Bruce Lee Workout Routine And Diet Plan

Updated on  February 26, 2023
Riddhi

Riddhi Rayekar ‧ Nutritionist & Health Coach


Riddhi is a certified nutritionist with more than a decade of experience of changing people's lives with nutrition and diet. She loves to help her clients achieve their personal goals. 

Bruce Lee left this world on 20th July 1973. He was not just a martial artist but also a martial arts instructor, an incredible actor, a fantastic director, an outstanding screenwriter, a producer, and a philosopher. 

Lee received his martial arts training early and became a martial arts master. He practiced not only martial arts but also intense strength training and circuit training. Moreover, he is often called a mixed martial arts master as well.

Bruce Lee was well-known for his excellent full-body fitness. He religiously followed his training routines and a proper, healthy diet. 

Bruce Lee's workout routine was the talk of the town. Many people admired his real fighting frame and tried following his training method to have a similar full body.

We have tried to gather all the information about Bruce Lee workout routine from various sources. After reading this article, you will have complete knowledge about lee's workout and training routine. Not only this, but you will also learn how to follow it.

Statistics

Body Stats:

Height: 1.72 m

Weight: 64Kg (141lb)

Age: 32 years (late)


Accolades: 

Hong Kong Inter-School Boxing Championship (1958)

Crown Colony Cha-Cha Championship (1958)

Hong Kong Film Award for Lifetime Achievement (1994)

Chinese Wushu Association: Supreme Movie Star Award (1998)

Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy (2004)

General Administration of Sport of China - Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)

Hong Kong Film Award for Stars of Century(2005)

Martial Arts Industry Association: Lifetime Achievement Award (2011)

The Asian Awards: Founder's Award (2013) 


Bruce Lee Workout Principles 

Bruce Lee was an absolute legend, and so were his workout principles. He was very disciplined in following a proper set training routine. His job required a lot of effort, and he did all his work tremendously but never let his health, weight training, or body get neglected. 

Lee maintained a perfectly tailored body by not over-exercising and neither under-exercising. He kept one day for each major muscle group. 

His system is often referred to as the warrior system.

Bruce Lee's workout routine started with light exercises, which gradually strengthened. He conducted training programs to teach the young generation about martial arts and proper weight training.  

Lee had maintained a proper sleep schedule and training routine. One thing we can all learn from Bruce Lee is his planning skills and prevailing wisdom. He became successful in such little time.


Bruce Lee Workout Routine

Bruce Lee was well-known for his mixed martial arts. His training philosophy is something that is still talked about. He is considered one of the first martial artists who worked on himself and thought about the future of martial arts. His basic concepts about martial arts training and martial arts practice were so strong that he became a master.

Bruce Lee is well known for his experimentation. He believed one should continue to discover new things and work on improvements. He used to learn new exercises and new training methods and observe their effects on his full body. Throughout the week, Bruce Lee gave attention to his body and maintained a proper training routine.

Other then mixed martial arts, the Bruce Lee workout routine consisted of 5 high-intensity (Monday to Friday) and 2 less intensive days (Saturday and Sunday).

He aimed to reduce the irrelevant fat content in his body, improve his cardiovascular endurance, and increase muscle mass. Lee did good agility exercise, advocate weight training, and kept a proper diet. 


What was Bruce Lee's Workout Schedule?

Bruce Lee used to work out throughout the week along with his mixed martial arts.

Following are the exercises that Lee did to maintain his real fighting frame, along with the weekly training methods:


Bruce Lee Workout Routines

Bruce Lee Workout Schedule on Monday:

  •  Lee used to start with a warm-up, 

  •  then brisk running, 

  •  followed by 500 punches and 300 finger jabs, 

  •  then leg squat followed by side leg stretching (pulley, stand) and hook kicks on a hook-heavy bag, 

  • then again, finger jabs followed by 200 continuous punches, 

  • sit-ups (4 sets), then side bend (4 sets), and finally ending the day with leg raises (4 sets)


Bruce Lee Workout Schedule on Tuesday:

  • Bruce Lee initiated his Tuesday workout routine with a quick warm-up, 
  • followed by brisk running, 
  • then 500 punches and then 400 finger jabs, 
  • followed by some power squats, then some weight training with 3 sets of punching with weights followed by 20 minutes with a light bag and then 3 sets of heavy bag lifting, 
  • then sit-ups (5 sets), side bends (5 sets), leg raises (5 sets)
  • ending with isometric training of the forearms


Bruce Lee Workout Schedule on Wednesday:

  • Bruce Lee used to start his Wednesdays with high intensity Gung Fu workout, 
  • then some warm-up exercises, 
  • followed by 500 punches (back fist) and 3 sets of jump rope,
  • then 500 finger jabs, 
  • followed by a quick run
  • And then ending the exercises with 4 sets of high kick stretching, 4 sets of side leg stretching (left & right), 3 sets of pulley hip extension, 3 sets of right leading hook kick, and 3 sets of rear left hook kick.


