Bruce Lee is a legend in the martial arts community. Lee almost single-handedly introduced the power and mystique of martial arts to the Western world.

Bruce Lee’s success didn’t come easy. Lee abided by a strict personal doctrine of philosophy and physical fitness. Every day, we would train his physique as well as his mind.

Bruce Lee’s Philosophy

Bruce Lee’s philosophical influences include Buddhism and Taoism. Lee wrote several books that applied the principles of these philosophical beliefs towards his training regimen.

To Lee, training was more than just getting into shape and going through the motions. One of Lee’s famous quotations that could be applied to his fighting style was “be formless, shapeless… like water.”

This quotation is an example of Lee’s versatility in martial arts and in Bruce Lee fitness routine. Lee knew how to adapt to any situation and make it work for him.

Bruce Lee Workout – Weight Training Routine

Bruce Lee preached the importance of weight training to his students. While most martial artists of Lee’s era focused on fighting skills, Lee gained a distinct advantage due to his dedicated resistance training program.

Bruce Lee workout routine includes resistance workout three times a week:

Chest: Bench Press

2 sets of 6 reps

During the bench press movement, Lee concentrated on strict form and full range of motion. The bench press should be at the center of a thorough upper body strengthening program.

Legs: Squats

2 sets of 12 reps

This vital compound exercise develops a strong foundation for martial artists. Squats effectively work all the muscles of the legs.

Shoulders: Clean and Press

2 sets of 8 reps

This classical weightlifting exercise is another compound movement that helps increase overall body strength. In this exercise, a barbell is lifted from the floor to the shoulders in one explosive movement.

Afterwards, the weight is pressed straight up over the shoulders, and then brought back down to the floor.

Back: Barbell Pull Overs

2 sets of 8 reps

To perform this exercise, lie flat on a bench. Hold a barbell with your hands about shoulder-width grip apart and then lower it back behind your neck.

Lower Back/Legs: Good Mornings

2 sets of 8 reps

Bruce Lee frequently taught his students the benefits of this exercise. To perform a Good Morning, hold a barbell across your shoulders and then bend forward with the bar. During this movement, keep your legs and back straight.

Caution – This exercise can be harmful for people who suffer from lower back injuries.

Biceps: Barbell Curls

2 sets of 8 reps

This exercise helps develop martial artists grabbing and pulling strength. This can be done with a barbell or set of dumbbells. To perform this movement, start with the weight at your side and slowly curl it up toward your chest.

Bruce Lee’s weightlifting routine concentrates on compound movements that focus on increasing overall total body strength. To be successful, you should apply Lee’s training philosophy “Above all, never cheat on any exercise.”

Bruce Lee Workout – Cardio and Flexibility Routine

Along with bodybuilding, Lee would incorporate flexibility, cardio and abdominal training into his daily routine. This well-rounded approach to physical fitness was part of the ingredients that helped make Bruce Lee a lean, mean fighting machine.

Cardio Exercise

Lee ran up to six miles daily in under 45 minutes. He also trained on a stationary bike. He would ride the equivalent of 10 miles in 45 minutes.

Flexibility

Bruce Lee also understood the importance of flexibility in martial arts. He performed full body stretches every day prior to his training.

Abdominal Training

Bruce Lee workout routine included sit-ups and other abdominal exercises throughout the day. When watching television, he would perform sit-ups, leg raises and V-ups. Bruce Lee often said that a strong mid-section was crucial for power and absorbing blows during sparring.

Bruce Lee Diet Plan

Much like his physical training, Lee took a disciplined approach to his diet. Lee’s diet regimen consisted of the following precepts:

Small Portions

Lee often ate several smaller meals throughout the day, instead of three large meals. This concept has been widely adopted today by many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts.

Protein Shakes

Bruce Lee consumed up to two protein shakes every day. Protein is the building block of muscle and will assist in helping your body repair itself after tough exercise.

Avoid Refined Flour

Lee defined foods containing refined flour as “empty calories.” Baked foods like cakes and biscuits were strictly off limits.

Fruits and Vegetables

Lee also consumed both fruit and vegetables daily. He often made juices and smoothies containing carrots, apples, celery and bananas. These high-quality sources of carbohydrates helped give Lee enough energy to get through his daily grueling workouts.

Success from Training

The following list details several of Lee’s extraordinary physical accomplishments.

• He could side kick a 300 pound bag and cause it to hit the ceiling.
• He ran up to six miles a day.
• He could perform 50 one-armed chin-ups.
• His striking speed was measured at five one hundredths of a second.
• He was able to take a 75 pound barbell with one arm and in a standing position, then hold it straight out in front of his chest for several seconds.
• He could sit in an elevated V position for over 30 minutes

Bruce Lee’s commitment toward self-improvement and his disciplined training routine obviously created amazing abilities. Bruce Lee workout plan had martial arts every day for at least two hours along with his physical fitness routine.

You don’t have to be a world class martial artist to incorporate some of Bruce Lee’s fitness methodologies into your exercise routine. However, with a little discipline and careful adherence to a well planned routine, you may surprise yourself with the results.

