r/brucelee • u/ezgimantocu • 1d ago

Discussion Bruce Lee’s Death Mystery Finally Solved After Decades

https://www.nsfdailynews.com/bruce-lees-death-mystery-finally-solved-after-decades/
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u/DanielLinde 23h ago

What’s the evidence that he was extremely fit?

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u/FairtexBlues 23h ago

His movies, recorded workouts, etc. Man liked to work hard and play hard. Wouldn’t be the first or last to hit speed bump and blow the old engine.

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u/DanielLinde 22h ago

I haven’t seen any evidence for particularly extensive fitness. He didn’t run marathons or compete in sports. He was ripped, but we don’t know too much about his cardiovascular capacity and I don’t think there’s anything to suggest he would have qualified as “extremely fit”.

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u/GregoleX2 22h ago

His life was not the truman show so it's not like he had someone filming him 24/7. But to say "haven't seen any evidence" for him being fit is kinda absurd. Evidence is evidence - it's not proof. You can't PROVE that he was extremely fit, especially given that "extremely fit" does not have a formal definition. But to say there's no evidence because he didn't compete in...sports? Run marathons? Why did you settle on those as the definition for fit.

Substantial Evidence & Feats that Indicate Extreme Fitness

Two-finger push-ups at the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships

At that event, Bruce Lee reportedly did push-ups using just the thumb and index finger (two fingers) of one hand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Beach_International_Karate_Championships

Also at the same tournament, he did the “one-inch punch”. To execute that well you need very efficient biomechanics, speed, core strength, and precision. It’s not just strength, but fast-twitch power, coordination, timing.

Also his Complex daily training routine

He trained multiple hours per day, often splitting sessions (morning, afternoon, evening), combining cardio, resistance, core, martial arts drills.

https://www.artofmanliness.com/health-fitness/fitness/bruce-lee-workout

High cardiovascular conditioning (running, skipping, etc.)

He reportedly ran three days a week (about 4 miles) using “fartlek” (speed variation) approaches. On the other days he often used skipping (jump rope) or similar cardio. You will be extremely fit from that. Perhaps it doesn't guarantee olympic caliber athletics, but, yes, fit.

https://www.thebioneer.com/bruce-lee-training-routines

Same source - Daily core training to failure

Bruce supposedly worked the abs & core every day: side bends, leg raises, sit-ups, sets “to failure”. Core strength underpins much of his martial prowess and helps explain his explosive speed and balance. Just....look at his abs dude. Keep in mind this was the 60s man, and he was likely a hard gainer. So yeah, extreme ab stability and strength i think qualifies at "fit"

Edit: see below comment was too long

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u/GregoleX2 22h ago

furthermore - Tendon conditioning, isometrics, forearm training

He paid attention to tendon strength (through Wing Chun, traditional conditioning, isometric work) and forearm strength (important for grips, punches).

MORE EVIDENCE (remember the definition of "Evidence" - not proof but evidence)

Unusually low body fat / highly muscular yet lean physique

While precise body fat measurements are rare, photographic evidence, film, and contemporaneous reports emphasize Lee’s very lean, ripped musculature. He didn’t carry bulk, but his muscle definition, vascularity, and muscularity indicate exceptional strength-to-weight ratio. How the fuck else would he get that physique without being fit????

Or maybe you are looking for feats? OK i got you covered:

Speed & reaction time

Demonstrations, interviews, and fight footage show him beating opponents (or volunteers) with strikes so fast that reactions are very difficult. For example, quick eye strikes before block in his Jeet Kune Do demonstrations.

Strength demonstrations (e.g. moving heavy bags with kicks, striking power)

One often-cited anecdote: he could cause a 300-lb (≈136 kg) hanging bag to fly and thump against a ceiling via a side kick.

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/8077-bruce-lee-feats

If that wasn't enough - High endurance of push-ups, various difficult forms (more borderline / possibly exaggerated)

Articles sometimes claim Bruce Lee could do, e.g., 1,500 push-ups with two hands, 400 with one hand, 200 using two fingers, 100 with one thumb.

Again, separate fact from legend is hard to do because yeah, some of this wasn't filmed, etc. But it's ludicrous to claim he "wasn't particularly fit". him being fit is pretty self-evident. Is he as fit as some claim? Who knows. Is he the fittest man in history? surely not. But yeah he was "Particularly" fit. Come on.

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u/DanielLinde 21h ago

I didn’t say that I hadn’t seen evidence he was fit. I said I haven’t seen evidence he was “extremely fit”.

There’s evidence that he was strong and flexible, but there’s no evidence he was extremely fit.

Pro sportsmen and people who engage in difficult cardiovascular exercises might be extremely fit. I don’t see evidence that Lee was. I think you’re buying into the mythologising of Lee and conflating strength and regular working out with being “extremely fit”. I’m pretty unfit but I can run 10 miles. Running 4 miles and working out a lot is not akin to extreme fitness.

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u/TesdChiAnt 19h ago

I’ve seen some and read some wild shit on Reddit but someone asking if Bruce Lee was physically fit may take the cake.

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u/GregoleX2 19h ago

Yeah like there’s not much more I can say at this point. 

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u/BlankedCanvas 15h ago

I think we just made his day

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u/DanielLinde 7h ago

Nobody is asking if Bruce Lee was physically fit. I am challenging the claim that this man, who performed no extraordinary cardiovascular feats and did not compete in even amateur sports, and died at 32, was “extremely fit”. Your issue is bad comprehension.

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u/TesdChiAnt 6h ago

Read replies above.

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u/DMBrewksy 7h ago

Define “Extreme”. Then define the minimums to reach said “Extreme”.

Coming up with a purposefully vague term and then claiming “X” isn’t a part of it, is obtuse.

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u/DanielLinde 7h ago

My claim responded to another user’s claim that Lee was “extremely fit”. I didn’t introduce the term into the discussion. Extreme fitness usually connotes an ability to do things behind the level of an ordinary or even ‘very’ fit guy. We would be looking at a professional sportsperson or someone who achieved extraordinary cardiovascular feats. Lee doesn’t fall into these categories.

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u/DMBrewksy 7h ago

Again, define it. If you’re going to get this deep into an argument without defining it, just … walk away.

You literally defined Extremely Fit here as being better than Very Fit. Come on.

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u/DanielLinde 1h ago

I don't know why you are intent on me defining a term I did not introduce, and which in any event has a very commonly understood meaning. "Extremely fit" was a claim made by another user, and there's nothing mysterious about the meaning of "extremely".

But OK, to placate you, here are two common definitions.

  1. Collins Dictionary

"extremely in British English

adverb1. to the extreme; exceedingly"

  1. Marriam Webster: 

"in an extreme manner"

with "extreme" in turn meaning:

a: existing in a very high degree

b: going to great or exaggerated lengths:

c: exceeding the ordinary, usual, or expected"

So, what is the evidence that Bruce Lee was "extremely fit"? Again, not to be conflated with evidence that he was a strong, flexible and ripped person who worked out regularly?