given within martial arts training can be dangerous both to you and to others if not practiced safely if you re in doubt as [0 how to proceed or whether your practice is safe consult with a trained martial arts teacher before beginning since the physical activities described herein may be too strenuous in nature for some readers it is also essential that a physician be consulted prior to training all photos appearing in this hook are courtesy of the archive of linda lee cadwell the estate of bruce lee and warner brothers films first published in 1998 by tuttle publishing an imprint of periplus editions hk ltd with editorial offices ar 364 innovation drive n orth clarendon vermont 05759 copyright © 1998linda lee cadwell all rights reserved no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without prior written permission from the publisher library of congress caraloging-in-publicarion dara lee bruce 1940-1973 the art of expressing the human body by bruce lee compiled and edited by john lirrle p cm the bruce lee library v 4 isbn 0-8048-3129-7 pb i bodybuilding training 2 physical fitness 3 lee bruce lee bruce 1940-1973 bruce lee library v 4 gv546.5.l44 1998 6 i3.7 i ic2 i 98-37849 cip i isbn-io 0-8048-3129 7 isbn 1 3 978-0-8048-3 i 29 i distributed by north america latin america and europe tuttle publishing 364 innovation drive north clarendon vt 05759-9436 tel 802 773-8930 fax 802 773-6993 email info@rurrlepublishing.com web site www.rurrlepublishing.com asia pacific berkel ey books pte ltd 130 joo seng road #06-01/03 olivine building singapore 368357 tel 65 6280-1330 fax 65 6280-6290 email inquiries@periplusocomosg web site wwwo peripluso com indonesia pt java books indonesia kawasan industri pulogadung ji rawa gelarn iv no.9 jakarta 13930 indonesia tel 62-21 4682-1088 fax 62-2 1 461-0207 email cs@javabooksocooid japan turrle publishing yaekari building 3rd floor 5-4-12 osaki shinagawa-ku tokyo japan 141-0032 tel 03 5437-0171 fax 03 5437-0755 email rurtle-sales@gol.com 09080706 17 161514 text design-vernon press inco printed in the united states of america tutt l e pu b li shing ® is a registered trademark of tuttle publishing a division of periplus editions hk ltd.[close]
p. 6
get a checkup first as with all forms of strenuous exercise you must taketiote of one point before you start your training you should go to see a doctor and make sure that you do not have any health problems such as heart disease or tuberculosis if you unfortunately do have one you ll have to stop your training and wait until you have cured it otherwise the training will hurt you badly and may even result in death -bruce lee ·[close]
p. 7
to terri little and bruce cadwell-two wonderful human beings without whose ~patience tolerance understanding compassion support and love this book would not have been possible.[close]
p. 8
ontents foreword by allen joe 8 preparation meets opportunity 14 by linda lee cadwell ii 18 preface what people are saying about the lee physique introduction 19 26 35 39 i.the pursuit of strength 2 motionless exercise:the basic 8 of isometrics 3 enter the barbells the beginner s bodybuilding routine 4.the general overall development routine 5.the 20-minute strength and shape routine 46 51 56 64 6.the sequence circuit training routine for total fitness 7 the circuittraining routine for increased muscularity 8.the enter the dragon routine for martial artists 9 specialization abdominals 10 specialization forearms 80 85 73 i i bruce lee s top 7 exercises for the neck and shou lders 12 bruce lee s top 10 exercises for the chest 13 bruce lee s top i i exercises for the back 14 bruce lee s top i i exercises for the arms 95 101 105 i 13 118 15 bruce lee s top i i exercises for the legs and calves 16.the tao of flexibility 126 139 149 17 real-world power the cardio connection 18 applied power training with the heavy bag 19 interval training for martial artists 20 fueling the dragon nutrition 156 162 i 72 186 2 1 a day in the life a look at how bruce lee s training methods evolved 22 days in the life excerpts from bruce lee s personal training diaries 23 a compendium of bruce lee s personal training routines 24.training routines designed by bruce lee for his students 207 236 a bruce lee s vital statistics 244 245 b bruce lee s muscle machine the return ofthe marcy circu it trainer notes on sources index 250 253[close]
p. 9
foreword by allen joe when asked to write this foreword for one ofjohn little s definitive volumes on the life art and philosophy of bruce lee i thought to myself where do i start how do i properly articulate the overwhelming emotions and warmth from my heart that i have for a man that i have known for over thirty years how do i communicate the presence of a man that was-and remains-so influential in my life and so familiar to me and my wife annie that he is more like a family member indeed bruce lee was a man who was such a good friend that i still keep a photo of him in my wallet-even more than two decatles after his death it is indeed an honor to be given this opportunity to say a few words about my friend bruce lee i guess a good place to start is to answer the question i am most often asked how did i first meet bruce lee i met bruce in seattle in 1962 when my family and i were visiting to attend the world s fair james lee a friend of mine since childhood and no relation to bruce had heard from his brother about bruce and his martial art prowess and skill in cha-cha dancing james asked me to check out this cat and see if he was any good i was in for a surprise to i say the least i learned that bruce was employed at a chinese restaurant in seattle called ruby chow s so i went into the restaurant ordered a scotch and waited for him to arrive after a little while in walked a well-dressed young man he was confident almost cocky in his manner so this is bruce lee i thought to myself after my introduction bruce asked me to demonstrate some of the gung fu that i had learned while in california i performed a form from the sam seeng kune three-line fist style and bruce remarked pretty good allen then he asked me to try to throw a punch at him and when i did he simply grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me forward utilizing agung fu technique