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David Beckham is probably the most famous footballer (soccer) of the current
day. He has risen through the ranks from a schoolboy hopeful, to team captain, to
win caps for England, play in two World Cups, and now helping to increase soccer
awareness in the USA, playing for LA Galaxy. But in addition to this, he has
become something of an icon, a style guru, and a model for male health and
fitness. So, the big question is, how does he do it? How do you get a body like
David Beckham? How does he train, what does he eat?
Many years ago professional footballers moved on from relying on a few Sunday
morning training sessions to get themselves in shape for a game. Superior fitness
is now essential in the modern football game.
David Beckham’s well toned physique is due to three essential components to a
perfect body: strength training, cardio/endurance training, and diet/sports
nutrition. In some ways David Beckham’s body is similar to that of the greatest
fitness icon of all time, Bruce Lee. David Beckham has minimal body fat, well
toned, but not overly bulky muscles, and a lean and lithe appearance. The three
parts to David Beckham’s body can be summarized as follows:
David Beckham’s Diet
To ensure fat is kept to an absolute minimum, but muscle can still grow, it is
essential to ensure that you have a fast metabolism that burns fat (body fat and
dietary fat). To do so requires a well balanced and healthy diet - plenty of green
leafy salads, low GI vegetables, lean meats, fish and poultry. Avoiding sugar, high
GI carbohydrates (such as bread, pasta, flours, sugars, cakes, and general junk
food) is essential to keeping the fat off and the metabolism fired up.
David Beckham’s Strength Training
The key to athletic and functional strength is compound weight training.
Bodybuilding exercises which focus on individual muscles are only for show. To
build functional strength for sports and athletics, compound training is essential.
Compound exercises include the dead-lift, squats, bench press, bent-over/cable
rows, shoulder presses and standing barbell curls.
The picture on the right shows him performing a free weight inclined bench press.
As there is no safety cage and no sign of spotters, David is likely to be lifting a
lighter weight, with higher reps. This provides more muscular endurance. Most
athletes train with heavier weights for increased upper body functional strength,
but for footballers, the main strengths are skill with the ball and speed. However,
by bench pressing the upper body is kept in muscular balance with the lower
body, and overall athleticism is increased.
David Beckham’s Endurance Training
For David Beckham, the bulk of his cardio fitness training probably comes from
football training sessions, but supplemented with some running and cycling. The
main training routine for footballers is a specific circuit training routine.
Footballers include in their arsenal speed work and plyometric training routines,
as well as classic old school circuit training, such as shuttle runs, squat thrusts,
jumping jacks, skipping, jogging forwards and backwards, plus abs/core workouts
and upper-body conditional with crunches, leg raises and press-ups (push ups).
Take a look at our circuit training section for more in this type of training.
Soccer players require excellent strength and conditioning not only to perform
well on the pitch, but also to help prevent injury during a game. Keeping the joints
strong and flexible is essential. Here diet plays an important role, and
supplementing a diet with cod liver, lucosamine and chondroitin, and other
vitamins and minerals is essential to ensure supple but strong joints. Flexibility
training is a vital area of physical training, with stretches both before and after
workouts.
Combine these three elements of training and you can get a body like David
Beckham, and strive to perform as well on the pitch as he does. We cannot help
you with looks and style, but for fitness, endurance and strength, this should get
you on track to have a “Beckham Body“.
day. He has risen through the ranks from a schoolboy hopeful, to team captain, to
win caps for England, play in two World Cups, and now helping to increase soccer
awareness in the USA, playing for LA Galaxy. But in addition to this, he has
become something of an icon, a style guru, and a model for male health and
fitness. So, the big question is, how does he do it? How do you get a body like
David Beckham? How does he train, what does he eat?
Many years ago professional footballers moved on from relying on a few Sunday
morning training sessions to get themselves in shape for a game. Superior fitness
is now essential in the modern football game.
David Beckham’s well toned physique is due to three essential components to a
perfect body: strength training, cardio/endurance training, and diet/sports
nutrition. In some ways David Beckham’s body is similar to that of the greatest
fitness icon of all time, Bruce Lee. David Beckham has minimal body fat, well
toned, but not overly bulky muscles, and a lean and lithe appearance. The three
parts to David Beckham’s body can be summarized as follows:
David Beckham’s Diet
To ensure fat is kept to an absolute minimum, but muscle can still grow, it is
essential to ensure that you have a fast metabolism that burns fat (body fat and
dietary fat). To do so requires a well balanced and healthy diet - plenty of green
leafy salads, low GI vegetables, lean meats, fish and poultry. Avoiding sugar, high
GI carbohydrates (such as bread, pasta, flours, sugars, cakes, and general junk
food) is essential to keeping the fat off and the metabolism fired up.
David Beckham’s Strength Training
The key to athletic and functional strength is compound weight training.
Bodybuilding exercises which focus on individual muscles are only for show. To
build functional strength for sports and athletics, compound training is essential.
Compound exercises include the dead-lift, squats, bench press, bent-over/cable
rows, shoulder presses and standing barbell curls.
