Old-School Six Pack: Build a Dragon’s Core with Bruce Lee’s Intense Ab Training

Since I was a little kid, I have been fascinated with actors with jacked physiques. Enter the Dragon (1973) was my first Bruce Lee movie, and I was instantly hooked. I knew people with muscles were strong, but I had no idea they could be so fast and explosive.

I discovered Lee pretty late, but I made up for it by watching all his popular movies in a few weeks. One thing stood out in all the movies: unlike all my other favorite actors, Lee was ripped to the bone in each film, and his abs looked like they had been carved into his midsection.

I took it upon myself to research Lee’s ab training routine. It has been a few decades since, and I’ve helped several of my personal training clients build washboard abs with Lee-inspired workouts.

In this article, I share the most effective Bruce Lee ab exercises and how you can implement them into your own workouts.

Bruce Lee’s Ab Workout Routine

Here are the six ab exercises that Lee relied on to build an iron-clad core:

1. Dragon Flags

Sets & Reps	3 x 6-8
Equipment Needed	None
Target Muscles	Rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, hip flexors

Dragon flags are the most iconic exercise associated with Lee. This advanced exercise involves fighting the gravitational pull using nothing but your core strength.

Steps:

1. On a squat rack, set the safety pin a few inches off the floor.
2. Lie supine on the floor so your body is perpendicular to the safety pin with your head toward the squat rack.
3. Reach over your head and grab the safety pin with an overhand grip.
4. Keeping your body rigid, raise your legs and hips off the ground until they are perpendicular to the floor.
5. Slowly lower your legs toward the ground.
6. Pause just before your feet touch the floor and reverse the motion.
7. Repeat for recommended reps.

Difficulty	Advanced
Progression	Perform the exercise on a slight decline
Regression	Lying leg raises

2. V-Ups

Sets & Reps	3 x 10-12
Equipment Needed	None
Target Muscles	Rectus abdominis, obliques, hip flexors

This exercise combines sit-ups and leg raises, delivering optimal ab fiber stimulation. It is also a great exercise for martial artists who want to improve their overall coordination.

Steps:

1. Get into the starting position on the floor with your legs fully extended and your arms overhead.
2. Squeeze your abs as hard as possible and lift your arms and legs off the ground at the same time.
3. Your body should look like a ‘V’ at the movement’s top.
4. Bring your hands as close to your toes as possible without bending at your knees.
5. Slowly return to the starting position. 

Difficulty	Intermediate
Progression	Weighted V-ups
Regression	Leg raises with knees bent

3. Static Holds (Planks)

Sets & Reps	3 x 30-60 seconds
Equipment Needed	None
Target Muscles	Rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, shoulders, core

Contrary to what most people think, you don’t always have to flex or extend your spine to train your core and abs. Static holds like planks are just as effective for building core endurance and stability.

Steps:

1. Start in a push-up position.
2. Place your forearms on the ground so your elbows are directly under the shoulders and the legs extended behind you.
3. Hold the position for as long as possible.
4. Make sure your body is in a straight line throughout the exercise.

Difficulty	Beginner/Intermediate
Progression	Increase the duration of the hold, side planks
Regression	Plank on knees

4. Sit-Ups

Sets & Reps	3 x 15-20
Equipment Needed	Bodyweight
Target Muscles	Rectus abdominis, hip flexors

This is a staple in many ab training routines and primarily targets the upper abs. Lee alternated between different sit-up variations to keep his muscles guessing and unlock new muscle gains.

Steps:

1. Lay on an exercise mat with your knees bent at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor.
2. Position your hands behind your skull or cross them in front of your chest.
3. Contract your core and slowly lift your upper body off the ground until it is perpendicular to the floor.
4. Pause in the fully shortened position.

Difficulty	Beginner
Progression	Weighted sit-ups or decline sit-ups
Regression	Crunches

5. Leg Raises

Sets & Reps	3 x 10-15
Equipment Needed	Bodyweight, Captain’s Chair (optional)
Target Muscles	Rectus abdominis, hip flexors

This is one of the most common core exercises that biases the lower and middle abs. Hanging from a pull-up bar allows optimal core isolation and muscle fiber recruitment. (1)

Steps:

1. Lie on your back on a flat bench and place your hands under your hips for leverage.
2. Raise your legs as high toward the ceiling as possible while keeping your knees fully extended.
3. Visualize curing your pelvis toward your ribcage during the eccentric phase.
4. Slowly lower your legs until your feet almost touch the floor.

Difficulty	Beginner/Intermediate
Progression	Add ankle weights
Regression	Bend knees slightly

6. Twists

Sets & Reps	3 x 15-20 (per side)
Equipment Needed	Dumbbell or weight plate
Target Muscles	Obliques, transverse abdominis

Most ab routines have sagittal and frontal plane movements but lack transverse plane exercises, which often lead to underdeveloped oblique muscles. Twisting exercises like Russian twists and standing cable twists fix this. For this example, we will consider the Russian twists.

Steps:

1. Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Hold a weight plate with both hands and extend your arms in front of your body so your wrists are above your knees.
3. Keeping your core engaged, rotate your torso to the right side as far as possible.
4. Return to the starting position.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Difficulty	Beginner
Progression	Decline Russian twists
Regression	Bodyweight twists

Bruce Lee Inspired Ab Workout

Now that you know about Lee’s six most favorite ab exercises, here’s how to use them in a workout:

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Dragon Flags	3	6-8 (or to failure)	60-90 seconds
Leg Raises	3	10-15	45-60 seconds
V-ups	3	10-12	45-60 seconds
Twists	3	15-20 (per side)	30-45 seconds
Plank	3	30-60 seconds (or to failure)	45-60 seconds

Programming Tips For Modern Ab Training Routines

Here are a few programming tips to help you integrate Lee’s favorite exercises into your own routine:

• Exercise Selection: You don’t need super high volume to train your abs. Three to four exercises per session are enough to get the job done. Ensure a mix of static hold and dynamic movements to ensure overall development.
• Sets: Perform three to four sets of each exercise.
• Reps: Abs can endure a very high training volume. I recommend starting with 10-12 reps per exercise and adjusting based on your experience level. However, the rep range for dragon flags will be significantly lower.
• Frequency: Train your abs two to three times weekly on alternate days to allow adequate rest and recovery time between workouts.
• Warm-Up & Cool-Down: Although abs are a relatively small muscle group, you must warm up before training them to prime the muscles and avoid cramps. Cooling down after a session helps flush out the metabolites and boost recovery. A five-minute warm-up and cool-down routine is all that it takes.

Breathing right during core exercises can make all the difference in muscle contractions and results. Prioritize exhaling forcefully during the concentric phase and inhaling deeply during the eccentric phase to maximize muscle fiber activation.

Conclusion

The Lee-inspired ab exercises and workouts listed in this article are designed to improve your aesthetics, athleticism, and overall health and fitness without overexerting yourself.

Remember, building a six-pack like The Dragon requires dedication and perseverance. Stick to this training regime for at least eight to 12 weeks, and the results will follow.

If you need help implementing these exercises into your workouts, please post them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References:

1. Park, D. J., & Park, S. Y. (2019). Which trunk exercise most effectively activates abdominal muscles? A comparative study of plank and isometric bilateral leg raise exercises. Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation, 32(5), 797–802. https://doi.org/10.3233/BMR-181122

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