Tom Bleecker Discusses Bruce Lee's Alleged Use of Anabolic Steroids

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 30 дек 2021
  • Arguably the most controversial topic when the author's book "Unsettled Matters" was first published 25 years ago, over time and given the recent disclosure of Bruce's substantial use of street drugs, a growing number of his followers have accepted that Lee's use of anabolic steroids is a reasonable possibility.
  • КиноКино

Комментарии • 404

  • @mannybrucesalvador
    @mannybrucesalvador 2 года назад +31

    Hey Bruce was only human. He was an exceptional human being but at the end of the day he was just like the rest of us. RIP Master Lee 🙏

    • @osakaix
      @osakaix Год назад

      Bruce Lee even admitted he was no saint wife cheat drug abusing little rat with one leg shorter than the other and one ball sack

  • @itsgleneaton4883
    @itsgleneaton4883 2 года назад +36

    I never looked at Bruce like a saint but like a man who lives life to its fullest,his boundless energy, the greatest martial artist and fighter and loves to express himself and to laugh along the way. So I’m never disappointed but always my energy level goes up when I hear another story about that man.

    • @STRONGMAN415
      @STRONGMAN415 Год назад

      Every one used them 5,00 for 100, Dianabol with a script

  • @jeromestephenball
    @jeromestephenball 2 года назад +13

    I’ve very much enjoyed your videos, Mr. Bleecker. I’m looking forward to the next one! Thanks much for sharing your insight and stories, both your personal stories and the stories about Bruce Lee. It’s been the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever watched on RUclips in a long time. I also very much enjoyed reading “Unsettled Matters”, and I look forward to reading your other work as well. I wish you the best in your new writing project.

  • @davidwilliams6089
    @davidwilliams6089 2 года назад +8

    I remember buying your book as soon as it came out. I'm pretty sure I talked with you over email or perhaps one of the martial arts forums at the time. It is good to see that you have become more insightful about Bruce and your own life experiences. I think these videos provide much more context, and they are great to listen to.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +1

      Glad you're enjoying them. Cheers

  • @creightonfreeman8059
    @creightonfreeman8059 7 месяцев назад +5

    I think Bruce was taking corticosteroids for his back injury, NOT anabolic steroids. They are not the same. One is anti-inflammatory, the other is anabolic. Bruce never had the muscle mass/bulk, water retention/puffiness, bubble gut, gynecomastia, hair loss, nor other symptoms associated with anabolic steroid use. Some may point to his "violent temper" as he called it, but he had that from childhood and I'm pretty sure he was not taking anabolic steroids as a 15 year old in Hong Kong.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  7 месяцев назад +2

      According to Bruce's medical records, Bruce did take corticosteroids for his back injury. Most people understand they are not the same as anabolic steroids. With regard to the physiques of amateur (including Olympic) and professional athletes who have used anabolic steroids, many do not present muscle mass/bulk, water retention/puffiness, bubble gut, gynecomastia, and/or hair loss. Lastly, if Bruce's frequent violent outbursts during the last year of his life in Hong Kong weren't the result of roid rages, then what caused them? Since the surfacing of those drug letters, many have felt his violent outbursts were the result of his cocaine abuse. As an aside, although Bruce was known to have a temper, he was never known to be a bully, as he demonstrated on two occasions when he threatened to beat up and even kill an overweight and in poor physical condition director Lo Wei.

    • @axelstone3131
      @axelstone3131 22 дня назад

      @@TomBleeckercocaine. You know this already. Lo Wei wasn’t exactly a saint towards Bruce. All sorts of people tried to fuck him over and swindle him out of money, including, Raymond Chow. I would hardly call Bruce a bully.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  22 дня назад +1

      @@axelstone3131 Raymond Chow was the only person who didn't play fair with Bruce regarding money. In retrospect, much of the blame falls on Bruce's attorney Adrian, who neglected to draw up written contracts with Chow. Although Lo Wei and Bruce traded verbal barbs now and then, Lo Wei never brandished a knife and threatened to kill Bruce. The numerous episodes of Bruce's violent outbursts were clearly fueled by his cocaine abuse. I never knew Bruce to be a bully. It simply wasn't his nature.

    • @jjs490
      @jjs490 12 часов назад

      Thanks Tom. You're a great source of knowledge concerning Bruce now as there aren't too many people around that are willing to share what happened back then maybe many of them have gone, I'm so glad you are forthright and generous with your knowledge, John S, from Philly.
      Be well.

  • @EGvids1
    @EGvids1 Год назад +6

    I just bought your book, the information you provide is transparent and objective. I am enjoying your videos because I am a fan of Bruce Lee and really appreciate learning what happened in his life.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      Glad to hear that you're finding my work of value and worth your time. Cheers

  • @anthonychand4136
    @anthonychand4136 2 года назад +8

    Thank you for sharing, some of your stories are really personal and private matters in this video but highly beneficial for others to see, most people lie about steroid use creating all sorts of misconception about it. So many people I grew up around took steroids but I didn't know, I always felt so inferior to them. BUT your stories has Brought me a lot of clarity on the matter, thanks once again.