called a lop sao so hard that i almost suffered a severe case of whiplash that proved to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship i of course immediately reported back to james how impressed i was with bruce s skill and ability and james subsequently invited bruce to oakland where we both lived for a visit i still have pictures of bruce s visit to oakland when he first met james on another visit bruce came to my house and we cleared the floor of all tables and chairs-not for gung fu practice but for a demonstration from bruce of cha-cha bruce definitely had rhythm and timing after a few visits bruce decided to move to o akland in 1964 he took james up on his offer to stay with him and his family james s wife had recently passed away so bruce s new bride linda took care of james s two young children in those days james and i along with oakland student and friend george lee lifted weights to build our strength and muscle size before meeting bruce i had competed in bodybuilding contests and trained under ed yarrick alongside some of the best bodybuilders and fitness buffs of the time-men like steve reeves jack lalanne clancy ross jack delinger and roy hilligan when bruce first moved to oakland he was very skinny after seeing the size of 8 the art of expressing the human body[close]
p. 10
our bodies-three chinamen s bodies at thatl-i think bruce s fierce competitiveness drove him to build up his own i actually gave bruce his first set of weights and he tirelessly worked with them by the results seen in bruce s movies i think it s safe to say that he was pretty uccessful with it bruce and linda s first child brandon was born while they were living in oakland in fact it was when linda was pregnant with brandon that bruce had his famous altercation with the aung fu man who attempted to prevent bruce from teaching his art to non,chinese students although bruce won the fight he was displeased with his performance that was so typical of bruce to try to find ways to improve an already impressive level of expertise after it occurred i asked bruce about the incident and he commented that it took way too long for him to make the opponent submit this marked the planting of the seeds of what would eventually blossom into his art of jeet kune do from this moment on bruce constantly strove to improve himself both physically and mentally and to research the mechanics and science of combat thoroughly in order to learn more effective and efficient ways to subdue an opponent and because he dis covered that he was inordinately winded after this altercation it was also at this point that bruce increased the amount of hard physical training he performed after bruce moved to los angeles a year or so later he periodically came back to visit with us in oakland sometimes bringing his l.a students ted wong or dan inosanto and james george and i would also travel to los angeles for special events like bruce s or linda s birthday thereby reuniting the four musketeers bruce james george and i i still remember the time we visited bruce on the set of the green hornet and having to sleep next to bruce s great dane dog bo another memory is from the time when bruce and linda s daughter shannon was born by then bruce had really gotten into serious weight training and his body looked terrific it was also during this visit that bruce took me aside and showed me his now famous my chief definite aim statement which he had written to help motivate himself many people say that bruce was way ahead of his time but he was not so far ahead of his time as to seem eccentric or as though he did not belong to this world i think a better descrip tion is that he was so finely attuned to himself and the world around him that he appeared to be ahead of his time he dressed very well and related to all people and their situations bruce also knew exactly what he wanted in life his focus and determination drove him to achieve the heights of success that he did in his short life i operated a grocery store in oakland and bruce often visited me there i remember one time bruce was at the store for eight hours waiting to surprise linda on her birthday using some butcher paper he started sketching some beautiful gung fu drawings at the end of the day he just threw them away i kick myself now for not taking them out of the garbage can they would be priceless to me not because of the frenzy of bruce lee-memorabilia collecting that has sprung up since his passing but because of the memories they would now represent of the time i spent with my friend in the store that day bruce used to tell me that he would become a common household name like coca cola and so it has come to pass in all my travels around the world i have seen that the name bruce lee is known everywhere from across north america to all parts of europe and asia one foreword 9[close]
p. 11
must understand that it is quite an accomplishment to be recognized in countries such as china that have been repressed and yet if i mention the name bruce lee in a city like shanghai a lightbulb comes on automatically within the minds of the native shanghaiese in looking over some of these points i realize just how easily my anecdotes of bruce come to me but that is the way it was with bruce time would just stop when he was around he was so inspirational and high~spirited when i was down bruce would always lift my spirits and i would feel better he could be a serious person one moment and a jokester the next he never left our house without showing my wife how hard and flat his washboard stomach was he would often leave us with knots in our stomachs thanks to his sense of humor and hilarious jokes i hope that these few remembrances i share with you convey some impression of what bruce was like and the excitement we had in knowing him i must give credit to john little for taking on the tremendous task of documenting bruce s body of work john has sacrificed much in order to allow us to read and ponder what bruce left behind in this twelve~volume library john shows us that bruce truly was a renaissance mana thinker a philosopher an artist a tremendous physical specimen and an actualized human being bruce was multifaceted and multidimensional john provides the opportunity