| According to various sources on the internet, a 1996 | | | | Leg exercise (squat with partner on back) |
| article in Iron Man Magazine revealed Bruce Lee's | | | | Back and Abdomen exercises with partner |
| workout. In addition to his cardio and karate workouts, | | | | Elsewhere in the book, Oyama said that he would |
| Lee lifted weights three times a week and performed | | | | bench press 175 pounds 500 times a day. |
| the following routine:clean and presses 2 x 8squats 2 | | | | Then there are karate-specific exercises such as |
| x 12barbell pullovers 2 x 8bench presses 2 x 6good | | | | straw striking and exercises that are specific to board |
| mornings 2 x 8barbell curls 2 x 8 | | | | and stone breaking abilities. All this was in addition to |
| Unfortunately, he injured his back doing good mornings, | | | | practicing forms, sparring, etc. |
| which nearly ruined his career. Otherwise, his weight | | | | Comparing Lee and Oyama |
| training was successful in that it is credited with helping | | | | Now, what strikes me as the essential difference |
| him add 30 pounds of solid muscle to his relatively | | | | between Lee's and Oyama's workout styles is volume. |
| small frame. | | | | Lee's weight training routine is relatively brief, and he |
| Although Lee is the most famous martial artist ever, it | | | | avoided lifting on days of heavy martial arts training. |
| may be that the strongest was a man named | | | | While Lee might do an exercise for 2 sets of 8 reps |
| Masutatsu Oyama. Therefore, it will be interesting to | | | | (which is fairly typical), Oyama would do it for hundreds |
| contrast Lee's workout with Oyama's. | | | | of reps. Clearly, Oyama's is a more time-consuming |
| The Karate Bull-Fighter | | | | approach that would require a lot of dedication. |
| Oyama was one of the first to bring Karate to | | | | If you look at pictures of these men, they have quite |
| America and founder of the Kyokushin style of | | | | different builds. For Lee, his training goal was |
| Karate. His 1958 classic "What is Karate?" was one of | | | | apparently to add bulk. Before the weight training, he |
| the first books on the subject written in English, and | | | | weighed only 135 pounds, and he added 30 pounds of |
| designed to make the subject accessible to | | | | solid muscle. |
| westerners. | | | | Oyama, on the other hand, was obviously a stockier |
| Oyama initially became famous with stunts such as | | | | fellow, and talks in his book about losing weight during |
| bull-fighting Karate-style. Unlike Mexican bull-fighters, he | | | | periods of intense training. Judging from pictures of him |
| would actually wrestle the bull to the ground and break | | | | with other people, I would say that he was probably |
| off one of its horns. (He wasn't too popular with animal | | | | slightly taller than Lee (who was 5' 8"). Although |
| rights activists in Tokyo.) | | | | Oyama was of average height, he doesn't look like a |
| Oyama's Strength Training | | | | small guy when standing next to American |
| According to Oyama's 1958 book, strength and speed | | | | professional wrestlers, boxers, and strongmen. |
| are more important than skill for Karate, and speed | | | | Possible Conclusions |
| more important than strength. Also, he said it was very | | | | The point is not to compare them as saying one was |
| important to practice jumping. | | | | better than the other. I do wonder what affect their |
| Here are some recommendations he gives in "What is | | | | training style had on the way they looked and how |
| Karate?" (He doesn't give an exact workout.) | | | | much was just genetic. |
| Running - 4km per day | | | | At any rate, if Oyama struggled to keep his weight |
| Rope-skipping - 20 minutes per day | | | | down, it sounds like high volume training helped him to |
| Dumbell arm exercise (shoulder press?) - 200 times | | | | achieve that. Lee, on the other hand, seems to have |
| Dips - 100 times | | | | been naturally lean and wanted the weight training to |
| Push ups (with hands in fist) - 300 times | | | | bulk up (probably to look better on camera). Too much |
| Inclined push ups - 100 times | | | | volume might be counter-productive to that goal. |
| Jumping side kick over 4 foot vaulting horse | | | | So, maybe the lesson in this is that if you want to lose |
| Inclined dumbell bench press | | | | weight while simultaneously getting stronger, it might be |
| Exercises requiring a partner: | | | | worth considering an old-fashioned high volume |
| Hitting bag with upper elbow and side of elbow - 200 | | | | workout routine, assuming you can make that kind of |
| times each | | | | dedication. On the other hand, if your goal is to look like |
| Practicing jumping kick with bag | | | | Bruce Lee... well, all I can say is "good luck"! |
| Exercises for neck (with partner) | | | | |