The picture on the right shows him performing a free weight inclined bench press.
As there is no safety cage and no sign of spotters, David is likely to be lifting a
lighter weight, with higher reps. This provides more muscular endurance. Most
athletes train with heavier weights for increased upper body functional strength,
but for footballers, the main strengths are skill with the ball and speed. However,
by bench pressing the upper body is kept in muscular balance with the lower
body, and overall athleticism is increased.
David Beckham’s Endurance Training
For David Beckham, the bulk of his cardio fitness training probably comes from
football training sessions, but supplemented with some running and cycling. The
main training routine for footballers is a specific circuit training routine.
Footballers include in their arsenal speed work and plyometric training routines,
as well as classic old school circuit training, such as shuttle runs, squat thrusts,
jumping jacks, skipping, jogging forwards and backwards, plus abs/core workouts
and upper-body conditional with crunches, leg raises and press-ups (push ups).
Take a look at our circuit training section for more in this type of training.
Soccer players require excellent strength and conditioning not only to perform
well on the pitch, but also to help prevent injury during a game. Keeping the joints
strong and flexible is essential. Here diet plays an important role, and
supplementing a diet with cod liver, lucosamine and chondroitin, and other
vitamins and minerals is essential to ensure supple but strong joints. Flexibility
training is a vital area of physical training, with stretches both before and after
workouts.
Combine these three elements of training and you can get a body like David
Beckham, and strive to perform as well on the pitch as he does. We cannot help
you with looks and style, but for fitness, endurance and strength, this should get
you on track to have a “Beckham Body“.
The Bruce Lee Workout - Look Like Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee developed many strength workouts during his career and not all have been
documented. However, he did keep good training notes, and it is from these that we know
about his strength workouts. If you want to develop functional strength, then this workout will
provide a great starting point.
"Above all, never cheat on any exercise; use the amount of weight that you can handle
without undue strain." - Bruce Lee
In the Bruce Lee Workout, form is very important. Poor form not only reduces the
effectiveness of an exercise, but it can also cause injury, by placing too much pressure in the
wrong areas. Bruce Lee developed many workouts during his career and not all have been
documented. However, he did keep good training notes, and it is from these that we know
about the Bruce Lee Workout. Bruce Lee divided his training into specific martial arts training
and training to enhance his martial arts prowess, i.e. weight training, calisthenics, cardio
fitness and stretching. Each day Bruce Lee would train to improve his physique and his
martial ability. However, Bruce Lee also stated that it was important to never train the body so
hard on any given day, that the body is too weak on the following days to train more, or fight.
From a martial perspective, it is essential to never overtrain, as although in the long term
intensive training can make the body stronger quicker, to leave yourself weak is not good
martial practice.
"Above all, never cheat on any exercise; use the amount of weight that you can handle
without undue strain." - Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee developed many strength workouts during his career and not all have been
documented. However, he did keep good training notes, and it is from these that we know
about his strength workouts. If you want to develop functional strength, then this workout will
provide a great starting point.
"Above all, never cheat on any exercise; use the amount of weight that you can handle
without undue strain." - Bruce Lee
In the Bruce Lee Workout, form is very important. Poor form not only reduces the
effectiveness of an exercise, but it can also cause injury, by placing too much pressure in the
wrong areas. Bruce Lee developed many workouts during his career and not all have been
documented. However, he did keep good training notes, and it is from these that we know
about the Bruce Lee Workout. Bruce Lee divided his training into specific martial arts training
and training to enhance his martial arts prowess, i.e. weight training, calisthenics, cardio
fitness and stretching. Each day Bruce Lee would train to improve his physique and his
martial ability. However, Bruce Lee also stated that it was important to never train the body so
hard on any given day, that the body is too weak on the following days to train more, or fight.
From a martial perspective, it is essential to never overtrain, as although in the long term
intensive training can make the body stronger quicker, to leave yourself weak is not good
martial practice.
"Above all, never cheat on any exercise; use the amount of weight that you can handle
without undue strain." - Bruce Lee
This quote is still valid for all forms of weight training exercise today. Firstly,
good form is essential, whether you are lifting weights, stretching, performing
bodyweight exercises, or practicing martial arts. Bruce Lee obviously had a
very good grounding in the importance of good form, as kung-fu, and other
martial arts, use "forms" for training and honing fighting techniques. Good
form is essential in martial arts, as it can help to determine the strengths and
weaknesses of a student, condition the body to react and move in the correct
way, and strengthen the muscles, ligaments and joints. Poorly executed form
can lead to poorly executed martial application, which can be fatal.
In the Bruce Lee Workout, form is very important. Poor form not only reduces
the effectiveness of an exercise, but it can also cause injury, by placing too
much pressure in the wrong areas. Also, the cheat on an exercise, is to cheat
your own body of obtaining the optimal workout during any given session.
