Functionality
Now many of you might think that Arnold was all show but that isn't
the case. He was a pretty decent athlete and performed many of his own
stunts during his film career. Sure he had at least 4 different stunt
doubles over the years and they performed the hard and nasty stuff but
he was more than just muscle. He would run or rather hike hills most
mornings, then workout and usually workout again after a day of
filming.
My friend Danial Donai was Arnold's stunt double for a bunch of films and he said watching him train was like watching balloons being pumped up! He literally grew on the spot. Ok, so there were obviously some 'chemical enhancements' but we are talking about a genetic marvel and a man who loved to train.
He learned to ride a horse, use weaponry, ride big motorbikes, fight choreography, performed high falls, dive rolls and much more in the pursuit of the perfect action star. Like almost everything he has done in his life he did it well and pulled it off when it counted.
However, when we're talking about functional physiques, Bruce Lee is an altogether different kettle of fish!
Although his book collection was full of physical culture and bodybuilding writings, Bruce's main focus was on speed and strength for his martial art. He was using that buzzword functionality way before the fitness industry got a hold of it. All of this training was evident in his lightning fast performances and by the feats of strength he was doing.
This brings us to a huge part of why Bruce was as successful as he was...injury! Whilst performing the good morning exercise Bruce severely injured his 4th sacral nerve. There has been a great deal written about the injury and his rehab. He was bed ridden for a period of time and it was here that he began to break down the martial arts and put together some of his writings for Jeet Kune Do.
I believe the injury made Bruce even better. He had no choice but to get stronger and smarter with his training if he wanted to become the man he envisioned. He went back to the drawing board and came up with a routine to make him stronger than before. He was doing plyometric jumps, HIIT (high intensity interval training), backwards running, rope climbing, weight training, sprinting, extreme abdominal work, bodybuilding, squatting and everything else he could to make himself a better athlete for his chosen discipline, the martial arts.
Although Arnold was a decent athlete capable of adapting to any situation there's no doubt in my mind that Bruce had the more functional physique. He could run, jump, fight, twist, turn, teach, adapt and basically was able to make himself into a living super hero!
One famous quote from the little dragon sums it up, "If you're talking about combat -- as it is -- well then, baby
you'd better train every part of your body!
Nick
Part 3...coming soon.
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