to appreci ate the many layers that comprise bruce lee in many ways with the drive and determination he has demonstrated in revealing the man who inspired him as child john reminds me of bruce i must also commend bruce s wife linda when bruce and linda were first married she was just a girl in her twenties who didn t even know how to cook when they first arrived in oakland i showed her how to cook some of the chinese dishes bruce preferred but she has blossomed into one of the most gracious women i have ever known i know bruce attributed much of his success to linda and it is with linda s strength and perseverance that jun fan jeet kune do was formed an organization comprised of many of bruce s direct students dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of bruce s art and philosophy bruce would be very happy about linda s dedication bruce and linda s daughter shannon was only a few years old when bruce passed on but with the formation of jun fan jeet kune do shannon is learning more and more about her father through the memories of many of bruce s students and close friends and with shannon s accomplishments personally and professionally bruce would be moved proudly hugging her and patting her on the back to acknowledge that she was always his little girl in closing i suggest you read this book and use it to motivate yourself to pursue whatever goals you strive for in life here is the record of a man who had to overcome his own obstacles in life and who achieved success because he believed in himself perhaps you can use this inspiration to achieve your own success even now i feel bruce s presence and he still motivates me to this day when i m lifting weights which i still do two to three times per week i max out my workout by doing one more rep for the old man upstairs and then do one more for bruce it never fails -oakland california 1998 10 the art of expressing the human body[close]
p. 12
by linda lee cadwell allow me to describe to you a particular day in bruce lee s life-a day when he failed to achieve the level of expectation he had set for himself a day that became a turning point in his life the stage for the unfolding drama was the jun fan gung fu institute on broadway in oakland california a training gym established by bruce and james y lee because i was about eight months pregnant with brandon i recall quite clearly that the events of this day took place either in late december 1964 or early in january 1965 present to witness the historic milestone were jimmy lee and myself and several martial artists from san francisco w~ose names i never knew although they appeared to be elder masters the featured players were bruce and a chinese martial artist younger than the elders who undoubtedly had been picked to represent the interests of the san francisco group discussion of the issue that led up to this meeting could be an essay in itself when viewed from the perspective of chinese encounters with the west going back at least to the boxer rebellion suffice it to say that in this instance the traditionally trained gung fu masters did not look favorably on bruce s teaching martial art to westerners or actually to anyone who was not chinese so strongly did they harbor this historically bound belief that a formal challenge was issued to bruce insisting that he participate in a confrontation the result of which would decide whether he could continue to teach the foreign devils bruce s philosophy echoed that of confucius in teaching there should be no class distinctions therefore without hesitation or doubt bruce accepted the challenge and the date was set the fight that ensued is more important for the effect it had on the course of bruce s life than for the result of the actual confrontation however here is a brief description of the physi cal action within moments of the initial clash the chinese gung fu man had proceeded to run in a circle around the room out a door that led to a small back room then in through another door to the main room he completed this circle several times with bruce in hot pursuit finally bruce brought the man to the floor pinning him helplessly and shouted in chinese do you give up after repeating this question two or three times the man conceded and the san francisco party departed quickly the entire fight lasted about three minutes leaving james and me ecstatic that the deci sive conquest was so quickly concluded not bruce like it was yesterday i remember bruce sitting on the back steps of the gym head in hands despairing over his inability to finish off the opponent with efficient technique and the failure of his stamina when he attempted to capture the running man for what probably was the first time in his life bruce was winded and weak ened instead of triumphing in his win he was disappointed that his physical condition and gung preparation meets opportunity 11[close]
p. 13
fu training had not lived up to his expectations this momentous event then was the impetus for the evolution of jeet kune do and the birth of his new training regime let me emphasize that to my or just about anybody else s observation in early 1965 bruce appeared to be in superb physical condition growing up in hong kong bruce was not an espe cially genetically gifted youngster in fact his mother recounted to me that bruce was a skinny little kid whose schedule of attending school in the day and often working on films late into the night did not foster a healthy lifestyle however from the age of thirteen when he began to study wing chun under master yip man bruce trained continuously and arduously on a daily basis so that when i met him in 1963 he appeared to be in great shape after the oakland con frontation this was not good enough for bruce-he knew he had to do more and better to be prepared to realize his dreams when the opportunity arose for bruce it was not simply a matter of running extra miles doing more reps or increasing poundage in his weight training he approached the resolution of the problem in a scientific manner 1 set new goals for fitness and health 2 research the best ways to accomplish the desired changes and 3 implement the new methods using a scientific approach recording progress and modifying the approach when necessary there