Bruce Lee's weight training routine evolved during his career. In his early
days, his emphasis was on body building, especially forearm training, and he
supplemented his diet with protein drinks. Later on, he started to simplify his
training. He realised that rather than the isolation exercises favoured by
bodybuilders, he needed to perform compound weight training exercises to
increase overall strength and condition. Bruce Lee's weight reduced after he
gave up the bodybuilding routines in favour of more traditional compound and
cardio training.
"Since weight training involves repitiions, a great deal of energy must be
exerted. Therefore, weight training should be practce only every other day." -
Bruce Lee
This quote is interesting, as it seems to be a move away from his traditional
approach of not working the body so much that you are weakened. So
although he was moving away from the bodybuilding routines, he was also
moving away from pure martial arts. The Bruce Lee Workout should be
intensive enough to require adequate recovery days. Bruce Lee suggested
that you should train at most once every other day, or three days per week,
with an extra rest day at the weekend. For Bruce Lee, the most important
aspect of hos new weight training routine was that he could still train his
martial arts and endurance / cardio on the other days. Bruce Lee adopted a
cross training methodology, in that he beleived that fitness training should
have three key elements: stretching for flexibility; weight training for strength;
and cardiovascular for endurance.
Bruce Lee's 20 Minute Strength and Bodybuilding Routine
Bruce Lee Clean and Press - 2 sets of 8 reps
The clean and press is a classic weight lifters exercise. Unlike bodybuilding
exercises which work muscles in isolation, weight lifting / power lifting
exercises work muscles together, i.e. they are compound movements. Bruce
Lee performed clean and presses in a very intensive fashion, that is, without
rest inbetween reps. This made the exercise a cardio and endurance exercise
as well as a weight training exercise. In the clean and press a barbell is lifted
from the floor, and in one explosive movement the weight is lifted up to rest on
the front of the shoulders - this is the clean. Afterwards, the weight is then
pressed upwards, and held overhead. It is then lowered to the floor in one
movement, and repeated. Form is essential in the clean and press, and it is
also important not to attempt to lift too much weight, as injuries to the lower
back are common in poorly executed clean and presses.
Bruce Lee Barbell Squat - 2 sets of 12 reps
The squat is one of the most important compound exercsies in the Bruce Lee
Workout, especially for martial artists. It develops a solid base and core. In
the standard squat, which should always be performed in a squat rack for
safety, a barbell is placed across the shoulders, and a squat is performed.
Bruce Lee advised there should be no pause in the lowest position, instead
as soon as your thighs reach a horizontal position, you should rise again to a
standing position. The squat works the hips, glutes, hamstrings, calves and
quads.
Bruce Lee Barbell Pullover - 2 sets of 8 reps
The barbell pullover is a weight training exercise that is less common these
days. It is the classic rib-box expander. To perform a pullover, you should lie
on a flat bench, hold a barbell with a shoulder width grip overhead, and then
lower it backwards behind your head, keeping a the elbows slightly bent.The
bar should be held as far back as is comfortable. Some people can touch the
floor behind them with the bar, but this is not recommended without adequate
training. Use a light weight to start with, as this is a deceptively difficult
movement.
Bruce Lee Bench Press - 2 sets of 6 reps
No weight training session would be complete without a bench press. Many
martial artists actually advise against the bench press, as it expands the rib
cage, which is a weakness in fighting. Bruce Lee taught that a fighter should
aim to develop a solid set of ribs, which can take strikes. Performing many
bench presses, and pullovers too, can open the ribs too much, so if you plan
to fight competitively, do not place too much emphasis onm these exercises.
Bruce Lee Good Mornings - 2 sets of 8 reps
Bruce Lee was a fan of the good morning exercise. The exercise involves
holding a barbell across the shoulders, and then bending forward, keeping
the legs and back straight. This exercise can be ver dangerous if you do not
warm up, and attempt to use too much weight. Really good mornings can be
performed with good results with just an empty bar. Bruce Lee damaged his
back doing good mornings - he did not damage it in a kung-fu challenge
match, as portrayed in the film Dragon!
Bruce Lee Barbell Curls - 2 sets of 8 reps
Curls are the other staple weight training exercise along with bench presses.
Everyone seems to want bigger biceps. For martial arts styles that involve
grappling, grabbing, pulling and throwing, a good pairs of guns come in very
useful. So perform bicep curls in each training session to build up the guns.
Bruce Lee Workout aims to increase your pulling power.
Change the Routine to Suit Your Needs
With any weight training routine, it is important not to get into a rigid routine.
After a while of training, you will hit a plataeu, and training will no longer
produce the same gains, if any, that it once did when you were weaker and
less fit. For this reason, it is essential to add new exercises, train with
dumbells instead of barbells at times, change the weight and number of
repetitions etc. to give the body a new challange, and a new spurt of growth.