Getting on that treadmill, elliptical trainer or exercise cycle many of us carefully look at the digital calorie counter built into the machine to see how many calories we have burnt. Based on that we do the math about whether we have burnt enough calories to set off the calories we have consumed during the day.

Yet, how accurate and reliable are these calorie counters?

Can we rely on them to tell us exactly how many calories we’ve burnt? Well, calorie counters may be a broad indication, but they are not really accurate.

While other parameters that the digital display shows;such as the distance covered, minutes spent on the machine, even the speed at which you work out and your heart rate, these could all be more accurate since these can be accurately recorded and displayed.

How do calorie counters work?

When it comes to the calorie counting function, this is really just a calculation based on the average person who works out on the machine.

It cannot and does not take into account one’s age, weight, BMI, fitness levels and so on. Even if one’s vital statistics are fed into the machine, it will give you only approximate results based on the general formula that the machine has been calibrated to work out.

Individual differences such as fitness levels, height, weight, age, body composition and other factors determine how many calories are burnt but calorie counters cannot take all of this into consideration. So depending upon the way that the different machines have been calibrated, they may give different readings on their calorie counters.

While one brand of treadmill says you have burnt X amount of calories by running on it for half an hour at a given speed and incline, another treadmill could give you a lower or higher reading for the same amount of exertion.

So are calories counters of any use at all?

Calorie counters are indicative and they can give you a broad idea. The sort of machines that require you to fill in personal details such as age, weight, height and so on, are perhaps more accurate than those which take into account only the speed of a workout and amount of time spent on the machine.

Further the calorie counters can provide some amount of satisfaction at the end of a workout; that a substantial amount of calories have been burnt even if the exact amount may not be clear. Also knowing this can act as motivation for a person to keep working out since the readouts can form a sort of progress report.

Either because you have the archetypal pear shaped body or you are getting on a bit in years and find that various parts of your body are losing the battle with gravity, or for any of a hundred reasons, many of us seek to have a firmer butt and leaner legs.

So what fitness toning workouts will help to achieve the best rear end possible, and firmly banish the term thunder thighs from your lexicon?

A number of fitness toning exercises that work for the legs can often also work for the butt as well; here is what will work to give you a firmer butt and leaner, more toned legs.

Squats and Lunges

These are excellent fitness toning exercises for the legs as well as the glutes (butt). A squat can be performed using a chair or without it and with the knees shoulder-width apart.

Perform the exercise slowly and deliberately to get the muscles to work their hardest.

This exercise makes you use the leg and the butt muscles very effectively which is why it is excellent for fitness toning of the lower body. Lunges are another great exercise that uses the leg and butt muscles.

You can add variation to the regular lunge by also doing the reverse lunge (you step back rather than forward as in the regular lunge) to help engage more muscles in the fitness toning process.

Using the exercise ball for fitness toning the legs and glutes

The exercise ball can be used in different ways for fitness toning the legs and butt. One effective move has you lying down on the ball resting on the hips and abs – extending the arms forward, clutch on to something to steady yourself and then extending the legs up and off the floor. This should make you feel the tension in the leg and butt muscles so that you know you are working those muscles for fitness toning them.

Step ups using a stepper, bench or any raised surface

You can also use regular stairs for this fitness toning exercise or an aerobic stepper or exercise bench. Even regular climbing of stairs at a fair clip, is a great workout for the butt and legs so whenever possible skip the elevator and the escalator and take the stairs instead.

Leg Extensions

Leg extensions that involve raising the leg while in a standing position, to the extent that they are about parallel to the ground, can be done in both directions; forward as well as towards the back. Leg extensions are also excellent fitness toning exercises for the butt and the legs.

Leg raises

These fitness toning exercises are performed by lying flat on the ground, and raising one and then the other leg or both legs together as well. You will feel the clenching of the glutes and the leg muscles as you perform this maneuver. Be sure not to swing your legs up but perform the movements deliberately and consciously for best results.

While younger people who are generally healthy and fit, may have no problem using regular toning equipment such as a treadmill, an exercise bike, a rowing machine etc., seniors may have other requirements. However seniors may have problems using such equipment even though their requirement to remain active and limber is even more important at this stage in life.

For seniors it is important to use appropriate toning equipment and remain active.

Since exercise can help strengthen bones and muscles, keeping them healthier and more able, it can combat frailty and can help them improve balance preventing falls and injuries.

With joint pain being a daily problem, low impact toning equipment is required that does not stress the joints and cause jarring.

Also with age many seniors may develop certain infirmities and physical impairments that limit their mobility, so specially manufactured toning equipment is required.

Some toning equipment options for seniors are –

The Motorized Stationary Cycle – This is very useful toning equipment for seniors, those who are dealing with injury and require rehabilitation as well as those who suffer from certain diseases such as Parkinson’s.

Motorized exercise cycles can have their own built-in seating facility or they can be operated while seated in a regular seat or even a wheel chair.

This toning equipment offers forced exercise that can act as physiotherapy for the bones and muscles. Studies have also shown that such toning equipment can have a beneficial impact on seniors and even reduce their disease symptoms quite significantly.

