Strength training in martial arts
According to various sources on the internet, a 1996 article in Iron Man Magazine revealed Bruce Lee’s training. In addition to his cardio and karate workouts, Lee lifted weights three times a week and performed the following routine:
wipe and press 2 x 8
2 x 12 squats
2 x 8 bar jerseys
2 x 6 bench presses
good morning 2×8
2 x 8 barbell curls
Unfortunately, he injured his back saying good morning, which almost ruined his career. Otherwise, his weight training was successful because it is credited with helping him add 30 pounds of solid muscle to his relatively small frame.
Although Lee is the most famous martial artist of all time, it is possible that the strongest was a man named Masutatsu Oyama. Therefore, it will be interesting to contrast Lee’s training with Oyama’s.
The Karate Bull-Fighter
Oyama was one of the first to bring Karate to the United States and founder of the Kyokushin style of Karate. His 1958 classic “What is Karate?” It was one of the first books on the subject written in English and designed to make the subject accessible to Westerners.
Oyama initially became famous with stunts such as Karate-style bullfighting. Unlike Mexican bullfighters, he actually threw the bull to the ground and broke one of its horns. (It wasn’t too popular with animal rights activists in Tokyo.)
Oyama Strength Training
According to Oyama’s 1958 book, strength and speed are more important than skill for karate, and speed is more important than strength. In addition, he said that it was very important to practice jumping.
Here are some recommendations he gives in “What is Karate?” (It does not give an exact training).
Running – 4 km per day
Jump rope: 20 minutes a day
Dumbbell Arm Exercise (Shoulder Press?) – 200 times
Dives – 100 times
Push-ups (hands in fists) – 300 times
Incline push-ups – 100 times
Jump Side Kick on a 4 Foot Jumping Horse
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Exercises that require a partner:
Hit the bag with the top of the elbow and the side of the elbow – 200 times each
Practicing bag jump kick
Neck exercises (as a couple)
Leg exercise (squats with partner on the back)
Back and abdomen exercises as a couple
Elsewhere in the book, Oyama said that he would bench press 175 pounds 500 times a day.
Then there are the specific exercises for karate, such as the straw blow and the specific exercises for the ability to break stones and boards. All this in addition to practicing forms, sparring, etc.
Comparing Lee and Oyama
Now what strikes me as the essential difference between Lee and Oyama’s training styles is volume. Lee’s weight training routine is relatively brief and he avoided lifting on heavy martial arts training days.
While Lee could do an exercise for 2 sets of 8 reps (which is pretty typical), Oyama would do it for hundreds of reps. Clearly, Oyama’s approach is slower and would require a lot of dedication.
If you look at the photos of these men, they have quite a different structure. For Lee, his training goal was apparently to add volume. Before weight training, he weighed just 135 pounds and added 30 pounds of solid muscle.
Oyama, on the other hand, was obviously a beefier guy and talks about losing weight during periods of intense training in his book. Judging from photos of him with other people, I’d say he was probably a bit taller than Lee (who was 5’8 “). Although Oyama was of average height, he doesn’t seem like a small guy when standing next to American. professional fighters, boxers and strong men.
Possible conclusions
The point is not to compare them by saying that one is better than the other. I wonder what effect his training style had on his appearance and how much it was genetic.
Regardless, if Oyama struggled to keep his weight down, it appears that high-volume training helped him achieve it. Lee, on the other hand, appears to have been naturally slim and wanted the weight training to increase (probably to look better on camera). Too much volume could be counterproductive for that goal.
So maybe the lesson from this is that if you want to lose weight while also getting stronger, it might be worth considering an old-fashioned high-volume workout routine, assuming you can put in that kind of dedication. On the other hand, if your goal is to look like Bruce Lee … well, all I can say is “good luck”!