Today, many Asian actors lead big-budget movies in the West, but until a century ago, this wasn’t a common occurrence. But, Bruce Lee was the first person to break that barrier. An inhabitant of Hong Kong, he made a foray into American films as a child and rose to fame for revolutionizing action sequences with his mind-blowing martial art moves.
His workouts were high on strength, coordination, agility and flexibility. A lot of Lee’s admirers aspire to achieve his ripped physique and rock-hard abs. Among them is Jeff Cavaliere, a strength coach at Athlean-X, who recently took to his YouTube channel to deconstruct the cultural icon’s coveted ab workout routine.
Jeff shared six core-strengthening exercises in total, each of which should be performed either 25 times or till exhaustion (OTE) for the next two weeks or so. He advises going slow and getting a good contraction from every movement for maximum results.
AskMen India shares six ab exercises Jeff Cavaliere demonstrates in his video, including Bruce Lee’s favourite ‘dragon flags’, which must be done for not more than a minute to begin with.
Standing elbow twists
Standing elbow twists are an effective stretching exercise for the ab muscles. As you twist your torso to the sides, you work on the flexibility of the obliques situated on the sides of your stomach. This, in turn, burns belly fat and helps you develop a ripped physique in the process. Jeff recommends going slow and getting a good contraction with each repetition.
Follow these steps:
- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Keep your back straight and shoulders relaxed.
- Place your palms at the back of your head.
- Twist your body to each side.
- Lean slightly forward when you do this.
- Repeat in a slow and seamless motion.
Frog kicks
Frog kicks do wonders for your lower body, as they both stretch and strengthen your leg muscles. As you bend and straighten your knees in an alternate motion, you work on the flexibility of your hamstrings and quadriceps. Having said that, frog kicks are primarily an isometric movement that gives your lower abs more definition.
Follow these steps:
- Lie down on your back.
- Keep your arms by your sides.
- Straighten your legs. Hover your feet slightly above the floor.
- Bend your legs at 90 degrees. Bring your knees in line with your hips.
- Point your feet at the sky and lift your pelvic off the floor.
- Reverse these steps and return to the starting position.
- Repeat in a quick and seamless motion.
Single leg raises
Single leg raises are a lower body workout, but doing them in a reclining position shifts the pressure onto the abdominal muscles. As you lift your legs off the floor in an alternate motion, you directly target these muscles and give them more definition.
A good way to check if you’re doing it right is to ensure that you tire your abs out instead of your legs. Jeff suggests doing them in quick succession for optimal results.
Follow these steps:
- Lie down on your back.
- Keep your upper body in a reclining position.
- Place your elbows on the floor in line with your shoulders.
- Straighten your knees and join your feet together.
- Alternately lift your legs off the floor.
- Bring your feet in line with your hips while doing this.
- Repeat in a seamless motion.
Seated elbow to knee tuck
Seated elbow to knee tucks are yet another core strengthening exercise that give you a set of well-defined abs. Each time you touch your knees with alternate elbows, you burn belly fat, stretch the obliques situated on the sides of your stomach and sculpt the abdominal muscles into shape. For optimum results, do them in quick succession.
Follow these steps:
- Sit down on the floor.
- Place your palms at the back of your head.
- Keep your upper body in a reclining position.
- Bend your knees slightly.
- Touch your left knee with your right elbow.
- Touch your right knee with your left elbow.
- Repeat in a quick and seamless motion.
Full sit-ups
Full sit-ups are a foolproof movement for strengthening the core muscles. As you lift your upper body up, you contract your abdominal muscles and strengthen them as a result. Full sit-ups also bolster the back muscles in the process of toughening your torso. However, the effectiveness of this exercise lies in how firmly your feet are anchored to the floor.
Follow these steps:
- Lie down on your back.
- Place your palms at the back of your head.
- Bend your knees.
- Firmly anchor your feet on the floor.
- Lift your upper body into a sitting position.
- Release your upper body and return to the starting position.
- Repeat in a quick and seamless motion.
Dragon flags
Dragon flags are undeniably the toughest ab exercise of this lot. Bruce Lee was big on them for the many benefits they bring to the body, like boosting core strength and endurance, improving balance, increasing the stability of the spine and of course, toning the trunk. Try the easier variation that involves keeping the knees bent if this one seems too difficult to begin with.
Follow these steps:
- Lie down on your back.
- Hold a firm surface in your hands above your head.
- Straighten your legs and join them together.
- Lift your lower body off the floor.
- Push your legs closer to the chest.
- Repeat in a seamless motion for a minute.
Stick to these exercises for the next few weeks and watch yourself transform into big and burly Bruce Lee!
Cover artwork by Dhaval Punatar/AskMen India
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