Light weights – Lighter dumbbells and other free weights can be used even sitting down and can be useful toning equipment for seniors to improve upper body strength, and endurance.

Toning Bands – These can also be suitable toning equipment for elders since they provide resistance without the stress of lifting weights. A toning band can be used to tone different parts of the body or to add variety to a workout.

Medicine Balls – They can improve muscle tone and strength as well. This toning equipment is smaller than an exercise ball, and is used to simulate different movements such as throwing, catching, and reaching and so on. This improves coordination and endurance.

Exercise mats – In addition to toning equipment, it is important for seniors to invest in certain other items such as a non slip mat or exercise surface to prevent falls and injury which the older person may be more prone to. Not only do they prevent fall and injury but they can also cushion the area, thereby reducing impact and jarring.

No Toning equipment – There are many low impact exercises that are suitable for seniors and which require no toning equipment to be purchased. Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates and similar activities help improve, strength, endurance and muscle tone and yet are suitable even for old and infirm individuals.

What is also important for seniors is to consult with a doctor about the suitability of the toning equipment that they need to buy. Also the instructions that come with the equipment should be properly perused so that one is aware of the best and optimal way of using it.

What do you need to do to lose weight? The answer to this question can be found in a carefully planned program. Losing weight involves proper nutrition, training, supplementation, and a variety of resources that can be specifically designed to meet that goal.

There are many popular programs that promise to help you lose weight; however, the safest and most effective method is to burn more calories than you consume on a daily basis.

To lose weight, you will need to adopt a healthy lifestyle. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, maintaining a healthy weight isn’t just about a diet or program; it’s about a long term healthy lifestyle that involves physical activity and conscious eating choices.

That being said, everyone’s body is different; nevertheless, the following tried and true methods should be at the heart of a well rounded weight loss program:

1. Aerobic Exercise

The Centers for Disease and Control recommends 30 to 60 minutes of daily moderate physical activity. Even a 60 minute walk can burn up to 500 calories.

To put that into perspective, if you walk five days a week, you will have burned 3,500 calories.

According to the American Academy of Sports Medicine, one pound of fat contains approximately 3,500 calories. In this daily 60 minute walking routine, you should lose one pound of fat per week. A goal of losing one to two pounds of fat a week is the safest method according to the CDC.

2. Have an Effective Routine

You may need to experiment with several different programs until you find one that works for you. Because everyone’s body is different, what works for one person may not be effective for you.

When designing your routine, keep it simple, and remember to utilize exercises that get your heart pumping. A weekly combination of cardio and weight training exercises will be the most effective approach to losing and keeping the weight off.

3. Check Out on Eating Habits

Unhealthy eating habits can be a leading contributor to rapid weight gain. Here are some examples of poor eating choices:

• Eating too fast
• Always clearing your plate
• Habitually eating
• Skipping breakfast
• Eating large portions

4. Have Proper Diet

According to the USDA, a healthy diet consists of fruits, whole grains, vegetables, lean meats, and low- fat dairy. For optimal results, it’s best to avoid foods that are high in fat and sugar.

Foods such as white breads and pastas are often responsible for packing on the pounds. These types of foods should be avoided or at least minimized. Also, along with eating the correct foods, portion control is also important.

5. Avoid Fad Diets

Fad diets often make unrealistic promises. Before starting one of these well-marketed diets, get nutritional advice from a registered dietitian. Be cautious of the diet plans that overemphasize a specific food group.

According to the United States National Institute of Health, some of these diets are so low in carbohydrates that they cause the body to lose fluid. The problem with the rapid fluid loss is that once the body becomes rehydrated, the weight will come right back.

6. Cut Back on Soda

Soda often contains up to 40 grams of sugar per 12 ounce can. Your body will convert that sugar to fat. Another problem with soda is that it’s easy to drink a 12 ounce can in a short period of time and still be thirsty.

7. Drink Enough Water

The human body is composed primarily of water; therefore, water is essential to the overall health and vitality of your body. Water allows you to stay hydrated, while it can also make you feel full at the same time. And perhaps the best benefit is that water has zero calories.

8. Include Fiber in Your Diet

Fiber is beneficial to your digestive health and has the added benefit of making you feel full. Foods such as whole grain cereals, breads, and fruits are often excellent sources of fiber. A goal of between 20 to 30 grams of fiber daily should be adequate.

9. Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Like soda, alcohol is empty calories for your body. Many drinks contain upwards to 500 calorie per 8 ounce drink. Also, drinking alcohol lowers your inhibitions. This can lead to drinking too much as well as overeating. Too much alcohol can also cause your body to be dehydrated.

10. Positive Attitude Matters

Like many endeavors, your attitude will ultimately dictate your possible success or failure. When you’re in the gym, you should visualize yourself actually shedding pounds.

Don’t underestimate the power of your mind. A good attitude will allow you to have the proper discipline that is vital to a healthy lifestyle.

Bottom Line

Many diets can be compared to fashions that will come and go depending on the trend of the day. That can’t be said for a lifestyle that incorporates healthy eating choices and regular physical activity.

By following this 10 step program, you will be on your way to losing weight. It’s not an easy road, but with a little patience and some discipline, you can meet your weight loss goals.