Essential Takeaways:
- Bruce Lee’s abs were highly defined, muscular, and virtually fat-free.
- Diet and fat loss are key—abs won’t show under a layer of fat.
- Work abs like any muscle, adding resistance for growth.
- Ab exercises don’t reduce waist size—only diet can.
- Lee emphasized core strength for better body control.
- His workouts included sit-ups, leg raises, and waist twists.
- He constantly changed routines to prevent adaptation.
Bruce Lee’s abdominal muscles were quite exceptional – what young man into fitness doesn’t want Bruce Lee abs? They were very well defined, well developed, and very solid. Lee’s waist was very thin, with almost no fat at all. Bruce Lee followed some simple rules to ensure that his abs stayed in great shape. The main rules are:
- Diet is the most important thing when building abs. Learn how to eat in order to build muscle and keep off fat. A high protein and low carb approach is a great way to build muscle and lose fat.
- Losing fat is the second key. If you have a layer of fat over your abs you will never see them no matter how good they are.
- Work your abs like any other muscle. Add weight constantly so you don’t stagnate.
“Bruce Lee taught that abdominal exercises never reduce the waist“
Bruce Lee Abdominal Training Tips
Bruce Lee himself often used to comment on how he worked out on his abs. In doing so he helped other people build their own. Bruce learnt how to build abs from champion bodybuilders, and spent many years perfecting the art of abdominal development. He believed that the abs were vital to provide balance and strength in the body.
“The abdominal and waist region coordinate all parts of the body and act as the center of generator. Therefore, you can promote the ability to control the body’s action and master your will more easily.” Bruce Lee.
One of the best tips that he offered, which has been tried and tested many times over the years, is that you should always curl your body up as if rolling up a newspaper when doing a crunch.
Do not sit up and down like a see-saw, but curl your upper body up starting with your head, then neck, then chest. Keep your abdominals engaged (tensed) and your attention focused on them at all times. Do not simply go through the motions.
Lee concentrated on five exercises for stomach and abdominal development. He found that these were the best exercises to help build and maintain perfect six-pack abs. He would also only perform 1-3 different exercises on any one day, and very rarely perform all five in the same session nor on the same day.
Bruce Lee’s 5 Favorite Ab Exercises:
- Waist twists – 4 sets of 90 repetitions
- Sit-up twists – 4 sets of 20 repetitions
- Leg raises – 4 sets of 20 repetitions
- Leaning twists – 4 sets of 50 repetitions
- Frog kicks – 4 sets of 50 repetitions
Also Bruce also performed these core exercises:
- Roman chair sit-up
- Leg raises (excellent for the lower abs)
- Side bends
It is important to work fast while concentrating on good form. When you can no longer perform any more full repetitions, continue with smaller movements, such as abdominal crunches, which give improved muscle development and definition.
Bruce Lee was also a firm believer in static concentrations, which involve tightening the stomach muscles for short bursts and then relaxing.
Most importantly, Bruce Lee taught that abdominal exercises never reduce the waist, i.e. there is no reduction in fat. For this, diet and nutrition is key.
Bruce Lee further developed this routine, adding additional sets of sit-ups, side bends, leg raises, “flags,” twists and back bends to his abdominal workout regimen.
The “flag” exercise was a complex movement that Lee devised for working the abdominals harder. While lying on a bench, he would grasp attached uprights with both hands and raise himself, supported only by his shoulders. Then, with his knees locked straight and his lower back raised off the bench, he would perform leg raises.
Bruce Lee’s Success with Abdominal Training
In addition to what we have learned from Bruce Lee, there have been many other tried and tested methods of exercising and bodybuilding. Here is a summary of the concepts required for developing excellent abs:
Bruce Lee preformed both cardio and weight training (high and low intensity) every single day. In doing this he lost a lot of muscle, but mainly he burned off fat. This was the main reason that his abs looked so good. There was barely a shred of fat covering them.
Bruce ate a good diet and a lot of protein. He was an advocate of eating a post workout protein shake and used to experiment with lots of different ingredients. Recent research has proved that post workout shakes drunk within 30 minutes of exercise provide maximum benefit.
Lee firmly believed that proper nutrition was essential for developing the perfect set of abs. What you eat determines the thickness and density of the outer tissue covering the abdominal muscles. Once the excess fat has been worked off through a calorie controlled diet combined with aerobic and endurance fitness training, the abs are then relatively easy to maintain through a good healthy diet and regular abdominal exercising.
He did a lot of martial arts and was especially adept at kicking. Lots of the muscles used to power a kick come from the core region and as such he worked his abs out in different ways.
He was constantly changing his abs routine, which meant that his abs never become too efficient at performing the same exercise. Overall this all helped him to achieve a very complete development.
Bruce Lee’s final advice is to exercise abs daily, and that with patience and perseverance, results will be seen in time. This advice goes against what many athletes and bodybuilders advise. Today people suggest that you treat your abdominals as any other muscle and ensure that it is rested for at least 2 days after exercising.