Bruce Lee Workout Schedule on Thursday: 

  • Lee began with a warm-up, 
  • followed by 500 left punches and then 500 right punches, 
  • then running, 
  • then punching with weight, followed by jump rope,
  • Then 4 sets of sit-ups, 4 sets of leg raises, 4 sets of side bends, and then some isometric training for forearms/wrist to call it a day. 


Bruce Lee Workout Schedule on Friday:

  • Fridays for Bruce Lee used to start with 500 right punches and then 500 left punches, 
  • followed by chi Sao (wing Chun) practice with Chuck Norris and 
  • then some intense leg stretching with a pulley & stand,
  • And then finishing with 5 sets of sit-ups, 5 sets of leg raises, 5 sets of side bend, and ending with isometric training for forearms/wrist. 

The weekends weren't completely rest days. But consisted of less demanding exercises for a shorter duration of time, a little over an hour each day.


Saturday: 

On Saturday, Bruce Lee used to do comparatively much fewer exercises than the usual days. 

  • He just did a bit of warm-up, 
  • followed by 500 punches and 300 finger jabs. 


Sunday: 

Sunday's exercises were longer than Saturday's but not as intense as the other 5 working days. 

  • Lee did 500 right punches, 500 left punches, leg stretching, Chi Sao (Wing Chun) practice, 
  • followed by isometric training for forearms, 
  • and then some workout for the abdominal muscles, which included 5 sets of sit-ups, 5 sets of side bends, and 5 sets of leg raises. 


Bruce Lee's Diet plan

Bruce Lee experimented on his diet like he used to experiment with his exercises and training methods, but the thing that remained constant was his protein shakes and juices. Lee used to make them himself from their commercial-grade juicer.

He was a big fan of tea and used to drink it regularly. Lee used to add his supplements into his cup of tea, such as ginseng.

Bruce Lee preferred 5 smaller meals in one day rather than 3 large ones. He believed this keeps the human body more active throughout the day. Furthermore, Lee also believed that a proper sleeping schedule played an essential part in one's health. He used to sleep 8hrs every night.

Lee enjoyed all varieties of food but never smoked, drank alcohol, or had coffee. His diet plan never included anything that could harm his body.

Bruce Lee's preference had always been Chinese or other Asian dishes due to their wide variety. His long-time favorite Chinese dish was beef in oyster sauce.

He was also fond of shrimp and chicken with vegetables and tofu. Bruce Lee believed Chinese food was healthier than Western food, as it focused more on high-energy carbohydrates than unnecessary protein and fat. 

Even though his diet was mostly Chinese food, he also enjoyed steaks and, for a time, ate liver once a week. On cheat days, which were very few, Bruce Lee visited McDonald's.

Lee was not into a complete protein diet. However, he made sure that the carbs he consumed were healthy carbs. Things such as rice and carb-rich vegetables made up large portions of his meals.

Bruce Lee also consumed dietary supplements. (Note: You shouldn't just start taking the supplements we mention over here, get yours prescribed by a doctor first).

The supplements Lee took included:

  •        Vitamin C
  •        Lecithin Granules
  •        Hi Bee Pollen C
  •        Natural vitamin E
  •        Rosehips
  •        Natural Protein Tablets


Let's Have a Look at Bruce Lee's Diet plan

Bruce Lee's workout routine complemented his meal and diet plan.

Breakfast

  • A banana
  • Two eggs
  • Two slices of whole-grain bread with butter
  • One full cup of low-fat milk
  • His morning supplements
  • One glass of water

Snack

  • One cup of blueberries
  • One cup yogurt along with two tbsps. of honey

Lunch

  • Chicken breast 
  • Vegetable Salad 
  • One glass of water or green tea

Dinner

  • Steamed broccoli around the quantity of one cup
  • Brown rice 
  • Halibut 
  • Stir-fry vegetable mix with green beans, tomatoes, and green peppers

Snack

  • Blueberries
  • A protein shake or Greek yogurt


Conclusion

Bruce Lee was a brilliant martial artist of his time. He treated his full body like a temple. Lee's entire life revolves around experimentation with his training routine, diet plan, and exercises. He was the king of various martial arts.

Bruce Lee's workout routine was so successful because he followed it strictly. He worked half the week on his upper body and the other half on his lower body, decreasing the intensity on the weekends.

Lee was a perfectionist of all these exercises, be it high kick stretching, jump rope, chi sao, arm dumbbell snatches, French press, or isometric training.

Martial arts training today in China still follows Bruce Lee's workout routine and training methods. The young martial artists believe that they haven't seen or heard about a more effective martial artist than lee.

We hope now you understand Lee's training methods quite well and can practice them too.

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