"Be aware that a halo has to fall only a few inches to be a noose.

" --Dan McKinnon Introduction Bruce Lee is the personality most associated with the martial arts. Both martial art enthusiasts and non-practioners consider the deceased actor as the ultimate martial artist. Although he did not compete in tournaments or submit to any empirical con entions wherein his ability could be ob!ecti ely assessed" he is fre#uently referred to as a superior athlete and the strongest fighter "pound for pound." A close e$amination of his e$ercise regime and personal character re eal a committed athlete and martial artist but not to the mythic proportions usually ascribed to him. %his article will re iew Lee&s physical strength" aerobic capacity" and indi idual character to assess whether he should be considered the "best of the best". I. 'hysical strength. (umerous persons ha e stated that Bruce Lee possessed an incredible amount of strength. Based on his e$ercise program" it appears he was of below-a erage lower body strength. According to the strength training program Lee used during )*+, -Lee" )*.*/" he performed s#uats using *, pounds with )0 repetitions. %his would e#uate to an estimated ) repetition ma$imum -)1M/ of )20 pounds -3athen" )**4/" which would place him below the 5,th percentile for the )5)-)40 pound weight class among adult males -6atfield" )**2/. %his type of estimation for the ) repetition ma$imum is standard among athletic trainers to assess the strength le el of a wide range of athletes" both professional and amateur. 3hile some chart estimates may ary slightly from one to another" most are within appro$imately )07 of one another. 8ome readers" who are accustomed to iewing Lee as possessing epic strength" may assert that Lee probably was not using his ma$imum ability at that time. It is therefore noted that this regime occurred prior to Lee&s well-9nown bac9 in!ury. :urthermore" if Lee was capable of performing the s#uat e$ercise with more than *, pounds for )0 repetitions" one must #uestion why this was part of his established routine or" alternati ely" why he would be committing himself to a method of underachie ement by using too low an amount of weight to stimulate the greatest strength gains possible. %o further demonstrate this below-a erage lower body strength" the estimated )20 pound ma$imum estimate would mean Lee was not prepared for plyometric training -a type of e$plosi eness e$ercise/ which re#uires the ability to s#uat a minimum of )., times the body weight -Allerheiligen" )**4/.In other words" at an appro$imate body weight of )40 pounds" Lee would need to ha e s#uatted 5)0 pounds to engage in plyometric training based on recogni;ed standards for training of athletes by today&s standards.

Lee&s upper body strength is another matter altogether and" when understood from a sport science perspecti e" partially e$plains his on-screen appeal. <nce again" according to the program used during his )*+, stay in 6ong Kong" Lee performed bicep curls using a weight of .0 pounds and . repetitions. %his would e#uate to an estimated ) repetition ma$imum of ))0 pounds and would place him in the )00th percentile for the )5)-)40 pound weight class. :rom a training perspecti e" one must #uestion how a discrepancy of this proportion" between his upper and lower body strength" e ol ed in Lee&s training. (e ertheless" it demonstrates that his upper body strength was de eloped to its ma$imum potential. (umerous obser ers of Bruce Lee" such as deceased Kenpo master =d 'ar9er" ha e stated Lee was perhaps the strongest "pound for pound" martial artist. 8port science can confirm this possibility. (umerous assessments of athletes throughout the past few decades ha e confirmed that smaller athletes are proportionately stronger than larger ones. %his is due to the fact that a muscle&s ma$imum contractile force is proportional to its cross-sectional area. In laymen&s terms" this means that a smaller athlete has a higher strength to mass ratio than larger athletes. 8tated practically" as body si;e increases" body mass increases more rapidly than does muscle strength. In a collo#uial sense" it could be said this is similar to the "law of diminishing returns." >ertain martial art film stars such as ?ean >laude @an Damme and ?eff 8pea9man may loo9 better due to their mass" but their actual strength" in proportion to body weight" would be less than a relati ely light person such as Lee. Incredible speed is inherent to superior strength at a low body weight. 8ince Lee ne er weighed more than )42 pounds yet possessed superior upper body strength in the )00th percentile" this would account for the lightening speed he demonstrated on film. 3ith more mass" he would not ha e been as fast and would not ha e appeared so on film. II. Aerobic capacity. Lee was 9nown to ad ocate running as the best cardio ascular e$ercise -Lee" )*A,/ and is reported to ha e run 5 miles in ), minutes or + miles in 4, minutes -8torm" )*.+B Lee" )*.*/. In either case" this would mean an appro$imate pace of a A minute 20 second mile. %his pace e#uates to a @<5 ma$ of appro$imately ,0 mlC9gCmin -(oa9es" )**)/. %he @<5 ma$ is a method employed by sport scientists to estimate an indi idual&s ma$imum capacity to use o$ygen during e$tended e$ercise. %he a erage @<5 ma$ among healthy young men is between 4, and ,,. Lee&s estimated alue of ,0" based on his running times" would place him s#uarely in the middle of a erage healthy young men. %he alues among elite runners and cross-country s9iers is usually a range between A, and ., mlC9gCmin. In other words" Lee&s aerobic capacity was #uite a erage. <nce again" certain readers who are accustomed to iewing Lee in epic proportions may assert that Lee was not running his fastest and was capable of more. >onsidering his personality" if this were true it arguably would ha e been publici;ed somewhere.