This was by no means Bruce Lee's only workout and weight training routine,
but it formed the foundation, the core, of his strength training, later in his
career. If you want to start to train like Bruce Lee, then perform the Bruce Lee
Workout at least once per week.
good form is essential, whether you are lifting weights, stretching, performing
bodyweight exercises, or practicing martial arts. Bruce Lee obviously had a
very good grounding in the importance of good form, as kung-fu, and other
martial arts, use "forms" for training and honing fighting techniques. Good
form is essential in martial arts, as it can help to determine the strengths and
weaknesses of a student, condition the body to react and move in the correct
way, and strengthen the muscles, ligaments and joints. Poorly executed form
can lead to poorly executed martial application, which can be fatal.
In the Bruce Lee Workout, form is very important. Poor form not only reduces
the effectiveness of an exercise, but it can also cause injury, by placing too
much pressure in the wrong areas. Also, the cheat on an exercise, is to cheat
your own body of obtaining the optimal workout during any given session.
Bruce Lee's weight training routine evolved during his career. In his early
days, his emphasis was on body building, especially forearm training, and he
supplemented his diet with protein drinks. Later on, he started to simplify his
training. He realised that rather than the isolation exercises favoured by
bodybuilders, he needed to perform compound weight training exercises to
increase overall strength and condition. Bruce Lee's weight reduced after he
gave up the bodybuilding routines in favour of more traditional compound and
cardio training.
"Since weight training involves repitiions, a great deal of energy must be
exerted. Therefore, weight training should be practce only every other day." -
Bruce Lee
This quote is interesting, as it seems to be a move away from his traditional
approach of not working the body so much that you are weakened. So
although he was moving away from the bodybuilding routines, he was also
moving away from pure martial arts. The Bruce Lee Workout should be
intensive enough to require adequate recovery days. Bruce Lee suggested
that you should train at most once every other day, or three days per week,
with an extra rest day at the weekend. For Bruce Lee, the most important
aspect of hos new weight training routine was that he could still train his
martial arts and endurance / cardio on the other days. Bruce Lee adopted a
cross training methodology, in that he beleived that fitness training should
have three key elements: stretching for flexibility; weight training for strength;
and cardiovascular for endurance.
Bruce Lee's 20 Minute Strength and Bodybuilding Routine
Bruce Lee Clean and Press - 2 sets of 8 reps
The clean and press is a classic weight lifters exercise. Unlike bodybuilding
exercises which work muscles in isolation, weight lifting / power lifting
exercises work muscles together, i.e. they are compound movements. Bruce
Lee performed clean and presses in a very intensive fashion, that is, without
rest inbetween reps. This made the exercise a cardio and endurance exercise
as well as a weight training exercise. In the clean and press a barbell is lifted
from the floor, and in one explosive movement the weight is lifted up to rest on
the front of the shoulders - this is the clean. Afterwards, the weight is then
pressed upwards, and held overhead. It is then lowered to the floor in one
movement, and repeated. Form is essential in the clean and press, and it is
also important not to attempt to lift too much weight, as injuries to the lower
back are common in poorly executed clean and presses.
Bruce Lee Barbell Squat - 2 sets of 12 reps
The squat is one of the most important compound exercsies in the Bruce Lee
Workout, especially for martial artists. It develops a solid base and core. In
the standard squat, which should always be performed in a squat rack for
safety, a barbell is placed across the shoulders, and a squat is performed.
Bruce Lee advised there should be no pause in the lowest position, instead
as soon as your thighs reach a horizontal position, you should rise again to a
standing position. The squat works the hips, glutes, hamstrings, calves and
quads.
Bruce Lee Barbell Pullover - 2 sets of 8 reps
The barbell pullover is a weight training exercise that is less common these
days. It is the classic rib-box expander. To perform a pullover, you should lie
on a flat bench, hold a barbell with a shoulder width grip overhead, and then
lower it backwards behind your head, keeping a the elbows slightly bent.The
bar should be held as far back as is comfortable. Some people can touch the
floor behind them with the bar, but this is not recommended without adequate
training. Use a light weight to start with, as this is a deceptively difficult
movement.
Bruce Lee Bench Press - 2 sets of 6 reps
No weight training session would be complete without a bench press. Many
martial artists actually advise against the bench press, as it expands the rib
cage, which is a weakness in fighting. Bruce Lee taught that a fighter should
aim to develop a solid set of ribs, which can take strikes. Performing many
bench presses, and pullovers too, can open the ribs too much, so if you plan
to fight competitively, do not place too much emphasis onm these exercises.
Bruce Lee Good Mornings - 2 sets of 8 reps
Bruce Lee was a fan of the good morning exercise. The exercise involves
holding a barbell across the shoulders, and then bending forward, keeping
the legs and back straight. This exercise can be ver dangerous if you do not
warm up, and attempt to use too much weight. Really good mornings can be
performed with good results with just an empty bar. Bruce Lee damaged his
back doing good mornings - he did not damage it in a kung-fu challenge
match, as portrayed in the film Dragon!
Bruce Lee Barbell Curls - 2 sets of 8 reps
Curls are the other staple weight training exercise along with bench presses.
Everyone seems to want bigger biceps. For martial arts styles that involve
grappling, grabbing, pulling and throwing, a good pairs of guns come in very
useful. So perform bicep curls in each training session to build up the guns.