  • @johnts1
    @johnts1 8 месяцев назад +6

    Tom, I watched the Big Boss the other day and saw how young and vibrant Bruce looked. Then I watched Enter the Dragon and it was like two different Bruces. He looked gaunt, pale, like he had aged 10 years. His face looked bloated and he looked so tired .

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  8 месяцев назад +1

      Yes, it's clearly apparent. Most likely the major difference is the result of his substantial cocaine abuse.

    • @user-rb6iy2lq8p
      @user-rb6iy2lq8p 4 месяца назад +2

      Putting a lot of Hours in making the movie plus training at night make any one look different

    • @texasgent4694
      @texasgent4694 2 месяца назад

      Yeah in Enter The Dragon, it's pretty obvious that Bruce Lee's health was in decline

    • @jjs490
      @jjs490 4 дня назад

      ​@@TomBleecker
      Also I read in the latest Bruce Lee book (Mathew Polly )that he wasn't sleeping because of the pressure he had put on himself with the American producer and director , as you know Tom he really wanted to make it in Hollywood. and with Enter the Dragon this was his big chance. So he felt the pressure.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  4 дня назад +1

      @@jjs490 In my opinion, it's far more reasonable and likely that Bruce was having difficulty sleeping because of his substantial drug use, including pills and alcohol. I recall in one of the drug letters Bruce writing that he was so stoned one night that the following morning he couldn't remember anything that went on. Feeling pressure to succeed at making a good film is something that practically everyone experiences when creating a movie. In fact, people in all jobs feel pressure.

  • @jakepapadopoulos8654
    @jakepapadopoulos8654 Год назад +7

    He got messed up when he did that stupid good morning exercise that ruined his whole life. The guy did not have the proper training advice and coaching in fitness like they have today with personal trainers and the Internet. So when he hurt his back and was under such stresses from the pain he was probably really stressed out and the guy turned to using all kinds of weird and illegal drugs. I can relate because I was for a brief period of in a bit of pain from a pinched nerve in my back and I myself turned to alcohol and drugs because of the depression that I had. But one day I heard about chiropractors something I never knew of before and they saved my life. Thank god that my injury wasn’t as bad as Bruce’s and I bounced back quite rapidly from the three years of constant pain that was making me depressed and ruining my life. Believe it or not I had suicidal thoughts but by some miracle I pulled through this phase in my life. I can relate with everything Tom Bleeker is saying in this video because I was going through the same things. I have a lot more to say but I don’t want to bore people to death here on RUclips. If you ask me I liked the Kato side of Bruce not the guy after the injury.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      Bruce Lee's back injury was not caused by performing a Good Morning exercise and was short-lived. ruclips.net/video/9CLDSk3Scs8/видео.html

    • @dremyofit6719
      @dremyofit6719 Год назад

      So true

  • @TomBleecker
    @TomBleecker  Год назад +15

    I stand corrected. An individual recently commented that my mention of Bruce using creatine in the late 1960s is incorrect because creatine wasn't available to the public until much later. I deleted the post not because the person disagreed with me but because of his lack of civility. Of the 13K views over the past ten months, only one other person commented on this statement. In any case, I researched creatine, and it is true that it was not an ingredient that Bruce put in his blender. Although I recall using creatine myself, along with many of the other supplements that Bruce used, I could not have been using creatine in the mid1960s. So, my inclusion of it in this video was merely an oversight that really is not all that relevant to the majority I what I talked about.

  • @davidjd123
    @davidjd123 Год назад +5

    I knew this years ago from one of your books, I surprised me at first but I didn't stop being a fan of his, because of you and more information out on his Drug use, I have a more realistic understanding to Bruce Lee than the average fanatic. If anything I like him more, hes more relatable, he was still a incredible man.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +7

      It’s often difficult for everyday people to unpack who Bruce Lee was as a person because the Madison Avenue merchandising of him and his brand has almost reached a deity-level status. Because of this, it’s hard to relate to him and who he became. In order to understand your heroes, you have to understand their struggles, fears, and failures. Only then, can you relate because you see yourself in their experience.

  • @gauntlet292
    @gauntlet292 2 года назад +7

    Great talk Keep it going Tom

  • @RBASB10
    @RBASB10 Год назад +1

    Hello Bob, I’m new to your Channel/videos. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for connecting making closer to Bruce Lee. He is still my action Hero. Thank you once again for being informative. Wishing you a magical day🙏🏻❤️

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +3

      Glad you're enjoying the videos. By the way, my name is Tom.

