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Beyond his martial arts and acting abilities, Bruce Lee's physical appearance and strength were truly astounding. He achieved this through an intensive and ever-evolving conditioning regime that is being revealed for the first time in this book. Drawing on Lee's own notes, letters, diaries and training logs, bodybuilding expert John Little presents the full extent of Lee's unique training methods including nutrition, aerobics, isometrics, stretching and weight training.
About the Author
John Little is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on Bruce Lee, his training methods, and philosophies. Little is the only person who has ever been authorized to review the entirety of Lee's personal notes, sketches, and reading annotations. He is the Associate Publisher of Bruce Lee magazine and the managing editor of Knowing is Not Enough, the official newsletter of the Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Nucleus, the official Bruce Lee martial arts organization. Little's articles have appeared in every martial arts and health and fitness magazine in North America including Muscle and Fitness. He is the author of The Warrior Within: The Philosophies of Bruce Lee, and co-author of Power Factor Training, The Golfer's Two-Minute Workout, and Static Contraction Training for Bodybuilders. A native of Canada, John is an expert in the fields of martial arts, bodybuilding, and physical conditioning.
INTRODUCTION
An anecdote has endured for nearly three decades concerning the muscles that adorned the physique of the late martial artist, actor, and philosopher Bruce Lee. It concerns a lady by the name of Ann Clouse, the wife of Robert Clouse, who was the director of Lee's last film, Enter the Dragon, for Warner Bros. It seems that Mrs. Clouse had ventured onto the set of the film and was absolutely mesmerized by Lee's incredible muscularity as she watched him, stripped to the waist and perspiring heav, ily in the hot and humid Hong Kong climate, immersed in choreographing the film's fighting sequences. When Lee took a brief respite, she ven, tured over to the young superstar and asked if she could "feel his biceps." "Sure," Lee replied, responding to a request he'd received on numerous occasions. He tensed his arm and invited he~ to check it out. "My God!" she exclaimed, drawing her hand back instantly. "It's like feeling warm marble!" It's fascinating that more than a quarter of a century has elapsed since Bruce Lee's passing in July 1973 from a cerebral edema, yet people are still talking about the physique of a man who stood but five feet, seven,and,a,half inches tall and weighed, on a good day, around 135 pounds. I say "fascinating" only in relation to the context of our Western culture, where our standard for a great physique has typically been some steroid,bloated linebacker who stands well over six feet and weighs in at nearly 300 pounds. Even more fascinating is the fact that almost everyone con, tinues to derive something different from their encounters with Bruce Lee, whether in person or through the mediums of film, print, and video. Martial artists continue to revere his physical dexterity, power, and speed, as well as the genius he displayed in bringing science to bear on the world of unarmed combat; moviegoers are impressed with the man's animal magnetism and the fact that he single,handedly created a new genre of action film, opening the door for the Sylvester Stallones and Arnold Schwarzeneggers who followed in his footsteps. Philosophers are impressed with Lee's ability to have bridged the philosophical chasm that separated East and West, and to have effectively synthesized what many had considered to be two irreconcilable metaphysical viewpoints.