was nothing haphazard about bruce s training regime neither was he particularly lucky in having started out with natural physical gifts the greatest talents that bruce brought to realizing his dreams were intelligence and curiosity hand in hand a powerful combination dedication and perseverance stick,to,itive ness even in the face of intervening obstacles and focus enjoying the journey as much as the destination sometimes i am asked how did he have the time to do so much training the answer is simple-that was how he decided to spend his time the choices he made in each of his 24,hour days included devoting several hours to training his body and mind in order to be the best that he could be this is also where the wealth of his imagination came into play in addition to reg ularly scheduled training times it was normal for bruce to be involved in several things at the same time reading a book curling a dumbbell and stretching a leg for example or playing some i kind of physical game with the children or doing isometric type exercises while driving his car as a child he was nicknamed never sits still he was the same as an adult the process that bruce undertook to achieve his goal of superior fitness forms the contents of the art of expressing the human body the title of which was so aptly coined by bruce in describing his way of martial art bruce s martial art jeet kune do which is an all encompassing approach to living life at the pinnacle of developed potential naturally includes training the physical body to achieve its peak performance a fitting description of bruce s devotion to his art is to say that he attained the apex of functional beauty when reading this volume it is more important that the reader recognize the process bruce employed rather than dwell on the specific exercises and daily schedules rather than merely copy exactly what bruce lee did in his exercise sessions one should take note of the numerous sources-both technical and through personal observation-bruce employed in his research 12 the art of expressing the human body[close]
p. 14
and seek to follow this scientific pattern of problem resolution with the explosion of the fitness health~wellness industries in the past several decades there certainly is a great amount of infor mation available to the inspired student bruce would have immersed himself in the new research and would encourage you to do likewise always improving never arriving at the peak but always undergoing the process bruce enjoyed the never~ending journey toward pbysicaj per fection in other words the means were as important as the goal which was to be prepared when the opportunity arose to share his art of expressing the human body the record that survives of bruce s preparation for opportunity consists of course of his classic films as well as the training notes he left many of which are contained in this volume for myself bruce has served as a lifelong inspiration to be physically active and health conscious throughout our lives together he was my teacher as well as husband friend and father of my children i continue to rely on his example for daily motivation now in the form of this book an opportunity arises for the reader to share in bruce s art and inspiration paraphrasing aristotle the exclusive sign of a thorough knowledge is the power of teach ing it will become evident to the reader that bruce had a thorough knowledge of fitness and training rather than clinging to the bits of factual information in this volume it is more impor tant to understand the method we can all show our gratitude to bruce for the example he left us by allowing the gift of bruce s teaching to empower us to know the way to reach our maxi mum potential so that preparation will arise to meet opportunity preparation meets opportunity 13[close]
p. 15
refa e all types of knowledge ultimately leads to self knowledge so therefore these people are coming in and asking me to teach them not so much how to defend themselves or how to do somebody in rather they want to learn to express themselves through some movement be it anger be it determination or whatever so in other words they re paying me to show them in combative form the art of expressing the human body bruce lee for years there has been much speculation on how the great martial artist and philosopher bruce lee trained to develop his body i say speculation for the simple fact that all accounts thus far have been largely anecdotal or secondhand the result of ask ing only certain students in some cases decades after the fact to recall exactly how lee trained in order to develop such a magnificent physique and how he was able to master the movement potential of his body to such an astounding degree the problem inherent in such a process is that 1 most of these students simply didn t pay that much attention to lee s personal training methods preferring at the time to focus more on his oppor combative principles and techniques and 2 not many of his students were actually given the tunity to observe him train with any degree of regularity as lee preferred to train alone the problem is further exacerbated by the fact that lee was constantly experimenting with new exercise apparatus and workout principles so that even if students did manage to wit ness a workout the most it would represent would be the cinematic equivalent of one frame out of thousands of feet of motion picture film and just as one frame could not be held up to rep resent the plot of any film one vague memory of a workout performed over twenty years ago cannot realistically serve to frame the totality of bruce lee s training beliefs as lee himself once said there is no such thing as an effective segment of a totality shortly after bruce lee passed away when i was thirteen an age when young males are seeking positive role models to whom they can look up i recall being particularly impressed with lee s physique and being equally frustrated with the lack of information regarding how he built it certainly he wasn t born with such a body nor with such awesome physical ability he must have created it but how if it was simply the result of his martial art training then by 14 the art of expressing the human body[close]
Comments
no comments yet