    • @RBASB10
      @RBASB10 Год назад +1

      @@TomBleecker My apologies. Thank you kindly. 🙏🏻

  • @ikyzro
    @ikyzro 8 месяцев назад

    Please continue to share your videos about Bruce Lee. Your experience and knowledge are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much Tom.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  8 месяцев назад

      I'm glad that you're finding these videos worthy of your time. Cheers

  • @echelon2k8
    @echelon2k8 2 года назад +5

    7:26 Yeah, the plural here might just be used in him referring to 'steroids' in regards to him having "gained", not necessarily multiple drugs other than steroids in that particular instance.
    The reason I heard for Bruce wanting to stop using (anabolic) steroids was because he thought it was making him too big, like a typical body builder, and this was supposedly interfering with his martial arts through him carrying too much bulk for the speed he wanted. Not positive, and this could be factually incorrect, but I believe this information may have originated from his brother Robert. At least that's what I think I can recall reading from somewhere.

    • @richardmilliken8705
      @richardmilliken8705 Год назад

      Steroids make you stronger & faster, but unless you're consuming large amounts of protein and calories, they will not bulk you up. Usaine Bolt was juiced to the max and he was 6'5" at 194lb as the greatest Olympic Sprinter of all-time. Lasse Viren was 5'11" at 138lb was juicing & blood doping and he won 4 Olympic Gold Medals.

  • @Rick-ov5rp
    @Rick-ov5rp Год назад +1

    Your stuff is incredible! I read your book when it came out Unsettled Matters and thought it was written from a critical analytical non prejudicial point of view.no siugarcoating bs. Just like Bruce ! Continue to RUMBLE YOUNG MAN RUMBLE!

  • @danstafford5977
    @danstafford5977 2 года назад +4

    People make false assumptions it's been rumored that Bruce Lee took steroids... steroids comes into two forms... pills vs injectables!

  • @Erennn-mq5cx
    @Erennn-mq5cx 2 года назад +3

    Hey Tom, very interesting video. I wanted to ask do you know of his fighting ability and sparring with karate world champions? We all know he was an exceptional martial artist.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +3

      I have no firsthand knowledge of Bruce sparring with world champions, only what I've read from others. My personal experience of working with Bruce convinced me that he would have been a top tournament contender. He certainly had the knowledge and the skills needed to become a champion.

  • @casNJ
    @casNJ Год назад +2

    I'm a child of the 60's. I was a fan of the Green Hornet and later experienced the "Kung Fu Craze", in the early 70's. I ordered a copy of Unsettled Matters, shortly after publication. When it arrived, I couldn't put it down! I actually read it in one sitting and I have since re-read it, at least a dozen times. Unlike some of the critics, I walked away with even more respect for Bruce Lee, the Man. It made him more human! I think he would have approved! Great job!

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +4

      When "Unsettled Matters" was first published in 1996, it was difficult for everyday people to unpack who Bruce Lee was as a person because the Madison Avenue merchandising of him and his brand had reached a deity-level status. Because of this, it was hard to relate to him and who he became. In order to understand our heroes, we have to understand their struggles, fears, and failures. Only then, can we relate because we see ourselves in their experience. As you know from the book's closing chapter, I'm in agreement with you that Bruce's real life is far more compelling and believable than the fictionalized one. Thanks for your post.

  • @HEADLINEZOO
    @HEADLINEZOO 2 года назад +8

    I came to hear about Bruce’s drug habits and stayed to hear about this gentleman’s extensive drug experimentation. Appreciate the honesty.

    • @klepp19
      @klepp19 2 года назад

      The real truth is Bruce died from using a new drug which increased his sexual stamina.

  • @simonkrebs6043
    @simonkrebs6043 11 месяцев назад +2

    From someone with an experienced eye.
    The physique change for "Enter the Dragon" and during the movie was drastic. I would assume he did a preparation period and then some maintenance for the filming. From the footage it looks to me as though he lost somewhere between 5lb to 7lbs during the filming.
    For me I think it was Cocaine, Testosterone Suspension, Stanazolol, and also possibly thyroid drugs. Being the early 70's I doubt he had access to anti estrogens.
    To look that way in your early 30's (with one testicle) you need high testosterone, low estrogen, and a fast metabolism with a caloric deficit.
    If you are a die hard "Bruce Lee" fan and don't want to admit this. What knowledge or expertise do you have on the topic ? Blind Faith unfortunately doesn't cut it.

  • @Cookefan59
    @Cookefan59 2 месяца назад

    Comment #400
    Thank you Mr. Bleecker for all that you have done to help us all understand this great man so much better. You’re a great inspiration to myself and many others.

  • @johncrouch1772
    @johncrouch1772 2 года назад

    Thanks for sharing.

  • @richardtseng9535
    @richardtseng9535 2 года назад +4

    Interesting that you mention him having trouble getting muscle in his legs. It’s something I’ve noticed about a lot of Muay Thai MMA fighters. Jon Jones is notorious for having “chicken legs”. There are pics of Bruce looking bigger which people point to during his lifting phase. Was that during the period he was doing “the stuff”?

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад

      Apparently, Bruce had always had skinny legs. His girlfriend in college used to tease him about it. That's just one more thing Bruce and I shared in common! :-) Because I don't know the dates of the photos you're referencing, I don't know if they were taking during the time you mentioned.