Bruce Lee Workout aims to increase your pulling power.
Change the Routine to Suit Your Needs
With any weight training routine, it is important not to get into a rigid routine.
After a while of training, you will hit a plataeu, and training will no longer
produce the same gains, if any, that it once did when you were weaker and
less fit. For this reason, it is essential to add new exercises, train with
dumbells instead of barbells at times, change the weight and number of
repetitions etc. to give the body a new challange, and a new spurt of growth.
This was by no means Bruce Lee's only workout and weight training routine,
but it formed the foundation, the core, of his strength training, later in his
career. If you want to start to train like Bruce Lee, then perform the Bruce Lee
Workout at least once per week.
Bruce Lee’s abdominal muscles were quite exceptional. 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. The Atkins approach is a great way to lose the 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 Abs Tips
Bruce Lee himself often used to comment on how he trained his abs. In doing so he
helped 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 a vital to providing 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 and which has been tried and tested is that one
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 focussed 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, or on the same day.
Bruce Lee’s most common abs exercises:
Waist twists - four sets of 90 repetitions.
Sit-up twists - four sets of 20 repetitions.
Leg raises - four sets of 20 repetitions.
Leaning twists - four sets of 50 repetitions.
Frog kicks - four sets of 50 repetitions
Also Bruce liked to perform the follow stomach exercises:
Roman chair sit-up
Leg raises (excellent for the lower abs)
Side raises
Bruce Lee’s Abdominal Training Tips:
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. thee is no reduction in belly fat. For this, diet and nutrition is key.
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 particularly difficult drill Lee devised for working the
abdominal. 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 Abs Training
In addition to what we have learnt 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 proven 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 belly fay has been worked off through
calorie controlled dieting and 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 stomach region and as such he worked his abs
out in different ways.
He was constantly changing his abs routine which kept his abs guessing and
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. more Bruce Lee, click here.
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. The Atkins approach is a great way to lose the 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 Abs Tips
Bruce Lee himself often used to comment on how he trained his abs. In doing so he
helped 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 a vital to providing 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 and which has been tried and tested is that one
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 focussed 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, or on the same day.
Bruce Lee’s most common abs exercises:
Waist twists - four sets of 90 repetitions.
Sit-up twists - four sets of 20 repetitions.
Leg raises - four sets of 20 repetitions.
Leaning twists - four sets of 50 repetitions.
Frog kicks - four sets of 50 repetitions
Also Bruce liked to perform the follow stomach exercises:
Roman chair sit-up
Leg raises (excellent for the lower abs)
Side raises
Bruce Lee’s Abdominal Training Tips:
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. thee is no reduction in belly fat. For this, diet and nutrition is key.
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 particularly difficult drill Lee devised for working the
abdominal. 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 Abs Training
In addition to what we have learnt 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 proven 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 belly fay has been worked off through
calorie controlled dieting and 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 stomach region and as such he worked his abs
out in different ways.
He was constantly changing his abs routine which kept his abs guessing and
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. more Bruce Lee, click here.
| Daniel Craig’s James Bond 007 Workout |
Daniel Craig is possibly now in the best physical shape (ignoring his injured shoulder)
that he has ever been in. It seems that he has taken method acting to the extreme,
and is in as good shape as the average British spy or special armed services soldier
would be in. So, how does Bond get so fit?
For the Quantum of Solace Daniel Craig employed a new strength training coach,
Simon Waterson, to help him to build on the success that he made while working on
Casino Royale. This workout is a 5 day a week split training regime, with active rest at
weekends. As we know from Devil May Care, Bond was a keen swimmer and tennis
player, so these activities are ideal for weekends.
Daniel Craig’s Weight Training Workouts
The Bond workout concentrates on different muscle groups each day, with an
intensive interval training afterwards. The three main weight training workouts are
Chest and Back, Legs, Shoulders and Arms, with some plyometric training and Power
Training (Olympic weight lifting) exercises thrown in too.
Day 1: Plyometric Circuit
Day 2: Chest, Back and Leg Exercises (see below)
Day 3: Active Rest - gentle swimming, yoga or other activities
Day 4: Arms and Shoulders
Day 5: Plyometric Circuit
Day 6/7: Active Rest
007 Chest and Back Exercises
Incline press-ups and plyometric press ups:
The foundation of a strong back and powerful chest is the humble press up.
Performed by in military boots camps all over the world, this humble exercise is too
often overlooked by gym goers. With your feet up on a bench, or chair, perform press
ups, keeping your back straight at all times. Aim for 3 sets of 10 to start with. In the
final set, place your feet on the ground and attempt “clap ups”, i.e. push up powerfully
enough to do a quick clap on each press up.
Incline Bench Press:
To work the upper chest, lie on a bench at a 45 degree incline, and pump put 3 sets of
10 incline bench presses. Do not bounce the bar on your chest, and do not lock out
your elbows. Keep the movement steady.
