Bruce Lee’s Kickboxing Workouts

Bruce Lee used many different training methods. We have looked at his strength training, his abdominal workouts, his specific kicking drills, now lets take a quick look at his more general kickboxing routines.

Kickboxing training helps to build stronger and more defined arms and legs. Kickboxing training is no longer just for serious competitive martial artists, there are many people that now train in kickboxing schools purely for fitness, and there is also a growing trend in kickboxercise classes, which are aerobic fitness classes, which take some exercises from the martial arts to make the class more dynamic and cooperative. Generally these classes include pad work, with basic jab-cross, and jab-hook-uppercut combinations, which provide a bit of fun without taxing the students.

Bruce Lee’s Kick-Boxing Training Routine

continued below ....

Bruce Lee split his training into various sections, and would perform different exercises on different days, or at different times throughout the day. He employed running, cycling, skipping as well as more traditional training methods.

1. Roadwork

Jog (1 minute) – Sprint at your max for as long as possible – Walk (1 minute) in as many sets as you can. This is an intensive interval training in its simplest – all you need is a pair of trainers / running shoes.

2. Skill Conditioning on the Punch Bags

a. Shadow kick-boxing—3 minutes (1 minute rest) – This first exercise is to get you loosened up, warmed up, and ready for the more strenuous exercises.
b. Shadow kick-boxing—3 minutes (1 minute rest) – Repeat the same sequence, but during this exercise work harder, push yourself to your limits, and concentrate on developing speed and power in all strikes.
c. Skip rope—5 minutes (1 1/2 minutes rest) – Don’t just perform your favourite jump, vary your jumps and challenge yourself.
d. Heavy bag—3 minutes (1 minute rest) – Start with individual punches, focus on jabs and then combinations – hooks, upper cuts, crosses etc. Improving speed, accuracy and strength of the basic jab is essential.
e. Heavy bag—3 minutes (1 minute rest) – Start with individual kicks, then do combination kicks.
f. Light bag—3 minutes – The light bag is to develop endurance, start with individual punches and add some combinations, but keep it light and fast to tire the muscles. Keep you guard up at all times.
g. Shadow kick-boxing—2 minutes – acts as a cool down and loosener after the bag work.

Supplementary Exercises for Flexibility

Bruce Lee was incredibly flexible, and was a firm believer that improved flexibility lead to increased speed and power, and helped to reduce injuries and pulled muscles. (More stretching routines, plus videos, here).

1. Forward bend
2. Stride stretch
3. High kick
4. Side leg raise
5. Elbow touching
6. Waist twisting
7. Alternate splits on chair
8. Sitting bends
9. Leg stretch—straight, side
10. Arched bridge position

Bruce Lee used to perform thousands of punches and kicks everyday. Although he did a lot of bodybuilding later in his life, the core of his conditioning was from kung-fu / kickboxing workouts. Follow his footsteps to develop superior strength, speed and power.