  • @stewsretroreviews
    @stewsretroreviews 2 года назад +1

    Very interesting about Bruce and about the drugs, I remember in the rave scene back in the mid 90s and some of my friends changed in attitudes, had paranoia and being very aggressive at times with different drugs to this video maybe?, but it wasn't pleasant seeing my friends like this. They eventually got over it, but certainly had a few health issues in later life.

  • @GodCarnage
    @GodCarnage Год назад +5

    Wow! I wish I knew this as a kid. I have always been super shredded since i was a kid 🇯🇲 and I remembered seeing Bruce looking shredded and I dear to say that I was close that look out loud and got much backlash as if I had blasphemed. I now look better than Bruce ever did and coke to find out this dude was on Roids and Coke. This was a regular dude who was into martial
    Arts

  • @mdwv872
    @mdwv872 6 месяцев назад

    Tom was wayyyyy ahead of everyone else on this topic, long before the “Bruce Lee drug letters” became a huge topic. Thanks for the great content, Mr. Bleecker!

  • @X-Factor-22
    @X-Factor-22 2 года назад +3

    I really appreciate your insight sir!🙏🏾 I’m a lifelong Bruce Lee fan turned Bruce Lee HIS-storian and realist.
    I’ve been listening to alot of your videos over the last few weeks and you’ve really helped fill in the gaps. A lot the research I did on Bruce Lee over the years have dropped bits and pieces of what you said, but listening to you go in depth makes everything a lot clearer.
    I still greatly admire Bruce Lee because the positives in his life outweigh the negatives. I still think he was a great man, but as with all great men they struggle with demons as we all do. But that’s what makes them them heroes to us because they show us the path to overcoming some of our obstacles despite or shortcomings.

  • @taeotoshie
    @taeotoshie 2 года назад +2

    very interesting and educative

  • @leosmith105
    @leosmith105 10 месяцев назад +1

    I just read Tom Bleeckers book. It was very interesting. Mr. Bleecker seems intelligent and honest. I could not stop reading. I am interested in certain celebrity deaths like Elvis. I am just a curious person. I wondered how B. L. died at only 32.

  • @britreed8038
    @britreed8038 2 года назад +1

    Great explanation.

  • @Artist21st
    @Artist21st 2 года назад +4

    Bruce Lee was a man just me and the author of this story.

  • @jeffgoesrandom4217
    @jeffgoesrandom4217 Год назад +3

    This discussion is amazing. It is clear that Bruce was skilled and masterful without drugs. He obviously took drugs of all types to enhance his performance and look. He may or may not have been completely aware of negative effects at the time. He should have gone to the hospital when he had headaches that day before he lay down and died. He certainly did not want to die. So it seems that he just ignored symptoms or did not think it would cascade...as it did a few months prior. Either way, talking about the truth just humanized him and does not say he was bad or immoral. He was mortal. It is important for his family and this channel to inform the world about ill effects of drugs. Besides, I would think that Bruce would want the truth about dangers of drug use and abuse to be told. He said he was going to live to be 100. He might have...

  • @pineapplepizza4016
    @pineapplepizza4016 Год назад +8

    Mind blown. I've read a whole lot about Bruce Lee and not once was anabolic steroids ever mentioned. The possibility never even entered my mind, but it does make a lot of sense in retrospect. He was extremely ripped and had a low percentage of body fat. As someone who works out, I know that is very difficult to achieve naturally.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +4

      During the timeframe of the late 1960s and early 1970s, many professional and amateur athletes (and, yes, this includes martial artists), as well as Hollywood celebrities, were using anabolic steroids.

    • @ibberman
      @ibberman Год назад +1

      Read about it years ago.

  • @alfrede.neuman8898
    @alfrede.neuman8898 Год назад

    Any idea of what Peter Urban and Robert Trias had to say about BL as a martial artist?

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад

      I have no idea. Are you really Alfred E. Neuman?

  • @ryale7174
    @ryale7174 Год назад +1

    Mr. Bleecker, I am 58 and I have been using TRT for about 14 years. I would recommend that you look into "Natesto" , which is a nasal wipe gel....VERY VERY effective and no side effects. Dr. Kormer, my physician, invented it. Thank you for your interesting videos.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад

      I inject testosterone cypionate twice a month subcutaneously, which is proven to be the safest TRT. By the way, these are the negative side effects listed for Natesto: "Common side effects of Natesto include increased prostate specific antigen (PSA), headache, runny or stuffy nose, nosebleed, nasal discomfort, upper respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, bronchitis, and nasal scab."

  • @user-dk3up2nl1m
    @user-dk3up2nl1m 4 месяца назад +1

    More Bruce please!