Pull Ups:
For this you will need a pull up bar. Hold the bar with an underhand grip (palms facing
you), slightly wider that shoulder width apart. Pull yourself up until your chin just
passes the bar, then carefully lower yourself, take a few deep breaths, and lift again.
Incline Flys:
Back to the 45 degree incline bench, this time using dumbbells. Hold a dumbbell in
each hand directly above your chest, then lower your arms downwards and out to the
side, keeping your elbows slightly bent, so that the chest expands, then lift again. 3 set
of 10 reps.
James Bond’s Leg Training
Squats:
No proper weight training session is complete without squats. Ideally use a barbell in a
squat rack / cage. With feet shoulder width apart, perform full squats. Good form is
essential, so read here for a full description on how to squat. Perform 3 or 4 sets of 10.
Deadlifts:
Deadlifts are the second most powerful compound exercise. Perform 3 or 4 sets of 10.
Watch this video to learn how to deadlift properly.
Hamstring Curls:
The hamstring curl is not a classic exercise, but is a good isolation exercise to go
along with the squats and deadlifts. Basically it performs the opposite movement to the
squat, so that you are contracting the hamstring rather than expanding. Lie flat on a
hamstring extension bench, stomach down, with ankles hooked under a padded bar.
Lift legs as much as possible, and return slowly.
Lunges:
The lunge is another fantastic leg exercise. They can either be done with or without
weights. Simply hold a dumbbell in each hand, ideally use the heaviest weight that you
can hold. and take a long step forward, bending your front knee, and keeping your
back upright and straight, then return to standing position and repeat with the other
leg.
Daniel Craig’s Bond workout continues in the next instalment, with Shoulder and Arm
workouts, and intensive plyometric workouts combined with power lifting techniques.
that he has ever been in. It seems that he has taken method acting to the extreme,
and is in as good shape as the average British spy or special armed services soldier
would be in. So, how does Bond get so fit?
For the Quantum of Solace Daniel Craig employed a new strength training coach,
Simon Waterson, to help him to build on the success that he made while working on
Casino Royale. This workout is a 5 day a week split training regime, with active rest at
weekends. As we know from Devil May Care, Bond was a keen swimmer and tennis
player, so these activities are ideal for weekends.
Daniel Craig’s Weight Training Workouts
The Bond workout concentrates on different muscle groups each day, with an
intensive interval training afterwards. The three main weight training workouts are
Chest and Back, Legs, Shoulders and Arms, with some plyometric training and Power
Training (Olympic weight lifting) exercises thrown in too.
Day 1: Plyometric Circuit
Day 2: Chest, Back and Leg Exercises (see below)
Day 3: Active Rest - gentle swimming, yoga or other activities
Day 4: Arms and Shoulders
Day 5: Plyometric Circuit
Day 6/7: Active Rest
007 Chest and Back Exercises
Incline press-ups and plyometric press ups:
The foundation of a strong back and powerful chest is the humble press up.
Performed by in military boots camps all over the world, this humble exercise is too
often overlooked by gym goers. With your feet up on a bench, or chair, perform press
ups, keeping your back straight at all times. Aim for 3 sets of 10 to start with. In the
final set, place your feet on the ground and attempt “clap ups”, i.e. push up powerfully
enough to do a quick clap on each press up.
Incline Bench Press:
To work the upper chest, lie on a bench at a 45 degree incline, and pump put 3 sets of
10 incline bench presses. Do not bounce the bar on your chest, and do not lock out
your elbows. Keep the movement steady.
Pull Ups:
For this you will need a pull up bar. Hold the bar with an underhand grip (palms facing
you), slightly wider that shoulder width apart. Pull yourself up until your chin just
passes the bar, then carefully lower yourself, take a few deep breaths, and lift again.
Incline Flys:
Back to the 45 degree incline bench, this time using dumbbells. Hold a dumbbell in
each hand directly above your chest, then lower your arms downwards and out to the
side, keeping your elbows slightly bent, so that the chest expands, then lift again. 3 set
of 10 reps.
James Bond’s Leg Training
Squats:
No proper weight training session is complete without squats. Ideally use a barbell in a
squat rack / cage. With feet shoulder width apart, perform full squats. Good form is
essential, so read here for a full description on how to squat. Perform 3 or 4 sets of 10.
Deadlifts:
Deadlifts are the second most powerful compound exercise. Perform 3 or 4 sets of 10.
Watch this video to learn how to deadlift properly.
Hamstring Curls:
The hamstring curl is not a classic exercise, but is a good isolation exercise to go
along with the squats and deadlifts. Basically it performs the opposite movement to the
squat, so that you are contracting the hamstring rather than expanding. Lie flat on a
hamstring extension bench, stomach down, with ankles hooked under a padded bar.
Lift legs as much as possible, and return slowly.
Lunges:
The lunge is another fantastic leg exercise. They can either be done with or without
weights. Simply hold a dumbbell in each hand, ideally use the heaviest weight that you
can hold. and take a long step forward, bending your front knee, and keeping your
back upright and straight, then return to standing position and repeat with the other
leg.
