Jesse Enkamp (aka the Karate Nerd) and Eddie Hall entertained me with their attempt to replicate Bruce Lee’s 1965 workout routine. Judging by the reactions of Jesse and Eddie, it sounds like an insane workout. Keep in mind that Bruce was 25 years old and approaching his physical prime. Eddie Hall, along with Thor Bjornsson, is among the strongest men in the world.

If you are not able to view this video, go here.

Watching the video made me think about age-appropriate martial arts and related workouts. In recent years, I have moved away from free weights and toward bodyweight training, weight machines, and flexibility routines. I have started incorporating Theraband leg exercises. More on that later.

Let’s start with the flexibility aspect. I have never had natural flexibility. In short, I ain’t no Jean Claude Van Damme!

If you are not able to view the video, go here.

Anyway, because I never had natural flexibility, I never really stretched regularly. I gravitated toward what I could do well rather than addressing my weaknesses. My bad.

Anyway, some of you know that one of my students (Rosh) used to compete for Canada in international gymnastics competitions. He is a world-class athlete and runs his own gymnastics facility in Pickering, where I teach class once a week.

While recovering from my hip replacement surgery, I was suggested to try his flexibility class. Sure, why not? I’ve been participating in this class for the last two years and have incorporated it into my daily routine at home. Rosh takes us through a whole-body flexibility routine lasting about 45 minutes, ranging from leg to shoulder stretches.

Side note: I am often the oldest, the only male and the least flexible athlete in the flexibility class. I am surrounded by pre-teen and teenage girls, a few adult women and am being taught by a world-class gymnast. They all have far more flexibility than I do.

It’s a running joke between my wife and me. “Were you the oldest and least flexible student in tonight’s class?” Well, of course, every single time!

Hey, I gotta do what I gotta do to keep my body functional and make my martial arts smoother. All that said, this class has been great for my body. The shoulder stretches, in particular, have helped to alleviate the biceps tendonitis issue that has bedevilled me for a while.

The next adjustment is moving away from free weights toward body-weight training and weight machines.

The idea behind this is to protect my joints. I’m also emphasizing quality over quantity. As Arnold Schwarnegger advised Jason Kelce, after his retirement as a professional football player, “Decrease the tonnage to the point where you can do 12 reps per exercise and emphasize strict form.”

Lighter weights and strict form are the approaches I am taking with body weight exercises and machines. It’d be nice to be 25 years old and use Bruce Lee’s 1965 workout routine. Reality intrudes, however, and I have had to adjust my routine over the years to account for my aches and pains. As I said, quality over quantity.

More extended recovery periods are also necessary.

I got a reminder of this through an experiment with Therabands while teaching private lessons.

If you are not able to view the video, go here.

I wore the Theraband around my knees (rather than my ankles in the above video) for 30 minutes while teaching a private lesson. My client and I did a few flow drills. It restricted my movement, but it gave my legs a hell of a workout. It took me 48 hours to recover from that. I have a feeling that regular use of the Theraband will lead to more explosive footwork.

Stay tuned for a video on this topic!

In summary, my physical fitness routine includes flexibility, body weight training, weight machines, and Theraband exercises. It ain’t the 1965 Bruce Lee workout routine, but it works for me!

Let me know what you think! What is your workout routine like? Let me know in the comment section!