  • @thelionofthewest9168
    @thelionofthewest9168 2 года назад +6

    I know Bruce Lee was a user of Corticosteroids due to his back injury from a failure to properly warm up before doing good mornings,but Anabolic steroids 🤔I honestly have my doubts on that simply based on the fact that anabolic steroids prevent muscle loss,and he lost 20 pounds of muscle during the filming of Enter the Dragon from his daily Training,running fight choreography,multi takes and retakes of fight scenes, combined with the humidity of Hong Kong,so if he'd been using anabolic steroids he wouldn't have lost so much weight.Plus as to creatine during the 70s and 80s creatine was used experimetally by athletes,but it was not until the early 90s that creatine was introduced to the public at large.So my question is where did Lee get creatine at as it wasn't readily available to the public at large

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +2

      First, with regard to Bruce's pulled muscle or pinched nerve, the cause was a bout of sexual intercourse, not a failure to warm up prior to lifting weights. Moreover, the initial cortisone was from a series of injections prior to his traveling to Hong Kong in 1970-1. Bruce's use of cortisone following his arrival in HK was not under a doctor's supervision. Second, Bruce's muscle loss was caused by the increased failure of his adrenal glands, which hindered his ability to digest food and, hence, the gradual wasting away of his body. And third, during the filming of ETD, Bruce was not keeping up his strenuous workouts as he had previously when in the States. In addition, the fight scenes were not that physically demanding given the rests between takes and long periods for camera moves, etc. and that many of the fight scenes were filmed on an air-conditioned sound stage. With regard to your input about creatine, you raise an excellent point that it wasn't available to the public as a supplement. I'd have to look back over my notes, and even then, may not have a definitive answer. I do recall that the BUN test that showed an extraordinarily high reading for urea became a critical issue. Thanks for your post.

    • @danstafford5977
      @danstafford5977 2 года назад

      You get creatine through the consumption of beef... steak and eggs have steroid-like effect!

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +2

      @@danstafford5977 I agree. But not all heavy beef eaters eat beef for physical conditioning. Many eat hamburgers because they love hamburgers and are overweight and out of shape to prove it.

    • @thelionofthewest9168
      @thelionofthewest9168 2 года назад

      @@danstafford5977 yes but when you cook beef you also cook some of the creatine out

    • @txp158
      @txp158 Год назад

      Anabolic steroid helps you gain weight....and "diuretic" helps you lose the weight in water to make you look full and dry.

  • @Tcbelvizz
    @Tcbelvizz Год назад

    What’s the name of your book

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      There are three books, although my sense is you're asking about the bestseller "Unsettled Matters: the Life and Death of Bruce Lee." It's available on Amazon. Thanks for asking.

  • @davidwhiteley3879
    @davidwhiteley3879 7 месяцев назад

    Mr. Bleecker, I first saw your video about Bruce's drug use and I was tremendously upset and almost stopped watching the video very quickly. However, I hung in there and I am very glad that I did. You do a wonderful job of explaining the time period in which Bruce lived and why it really wasn't that unusual at that time to do what he did as regards ANY type of drugs. Thank you very much. And when I remember that his cause of death was listed as "death by misadventure", it sure seems like drugs were involved (maybe this is covered in another of your videos).

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  7 месяцев назад +1

      While Bruce using drugs in the late 1960s and early 1970s wasn't uncommon, especially by his age group, the degree to which he was using them near the end of his life was uncommon, particularly his use of cocaine. As an aside, I'm curious about why you initially found this video so upsetting and almost stopped watching it. Perhaps you can expand on this. Thanks for your comments.

  • @aurelienyonrac
    @aurelienyonrac Год назад +2

    This is the best video on anabolic steroid and bruce lee. So honest. Just like the Bruce we love 😘

  • @robd1329
    @robd1329 2 года назад +7

    A bit off topic on the use of Anabolic Steroids..but its True with what you say that not all athletes look bulky or have muscles like bodybuilders..Lance Armstrong was a perfect example.
    I worked out in MA for manyyy years and boxed a lot later in my 30s....i still do and had a friend at my boxing gym who I worked out with. We were pretty much equal in height and weight of about 175lbs or so and remember sparring with him or more like we took turns with drills using focus mits. I tell you he was toying with me and enjoying it because he kept punching me at a superman force so hard that I said this is not natural to hit like that... I had to say 'stop i need a break'. I didnt know why my arms continued to give out and he smiled everytime going harder and harder waiting for me to give up. After we were done i asked how he was able to hit so hard? ....He confessed that he took steroids one a monthly dose due to some reason of being shot in the street...some past of his. Anyways his punching power was that strong that for me it was my first hand experience of how steroids can make a regular person hit like a Superman!

  • @user-jl6zl2iu9q
    @user-jl6zl2iu9q 5 месяцев назад +1

    In the upcoming bestseller, "Whisper's Getting Louder", I have Ali and Lee fighting 3 times---Ali wins the first bout on January 17, 1975, his 33rd birthday. Bruce Lee wins the 2nd match on November 27, 1975, his 35th birthday. And you all will have to buy the book to discover who won the third match. Long live the immortal Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee! @@@*** Sembene Nathanyahu, author of the future bestseller "Whisper's Getting Louder", in Chicago ***@@@

  • @Fee-Nix
    @Fee-Nix 11 месяцев назад +1

    In a 1974(?) weekly 3 part News of the World newspaper Linda Lee interview about Bruce Lee, Linda said Bruce wanted to keep his body weight down so he could stay in the air longer, and that he ate a diet of apples & carrots. She also said Bruce was an insomniac.
    P.S. If Bruce Lee were alive when you published this video he’d be 81.
    P.P.S. Trivia: Bruce Lee was born on 27 November. Jimi Hendrix was also born on 27 November.