Daniel Craig’s Bond workout continues in the next instalment, with Shoulder and Arm
workouts, and intensive plyometric workouts combined with power lifting techniques.
Gemma Atkinson is a relatively new face to British television. She is young, fit
and both beautiful and bountiful! From 2001 to 2006 she played Lisa Hunter in
UK TV show Hollyoaks / Hollyoaks: In The City . However, she only really
became noticed in 2007, when she appeared in ITV’s I’m a Celebrity, Get me
Out Of Here, which is a reality TV show set in the Australian jungle. As she
spent most of the time in a bikini, people that had only ever watched her in
Hollyoaks suddenly became aware that she had a fantastic figure.
and both beautiful and bountiful! From 2001 to 2006 she played Lisa Hunter in
UK TV show Hollyoaks / Hollyoaks: In The City . However, she only really
became noticed in 2007, when she appeared in ITV’s I’m a Celebrity, Get me
Out Of Here, which is a reality TV show set in the Australian jungle. As she
spent most of the time in a bikini, people that had only ever watched her in
Hollyoaks suddenly became aware that she had a fantastic figure.
Her great body is not all genetic, as she took on an intense fitness regime to get in
shape. Her fitness regime was so successful that she lost most of her weight in body
fat, which lead her to decide on breast enlargement in early 2006. Gemma Atkinson
increased her bra size to a 34E after the surgery, which gave her breasts the
original shape before she lost weight and toned up, which had caused her breasts
to reduce in size.
Gemma Atkinson’s Health and Fitness Regime
Gemma Atkinson has always been an active person. Throughout school she was
very athletic, describing herself as a sports freak. In April 2008 she walked 228km
along the Great Wall of China, as part of a fund-raising event for Olivia Newton-John’
s breast cancer awareness charity (see her profile here). Also in September 2007,
Atkinson did a 5km charity run for Breast Cancer Awareness. She keeps herself in
shape with running and cross training.
During the summer (2008) she attended a ‘Slimming Boot Camp’, which is a ladies
only army fitness training camp run by Steve Cody, a former Army Physical Training
Instructor from Morecambe. So classic circuit training routines are now second
nature to Gemma Atkinson, which is how she keeps in such great shape. During her
army boot camp, she was doing sprints, sit-ups, press ups and running through
tyres, with the assault course to finish the week.
In addition to the basic circuit training, her boot camp included boxing workouts,
22km endurance cycle rides, and 45 minute quick marches. According to Gemma
her 5 day a week gym routine did not help her at all when she started doing some
real physical training army style.Her gym sessions were just not intense enough to
produce real physical fitness.
The army boot camp also includes some more familiar and comforting exercise,
such as step aerobics and bums, tums and thighs workouts.
Gemma Atkinson’s boot camp results
By the end of the boot camp Gemma could do 115 sit-ups and 96 press-ups in two
minute sets, which is pretty impressive. Her boot camp exercises also helped her to
lose weight, losing a further 6lb. At 5ft 9in she now weighs 9st 12lb. Most improtant
for Gemma her hips lost half an inch, and her belly is two inches thinner. Gemma is
currently a size 8.
Find a boot camp fitness club near you.
Gemma Atkinson’s Glamour Career
Since launching her parallel career as a glamour model, Atkinson has appeared in
provocative photoshoots in lingerie and swimwear, including non-nude topless
shots, for men’s magazines such as Arena, FHM, Loaded, Maxim, Zoo Weekly and
Nuts. In October 2006, she appeared in three of the aforementioned magazines in
one month, becoming one of the most prolific celebrity glamour models in the UK.
She has also released 2 very successful calendars, in 2006 and 2007. Gemma
Atkinson’s 2009 calendar was also shot in Thailand and is set to be released in
November 2008.
Since 2006, she has appeared in FHM’s 100 Sexiest List, debuting at number 32 in
2006; following her appearance on the cover of FHM, she moved up to 23 in 2007;
and in 2008, she rose again to number 18.
In May 2007, Atkinson was announced as the “glamourous new face” of the British
Grand Prix and the official “mascot” of the “hi-octane” championship at Silverstone
on 8 July. She was the face of the 2007 Tour de France. In early 2007 she was
elected to be the new face of the Lingerie chain La Senza.
In October 2007, Atkinson was elected the new face of Ultimo’s D-G range. She
opened Ultimo stores within Debenham branches in London, Belfast and Glasgow.
In 2008 she started to promote video games, by co-hosting the Play.com Live
gamers expo at Wembley stadium, and is soon to appear in the computer game
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 as Lt. Eva McKenna.
The famous bikini shower from I’m a Celebrity
shape. Her fitness regime was so successful that she lost most of her weight in body
fat, which lead her to decide on breast enlargement in early 2006. Gemma Atkinson
increased her bra size to a 34E after the surgery, which gave her breasts the
original shape before she lost weight and toned up, which had caused her breasts
to reduce in size.
