Introduction
The late great Actor/Martial Artist Bruce Lee’s last film entitled ’The Game of Death’ was based on a story about a retired champion martial artist who is confronted by Korean underworld gangs. After the protagonists younger sister and brother are kidnapped, he is forced to confront them having to fight his way up a five-level pagoda where the criminals (all expert martial artists coincidently) reside.
On each level of the pagoda, he must encounter a different opponent on each floor, each more challenging than the last in one-on-one martial arts combat.
The story is flimsy at best, being merely a vehicle to display Bruce’s martial arts skills, and the film was not good. Certainly not as an epitaph for Bruce who sadly died whilst making it. The panicking producers then sloppily replaced him in key scenes with actors that looked nothing like him! The finished film looked terrible in places!!
However, the fight scenes filmed were all Bruce Lee and so still have a place in martial arts film history. Additionally, the iconography of the film has proved very influential in film history and pop culture ever since. Indeed, the yellow tracksuit is easily identifiable as the same that Uma Thurman dons in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill’.
The Workout
This workout I have based on The Game of Death is a ladder workout. You start at the lowest level of the ‘pagoda’ and fight your way up to the final boss. The levels will consist of 6 Circuit exercises and a heavy bag combination of 8 Martial Arts moves.
The Exercises
1. Burpees.
2. Dynamic press-ups. (Push-ups pushing the upper body off the floor).
3. Weighted squat and press.
4. MMA Sprawls and then return to fighters stance.
5. Mountain climbers with rotation.
6. MMA Sit-outs.
The 8 Hit Heavy Bag Combination
- Jab
- Cross
- Hook
- Knee
- Uppercut
- Roundhouse
- Roundhouse
- Front kick.
The Levels of the Pagoda
Level 1:
- Burpees (1 rep).
- Dynamic press-ups (1 rep).
- Weighted squat and press (1 rep).
- MMA Sprawls (1 rep)
- Mountain climbers with rotation (1 rep).
- MMA Sit-outs (1 rep).
- 8 hit combo (jab, cross, hook, knee, uppercut, roundhouse, roundhouse, front kick (1 rep).
Level 2:
- Burpees (2 reps).
- Dynamic press-ups (2 reps).
- Weighted squat and press (2 reps).
- MMA Sprawls (2 reps)
- Mountain climbers with rotation (2 reps).
- MMA Sit-outs (2 reps).
- 8 hit combo (jab, cross, hook, knee, uppercut, roundhouse, roundhouse, front kick (2 reps).
Level 3:
- Burpees (3 reps).
- Dynamic press-ups (3 reps).
- Weighted squat and press (3 reps).
- MMA Sprawls (3 reps)
- Mountain climbers with rotation (3 reps).
- MMA Sit-outs (3 reps).
- 8 hit combo (jab, cross, hook, knee, uppercut, roundhouse, roundhouse, front kick (3 reps).
Continue to make your way through the Levels. Add 1 rep each round until the tenth level and you are doing ten reps of each exercise (as below).
Level 10:
- Burpees (10 reps).
- Dynamic press-ups (10 reps).
- Weighted squat and press (10 reps).
- MMA Sprawls (10 reps)
- Mountain climbers with rotation (10 reps).
- MMA Sit-outs (10 reps).
- 8 hit combo (jab, cross, hook, knee, uppercut, roundhouse, roundhouse, front kick (10 reps).
No rest between rounds if possible. If absolutely necessary jog on the spot, star jump or kettlebell swings.
Final Round
On reaching the top level after completion of round 10, proceed straight to a 3-5 minute all-out round on the heavy bag, anything goes, just hit it with everything you have with no rest throughout the round!!
Remember to cool down and drink water!
Game of Death Complete!!!
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