  • @blaineturnacliff7907
    @blaineturnacliff7907 11 месяцев назад

    Enjoyed your video but one correction. You state that "around that time" that Lee was using steroids (so about 1970), sly stallone got caught bringing human growth hormone into australia. Stallone got caught in australia around 2008 or so, not 1970.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  11 месяцев назад +1

      You are correct. Thanks

  • @lolarida8656
    @lolarida8656 2 месяца назад

    Did Linda and the kids know about Bruce’s martial affairs? If so how did they feel about it

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 месяца назад

      I seriously doubt that their children about it. When Linda was asked by the press how she felt about Bruce's extramarital affairs, she commented, "That's his business." Hers was a proper response in Hong Kong. I sense she would have replied differently in the States.

  • @TheSubwaysurfer
    @TheSubwaysurfer Год назад +1

    Back in the day in the 60s steroids or something that he lied athletes used to enhance the performance. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger talked about his steroid use. But Arnold also said that no champion relies primarily on steroids to do the work for him. And that’s what Bruce did with the steroid use I feel.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +2

      Absolutely correct. No one takes steroids and sits on a sofa and grows muscles. Bruce earned the physique he had.

  • @kingdaleclarke
    @kingdaleclarke 2 года назад

    Happy New year Tom

  • @klepp19
    @klepp19 2 года назад +1

    The strength and low body fat on Bruce would not make anyone surprised he took steroids.

  • @502AL
    @502AL 4 месяца назад

    All said is, well said and the honest truth.

  • @sicilienz
    @sicilienz 9 месяцев назад

    when you was living with Linda, have you find document or something making you think bruce lee took things such as dbol, winstrol, anavar etc.... ? I remembered a bruce letter to linda during big boss shooting while he was saying... food there is pretty bad, i'm happy I took my **vitamins**" oral steroids at this time were considerate almost like a vitamins by "golden" era

  • @BAKEDPOTATOLARDYASS
    @BAKEDPOTATOLARDYASS 2 года назад +1

    Liking this 👍

  • @t.bruceford4098
    @t.bruceford4098 10 месяцев назад +1

    If you really look at his life. He may have tried them. 2 things, he was not a professional fighter and steroids were not illegal then. He was always experimenting

  • @NathanThePrezPretlow
    @NathanThePrezPretlow 2 года назад +3

    But there no solid proof that Bruce Lee took steroids.This is all mere assumption.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +2

      If you're comfortable believing that Bruce would never use anabolic steroids under any conditions, then you're surely entitled that belief. Some of Bruce's followers firmly believe that he never used all the drugs that are mentioned in those letters to Bobby Baker and that the letters are fake. That said, I would ask you the question that I posed in the video, which is why Bruce would have said no to anabolic steroids when he never said no to anything else that he felt would help him achieve his goal? Thanks for your post.

    • @dududu5189
      @dududu5189 2 года назад +4

      Solid proof?
      Why would a 30 year old Mad suddenly develop acne...

  • @reign4795
    @reign4795 2 года назад

    A candle that burns twice as bright, lasts half as long.

  • @MrFrank107
    @MrFrank107 Год назад

    Time for a "More Plates More Dates" review.

  • @ps123fan
    @ps123fan Год назад +1

    bruce was a martial artist first and foremost so i dont think he took steroids for ego st2uff like many bodybuilders do, but who knows

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +2

      During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Bruce was by no means the only martial artist who was using steroids.

  • @repoman5581
    @repoman5581 Год назад +1

    The more I hear about my Idol Bruce... the more I realise he/they pulled the wool over my eyes... a lot of us idolised him, wanted to be like him.. and to now know that he was full of illegal substances... they said, Bruce drank tea but NEVER drank coffee... that was great, made us feel like he had such willpower... no wonder we couldnt come close... Bruce, we idolised you...we trained because of you.. I was part of the Jeet kun do (holland club) because of bruce.. maybe its impossible to enter hollywood if you are not the best of the best.. at any cost... but to fool the world AND be a philosopher? ... those 2 things dont go together.... its sad but WTF nothing we see on social media or from TV is real.. should have known better

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +2

      I think when someone idolizes a person, sooner or later they are going to discover that their idol has chinks in their armor and clay feet. Bruce was human, and he had issues. With regard to his drug abuse, it's fairly well known that human willpower is no match for drug dependency which includes alcohol. As an aside, keep in mind that much of what Bruce professed was the philosophies of Krishnamurti and other classic historical philosophers, as well as what was written for him by Stirling Silliphant. Many readers who have read my book "Unsettled Matters" took a while to fully comprehend the passage that is placed in the front of the book and reads, "With all our most holy illusions knocked higher than Gilderoy's kit, we have had a jolly good lesson, and serves us jolly well right! --Kipling"