Gemma Atkinson’s Health and Fitness Regime
Gemma Atkinson has always been an active person. Throughout school she was
very athletic, describing herself as a sports freak. In April 2008 she walked 228km
along the Great Wall of China, as part of a fund-raising event for Olivia Newton-John’
s breast cancer awareness charity (see her profile here). Also in September 2007,
Atkinson did a 5km charity run for Breast Cancer Awareness. She keeps herself in
shape with running and cross training.
During the summer (2008) she attended a ‘Slimming Boot Camp’, which is a ladies
only army fitness training camp run by Steve Cody, a former Army Physical Training
Instructor from Morecambe. So classic circuit training routines are now second
nature to Gemma Atkinson, which is how she keeps in such great shape. During her
army boot camp, she was doing sprints, sit-ups, press ups and running through
tyres, with the assault course to finish the week.
In addition to the basic circuit training, her boot camp included boxing workouts,
22km endurance cycle rides, and 45 minute quick marches. According to Gemma
her 5 day a week gym routine did not help her at all when she started doing some
real physical training army style.Her gym sessions were just not intense enough to
produce real physical fitness.
The army boot camp also includes some more familiar and comforting exercise,
such as step aerobics and bums, tums and thighs workouts.
Gemma Atkinson’s boot camp results
By the end of the boot camp Gemma could do 115 sit-ups and 96 press-ups in two
minute sets, which is pretty impressive. Her boot camp exercises also helped her to
lose weight, losing a further 6lb. At 5ft 9in she now weighs 9st 12lb. Most improtant
for Gemma her hips lost half an inch, and her belly is two inches thinner. Gemma is
currently a size 8.
Find a boot camp fitness club near you.
Gemma Atkinson’s Glamour Career
Since launching her parallel career as a glamour model, Atkinson has appeared in
provocative photoshoots in lingerie and swimwear, including non-nude topless
shots, for men’s magazines such as Arena, FHM, Loaded, Maxim, Zoo Weekly and
Nuts. In October 2006, she appeared in three of the aforementioned magazines in
one month, becoming one of the most prolific celebrity glamour models in the UK.
She has also released 2 very successful calendars, in 2006 and 2007. Gemma
Atkinson’s 2009 calendar was also shot in Thailand and is set to be released in
November 2008.
Since 2006, she has appeared in FHM’s 100 Sexiest List, debuting at number 32 in
2006; following her appearance on the cover of FHM, she moved up to 23 in 2007;
and in 2008, she rose again to number 18.
In May 2007, Atkinson was announced as the “glamourous new face” of the British
Grand Prix and the official “mascot” of the “hi-octane” championship at Silverstone
on 8 July. She was the face of the 2007 Tour de France. In early 2007 she was
elected to be the new face of the Lingerie chain La Senza.
In October 2007, Atkinson was elected the new face of Ultimo’s D-G range. She
opened Ultimo stores within Debenham branches in London, Belfast and Glasgow.
In 2008 she started to promote video games, by co-hosting the Play.com Live
gamers expo at Wembley stadium, and is soon to appear in the computer game
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 as Lt. Eva McKenna.
The famous bikini shower from I’m a Celebrity
| Paris Hilton’s Workouts to Get Fit and Toned |
So, how do you get a sexy body like Paris Hilton?
The real answer is, you need to have her genes. It
seems that she is one of the lucky ones. Maybe it
will all backfire on her when she reaches middle
age, but for now, she is just naturally talented in
the fit body department. The rest is uncertain, as
she rarely discusses her fitness, and keeps her
training activities confined to her private gyms.
One thing is sure, she knows how to stay in shape
and show off her body. Paris Hilton has “got it”,
and she knows how to flaunt it.
She is reported to practice yoga and Pilates with
Mari Winsor at Equinox in Los Angeles. But other
than that, it seems that Paris Hilton does not do a
lot to stay slim. She once admitted in an interview
that she eats “at McDonald’s or Taco Bell” and
that she generally drinks Red Bull, as she hates
the taste of alcohol. So is she healthy? Probably
not. Unless she want to portray an image of being
an unhealthy celebrity, there is little evidence tat
she is indeed fit or healthy. She just seems
naturally slim.
The real answer is, you need to have her genes. It
seems that she is one of the lucky ones. Maybe it
will all backfire on her when she reaches middle
age, but for now, she is just naturally talented in
the fit body department. The rest is uncertain, as
she rarely discusses her fitness, and keeps her
training activities confined to her private gyms.
One thing is sure, she knows how to stay in shape
and show off her body. Paris Hilton has “got it”,
and she knows how to flaunt it.
She is reported to practice yoga and Pilates with
Mari Winsor at Equinox in Los Angeles. But other
than that, it seems that Paris Hilton does not do a
lot to stay slim. She once admitted in an interview
that she eats “at McDonald’s or Taco Bell” and
that she generally drinks Red Bull, as she hates
the taste of alcohol. So is she healthy? Probably
not. Unless she want to portray an image of being
an unhealthy celebrity, there is little evidence tat
she is indeed fit or healthy. She just seems
naturally slim.