Who doesn't know the legendary Dragon Bruce Lee apart from his proficiency in martial arts his incredible physique was one of the staples of Lee's success as an actor in fighter and his rock-hard abs are perhaps the most prominent feature of his ripped body but what did he do to achieve this result and is everyone capable of doing that well let's see in fact Bruce Lee trained extremely hard and led an almost ascetic lifestyle full of sacrifice it was one of the things that made him an icon for millions of people if you're not aspiring to become a living legend you don't have to follow his example to the letter but if you're looking for the perfect six-pack then Bruce Lee's training schedule is probably the best there is just look at his abs and you'll see what I mean and if you think it takes some hardcore regiment think again Bruce Lee is just five simple exercises.
His main secret was the number of reps he did the count went to hundreds and sometimes even thousands it takes a lot of stamina and strength not to mention the dedication, he put into making his body perfect but his choice of exercises wasn't random the least Lee did lots of research and after a while, he compiled the perfect training routine that would give him the most effective muscle shield both to make him stronger and protect him from blows ripped and the visually appealing body was just a positive side effect today we're only going to talk about abs.
I'll be happy to tell you about it so here are the five core exercises that the legendary martial artist and philosopher considered worth his attention when training his abdominals.
01. ADVANCED SIT-UPS:
Sit-ups around like something basic but hey I did tell you it was all nothing special didn't I the way Bruce Lee performed them though was a little different from your regular sit-ups so have a good look first let's recall how to do a regular sit-up just in case lie down on your back and put your hands behind your head with your legs bent at the knee plant your feet firmly on the floor then raise your upper body trying to reach your knees with your chest and after that slowly return to the initial position don't forget to exhale on the way up and inhale on the way down just don't hold your breath for Bruce Lee's variation of sit-ups you'll need either a sit-up bench or an abdominal Fitness board the process is basically the same only here you'll need to secure your legs on top of the bench or board with knees slightly bent. The Sharper the incline of your body well on the bench the more effective the exercise moving upwards try to touch your chest to your knees every time then hold the ABS contracted for a couple of seconds and slowly return to the initial position yet there are even more advanced ways to do this exercise and Lee said that adding new elements to regular sit-ups boosts their effectiveness one of the best additional elements is twisting your core for that when moving up with your hands behind your head twist the torso and touch one of your elbows to the opposite knee then repeat with the other elbow switching them with each rep sit-ups are a single target exercise that engages your upper abdominals and intercostals the next one will let them rest while beating the heck out of your lower abs.
02. ADVANCED LEG RAISES:
Again a basic enough exercise that is ingenious in its simplicity for better performance you might need a flat bench but if you don't have one the floor will do, lie on the floor with your arms along your body if you use a flat bench lie on it and secure yourself by holding the edges of the bench with your hands now as the name of the exercise suggests raise your straight legs up until your feet are pointing at the ceiling make sure you don't work with your pelvis or hips it's your lower abs that should do the work hold the top position for a second or two and lower your legs back down don't let your heels touch the floor though let them hang an inch above it this will further engage your core and lower abs if you're looking for a more advanced version of leg raises and one that Bruce Lee preferred for that matter you're going to need a chin up bar find one and hang on it with your legs straight now lift them up to the 90 degree angle engaging your lower abs and lower back down all in a slow and controlled way hold yourself firmly on the bar and don't let your body wiggle when lifting your legs.
03. CORE TWISTS:
Finally, something you don't see in every workout textbook core twists work miracles when it comes to training your obliques and making your waist thin and wiry you'll need a light weighted bar or just a long stick for this exercise take the bar and put it across your shoulders behind your neck grip either end of the bar firmly with your hands and lean your upper body forward ideally you should stand at a 90-degree angle don't bend your waist or you risk damaging your lower back now twist your upper body to the right reaching the left end of the bar to your right foot if you don't manage it on the first try don't worry it just means your core isn't that flexible yet you'll do better with time without any pause twists your core to the left and repeat the same motion to the other side don't straighten up until you're finished with your current set
04. ADVANCE FROG LEGS:
I mean kicks No, I'm not just adding advance to every exercise to take a look cooler it's how they work frog kicks are another exercise that targets your lower abs giving you that six-pack you desire for regular frog kicks sit on the floor with your legs slightly bent at the knees put your hands on the floor to your sides and a bit behind you fingers looking forward lean back and balancing on your pelvis raise your bent legs now move your knees to your chest meeting them halfway and straighten your legs again without touching your heels to the floor. Advanced Bruce Lee's version of this exercise looks like this hang on a chin-up bar straining your arms to hold you still bend your knees and use your lower abs to pull them to your chest or at least as high as you can if you're a beginner it's best to start with regular frog kicks switching to advanced ones when you're ready.
05. SIDE BENDS:
The last exercise on this list targets the outer lining of your abdominals making your obliques work like there's no tomorrow you'll need a couple of dumbbells here no I'm not available to grab one in either hand and stand straight feet shoulder-width apart hold your arms slightly tense hanging at your hips bend your upper body to the right until you feel some tension in your side hold this position for a second or two and go back up then repeat the motion to the left.
So here's your Bruce Lee abs workout look simple but there are things you need to know that will probably make you think twice about that first like I said earlier Lee's main focus was on the number of repetitions for each exercise he did four sets of 50 reps totaling 200 reps for a single exercise and a full thousand for the 5 of them sounds painstaking to me if you're at the very beginning of your way to the top shape you shouldn't even try it though start with as many reps as you can performing each set until exhaustion and taking a minute of rest between sets also as intense as it all may sound the key to well-developed abs is not to overwork them but to let them grow naturally don't strain your muscles too hard when you're at your limit instead go for fewer reps with every following set believe me despite the initial frustration you might feel you won't be disappointed with your results later finally and every of domino workout with a set of static muscle contractions stand straight and squeeze your abs hold them for a couple of seconds and release repeated about 20 times static abdominal contractions are like stretching for your other muscles they allow the ABS to relax and become more defined faster it's no secret that muscles require rest to grow and abs are of course no exception and finally complement your training routine with a balanced diet and aerobic exercise you may develop rock-hard abs but if you want them to be clearly seen you need to get rid of a layer of excess fat covering up and what better to burn fat than running or swimming working out is a complex process and you can't achieve good results without following the rules good luck.