    • @repoman5581
      @repoman5581 Год назад

      @@TomBleecker aside from that... he still bullshited a nation or two.... you know, those friends who you think are your friends, and then you figure out they are not... bruce was that type.. he wanted his own following and wealth, at any cost... he got what he wanted but was not real and not truthful... and now. he has uninspired a nation or two

  • @milescoleman910
    @milescoleman910 Год назад

    Whoa …testicle removed in 1969? I’ve never heard that anywhere before? What was the reason? A rupture? Torsion? Or lump of some sort?

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад

      One of Bruce's testicles did not descend. www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/c/cryptorchidism

  • @travels129
    @travels129 2 года назад +4

    YEA WELL SAID FINALE BRUCE PUT IN THE WORK HE TRAINED HARDER THAN MOST

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +1

      He certainly did for a period of time, mainly because his main interest was becoming rich and famous, and he felt that his martial arts were his only path to achieve that.

    • @GodCarnage
      @GodCarnage Год назад

      you have no idea how hard he trained… he was a movie star he certainly didn’t have the same amount of time to train as a pro boxer

    • @travels129
      @travels129 Год назад

      @@GodCarnage nonsense he was a martial artist first and foremost u knw nothing look at his body his actions dont get like that without hard training

    • @afiqjihad2537
      @afiqjihad2537 Год назад

      @@TomBleecker He was already amateur boxing champion in Hong Kong back during his teenage days

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад

      Although Bruce dabbled in boxing for a while when he was a kid in Hong Kong, he was never technically a champion.

  • @5williamg
    @5williamg Год назад

    makes sense

  • @FilmFactoids
    @FilmFactoids 4 месяца назад

    MCA does not stand for Merchandising Corporation of America it stands for Music Corporation of America.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  4 месяца назад

      An inadvertent error. Thanks for pointing it out. Others have, as well. That aside, Universal MCA did handle the promotion of the Bruce Lee brand under a ten-year contract.

  • @argon3329
    @argon3329 2 года назад +6

    I knew. If you put the pieces together it all makes sense. He had a bad temper. Was allegedly cheating - hi testosterone levels.. in the autopsy results it’s quite clear he died due to his body not being able to take the years or cortisol injections for his back pain.
    The truth is more important than the Legend.
    I’ve researched and followed Bruce lee for years and what this bloke says is backed up with evidence. Bruce will always be a legend. I knew all of this but it doesn’t change anything because I wasn’t stupid. Real life isn’t all flowers..

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +2

      One minor clarification if I may - the injections were cortisone, not cortisol. And second, although the initial injections were to relieve discomfort in Bruce's back, when he left for Hong Kong, his back was no longer a problem. Once in Hong Kong, his continued injections of cortisone were for other reasons. I agree with you that Bruce will long be remembered for his contribution to martial arts action films that resulted in a huge surge in enrollment in martial arts schools throughout the 1970s. Thanks for your post.

    • @jjs490
      @jjs490 12 часов назад

      ​@@TomBleecker
      Hi tom, if Bruce was not having any more back pain in China why did he continue to take the cortisone ?
      It seems like a dangerous oversight.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  10 часов назад

      @@jjs490 Excerpted from my book “Unsettled Matters”: “There were other warnings listed by the drug manufacturer [of cortisone] that are equally troublesome: ‘Psychic derangements may appear when cortisone is used, ranging from euphoria, insomnia, mood swings, personality changes, and severe depression to frank psychotic manifestations’ and ‘Initially, Bruce Lee was injected with cortisone to reduce musculoskeletal inflammation in areas of his back, knees, and hands. Within a short time, however, he began to rely on the drug to combat a smattering of physical ailments, both real and imagined, and began to experience mood elevations and an increase in sex drive.’” I hope this sheds some light on your question. Thank you for your kind words.

  • @danstafford5977
    @danstafford5977 2 года назад +4

    Bruce Lee did not use anabolic steroids... Bruce Lee did not train to build size!

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +4

      In the latter part of the 1960s, Bruce did, in fact, train to build size, especially on his legs. Moreover, as I pointed out in my video, not all athletes use anabolic steroids to increase muscle size.

  • @IS-xk3iq
    @IS-xk3iq Год назад

    Mr. Bleecker can you dispell what I read about the alleged reason why you married Bruce Lee's widow? On another note, I thank you for your channel willing to talk candidly about Bruce Lee.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      I married Linda for the plain and simple reason that I loved her and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

  • @bullitts
    @bullitts Год назад +1

    People seem to think that their idols have no vices or demons. Bruce Lee was amazing! I love him dearly and respect him for all he accomplished and brought to the world, but I’m not blind to what he did behind closed doors. Adultery, cocaine, steroids, etc. I have a problem with his estate and family trying to hide and conceal all these things - they need to learn that fans will love him for who is was and not for what he did in his personal life! He didn’t do anything that others haven’t done - and what he did wasn’t that bad! The cocaine letters from Bob Baker was new to me, but I wasn’t shocked or surprised! That’s the problem with trying to hide and keep these things from fans! To me, I don’t care! I love and respect him no matter what!