In contrast to Lee&s estimated aerobic capacity" a >anadian research study published in )**, demonstrates that elite 9ic9bo$ers possess a @<5 ma$ of +5 -Dabu9o ec and %iidus" )**,/. In controlled laboratory measurements" elite 9ic9bo$ers had recorded alues of aerobic capacity that are comparable to a person who runs a 4E4, mile" or a 24 minute )09 foot race. It is a curious notion" therefore" that Lee was considered to be an aerobic phenomenon. >urrent elite 9ic9bo$ing competitors register higher aerobic capacity than did Bruce Lee. III. 'ersonal >haracter. %he great 9arate master Fichin :una9oshi stated that martial artists should show great concern for family and relationships. "%he mind of the true 9arate9a should be imbued with -family/ concern before he turns his attention to his body and the refinement of his techni#ue" -:una9oshi" )*A,/. In contrast" Lee is reported to ha e been in ol ed in se eral e$tramarital affairs and" in fact" died in the apartment of a woman with whom he has intimately in ol ed -Beec9ler" )**+/. Lee also died without a will -intestate/ which left his widow with almost a decade of legal battles to settle the matter of his estate. 3hile some may argue that his early" unanticipated" death would ha e precluded finali;ing a will" Lee was conscious enough of his own mortality that he purchased significant amounts of life insurance !ust months prior to his death. And while :una9oshi admonishes martial artists to render honor to their families before refining themsel es" when Bruce Lee did refine himself physically it was not in a wholly honorable fashion. In addition to the prescription medications >ortisone and Dilantin" he is also reported to ha e used anabolic steroids and diuretics to achie e his physi#ue -Beec9ler" )**+/. It is also documented that he was a user of mari!uana during the final three years of his life and it was disco ered in his body during the autopsy. 3hy the Best of the BestG Bruce Lee did not compete in any sanctioned martial art e ents. 6e compiled no tournament record to demonstrate his ability as did other superstars of his generation such as Bill 3allace" >huc9 (orris" Bob 3all or Mi9e 8tone. @arious anecdotes are reported regarding his superiority in street fights but is that a basis of considering anyone the best of the best in their respecti e sport or physical acti ityG 3ould the American public accept this reasoning if 'ete 8ampras said he was the best tennis player but refused to compete in 3imbledonG <r if Michael ?ordan claimed to be the best bas9etball player but would only play in alleys and playgrounds" ne er on the professional hardwood courtG

%oday&s martial athletes can demonstrate their abilities in an empirical manner. :or e$ample" the IM'AH instrument records the total of punches and 9ic9s deli ered in a certain period of time and the total force of a stri9e or 9ic9. %he elite 9ic9 bo$ers sur eyed in the earlier referenced study were ob!ecti ely assessed regarding their aerobic and anaerobic capacity as well as ma$imum 9nee tor#ue. In other words" the tools e$ist today to determine who is the best of the best among martial artists. :or better or worse" Lee escaped ob!ecti e e aluation. It&s tremendously sub!ecti e but Bruce Lee is arguably considered the most noteworthy martial artist due to his magnetism on film. 1egardless of any opinion about his actual martial art talent" or lac9 of empirical demonstration regarding his ability" he e$pressed himself on the screen in a manner that no martial artist has e#ualed. And" by combining his upper body strength and light body weight" he possessed uncanny speed that isually made belie ers of anyone who saw him in action. 1eassessing the Isefulness of the Bruce Lee Myth In one sense" Lee is fore er a tremendous asset to the martial art community as his image and myth draws people to the arts. %hese fledgling martial artists may then be retained for more noble and enduring reasons than a desire to emulate someone whose e$ample is #uestionable upon closer e$amination. <nce a martial artist re iews the reality of Lee&s strength" aerobic capacity and personal character" a sober #uestion must be addressedE should Lee&s myth be acti ely deconstructed among no ice martial artistsG 'erhaps not. %hat may be a function of maturity and be better emphasi;ed in the later stages of training and spiritual de elopment within the arts. Instead" people need a isual image to connect to and" until they begin to see their own sel es in growing competency" may need the myth of Bruce Lee to sustain their training efforts. 1eferences Lee" Linda -)*.*/. %he Bruce Lee 8tory. <hara 'ublications" >alifornia. -A0/ 3athen" Dan -)**4/. Load Assignment. In =ssentials of 8trength %raining and >onditioning. 6uman Kinetics" Illinois. -42+/ 6atfield" :redric9 >." 'h. D. -)**2/. :itnessE %he >omplete Fuide. International 8port 8ciences Association" >alifornia. -))*/ . Allerheiligen" 3illiam B. -)**4/. 8peed De elopment and 'lyometric %raining. In =ssentials of 8trength %raining and >onditioning. 6uman Kinetics" Illinois. -25)/ Lee" Bruce -)*A,/. %ao of ?eet Kune Do. <hara" Burban9" >alifornia. - /

8torm" MitchB Blac9 Belt Maga;ine" %he =ditors -)*.+/. %he Legendary Bruce Lee. <hara" Burban9" >A. -,2/ Lee" Linda -)*.*/. %he Bruce Lee 8tory. <hara 'ublications" >alifornia. -,4/ (oa9es" %imothy" M.D. -)**)/. %he Lore of 1unning. Leisure 'ress" >hampaign" Illinois. -45/ %iidus" 'eter M.B Dabu9o ec" 1andy -)**,/. "'hysiological and Anthropometric 'rofile of =lite Kic9bo$ers". ?ournal of 8trength and >onditioning 1esearch" -(o ember/ 540-545. :una9oshi" Fichin -)*A,/. Karate-DoE My 3ay of Life. Kodansha International" %o9yo" ?apan. -)05/ Beec9ler" %om -)**+/. Insettled MattersE %he Life and Death of Bruce Lee. Filderoy 'ublications" Lompoc" >alifornia. -)44B ).5/ AB<I% %6= AI%6<1E In addition to the martial arts" Mr. 6ess is a licensed cycling coach who regularly wor9s with successful endurance athletes with tiny ertical !umps. 6e is the author of %otal Juality Martial ArtsE 'athways to >ontinuous Impro ement.