Bruce Lee is perhaps the most famous martial artist of all time. He was also one of the most powerful.
Standing at only 5’8” and weighing 130-141lbs, he was capable of huge feats of athleticism as well as inflicting devastating strikes on much larger opponents.
One of his most famous demonstrations is the one inch punch which he first demonstrated in 1967 at Long Beach Karate Championship.
How was such a small man able to generate such power.
Firstly, Bruce Lee was very lean so that whilst he didn’t weigh a huge amount, what was there was solid muscle.
You can see the huge lats which give Bruce’s back that massive V-taper. These muscles help to translate the power of the lower body to the upper torso, helping to make strikes even more effective.
So the first point, is that Bruce Lee wasn’t that small given that he was almost all solid muscle.
The other important point to note is the way that Bruce Lee trained. Bruce trained with regular weights – dumbbells and barbells, but he also trained using isometrics.
Isometrics typically involve pushing your muscles against an immovable object. For instance, imagine the following set up.
Your standing on a platform with a chain attached which in turn is attached to a bar. You grab hold of the bar and try to curl the bar – like a bicep curl.
Of course, no matter how hard you try to curl, the bar won’t move. Despite this, your muscle obtain an amazing workout. If you try this, you’ll actually feel your arms begin to tremble with the effort.
The best isometric exercise equipment 2022(with pictures)
This effort is typically held for 7-10 seconds at a time.
Whilst you can develop muscles in this way, the primary purpose is to develop the nervous system that control the contracting muscles.
Strength isn’t just about the size of the muscle.
Let’s imagine strength is like the light coming from a light bulb. You can make things brighter by getting a bigger light bulb – build more muscle, or you can also increase the wattage going to the light bulb – train the nervous system.
Isometrics train the nervous system to use the body’s muscles more efficiently and increases the power of the impulses that control the muscle contractions.
We know that Bruce Lee trained using isometrics.
The Bullworker is one of the most well known isometric training devices. You can see one of these tools in the background in the following photo.
One of the reasons Bruce Lee was so powerful is that he was better able to use the muscles he had through the use of isometrics.
The other important factor to remember is that in martial arts, technique is far more important than raw strength.
Bruce Lee was able to use the power of his entire body in each strike. It wasn’t just his arm delivering a punch. He was driving up from the floor, transferring the power through his legs, his hips, his twisting torso, shoulders and finally through the fist.
Bruce Lee spent countless hours honing this technique through constant practice.
Bruce Lee was so powerful because his technique was so good he was able to use the strength of his entire body.