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +2

      I wholeheartedly agree with you. It’s often difficult for everyday people to unpack who Bruce Lee was as a person because the Madison Avenue merchandising of him and his brand has almost reached a deity-level status. Because of this, it’s hard to relate to him and who he became. In order to understand your heroes, you have to understand their struggles, fears, and failures. Only then, can you relate because you see yourself in their experience.

    • @bullitts
      @bullitts Год назад

      @@TomBleecker I totally agree… My father was and is my hero. He had his demons but it doesn’t make me love and respect him any less. He’s human, just like Bruce Lee was-and people need to realize that before placing him on such a high pedestal. You don’t have to love and admire him any less, just come to the realization that he wasn’t perfect… None of us are!

  • @daweilee1986
    @daweilee1986 Год назад +1

    I'm not sure about this because you can see his gradual size increase throughout the 60's. Bruce started doing weights after meeting and being inspired by James Lee and also Allen Joe. The size didn't come on after the testical operation. He also had 2 kids with only one testical so it wasn't an issue.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +3

      Many people make the mistake of equating size with an athlete's use of steroids. Many amateur and professional athletes use steroids and never get big, as do many film action stars. Also, the testicle that was removed surgically because it hadn't descended and was nonfunctional. Lastly, a man's testosterone level and sperm count are totally different subjects. A man can have very low testosterone and still father children and vice versa.

    • @daweilee1986
      @daweilee1986 Год назад +1

      @@TomBleecker So are you saying he became more ripped due to steroids?

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      @@daweilee1986Professional bodybuilders and Hollywood action stars become more ripped using a combination of multiple reps with light weights and a heavy use of diuretics.

    • @daweilee1986
      @daweilee1986 Год назад +1

      @@TomBleecker the thing is, the type of physique you get on roids are easily discernable from the physique someone gets with hard work. The way he trained, of course he would be ripped to pieces. He learned to body build from James Lee and I'm sure Joe Allen, they were all natural. James Lee also was the one who taught Bruce how to break boards and bricks.

    • @daweilee1986
      @daweilee1986 Год назад +1

      @@TomBleecker One more thing, all of the controversial stuff in your book, did you never ask Linda about these things while married to her? Did she admit to getting drugs for Bruce from Bob Baker? If you didn't ask her controversial questions then why not? Surely she would've given you an honest answer? Especially about his affairs. Lastly, although personal, just wondering why it didn't work out between you both?

  • @gmoney8585
    @gmoney8585 7 месяцев назад

    They built an illusion around bruce as well as Ali that their talent and larger than life charisma made them flawless as human beings

  • @user-gl6px3ly1z
    @user-gl6px3ly1z Год назад +1

    Вы написали замечательную и правдивую книгу про Брюс Ли. Было интересно её читать.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад

      Спасибо.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад

      Линда и Брэндон - прекрасные люди. Я всегда буду дорожить временем, которое мы провели вместе.

    • @user-gl6px3ly1z
      @user-gl6px3ly1z Год назад

      @@TomBleecker мы не знаем есть ли книга про Брэндон Ли ? Может даже ваша ?

  • @danhiser4891
    @danhiser4891 2 года назад +2

    When I was about 13,bought a bruce lee magazine,it was photos of him in black tee shirt,and black pants,I believe it said he weighed 160#,165#,he had pretty big arms too, 160's# is pretty big for braces height,

    • @danhiser4891
      @danhiser4891 2 года назад +1

      Bruce's height

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +2

      I don't believe Bruce ever weight anywhere near 165 lb.

    • @AztecUnshaven
      @AztecUnshaven 2 года назад

      @@TomBleecker I'm guessing the heaviest Bruce ever got was around 150-152 pounds, no?

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +2

      @@AztecUnshaven I believe that's correct. And his lightest weight was around 120 lb.

    • @PowPow-yp9rf
      @PowPow-yp9rf 2 года назад +1

      @@TomBleecker Everyone says there was a time period when he hit 170lbs, the picture he's talking about, but Bruce felt slower with that weight and decided to change his workout regime

  • @AlonzoPichardo
    @AlonzoPichardo Год назад +1

    If he took steroids it didn’t work . The man was 120 lbs and at the end he was 114 lbs according to Ted Wong

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +5

      His severe weight loss was due to full adrenal failure and not reversible. A major part of his problem was that he wasn't eating, and his body was no longer digesting food. His weight loss had nothing to do with the steroid cortisone, not anabolic steroids.

  • @TheRealTomahawk
    @TheRealTomahawk Год назад +1

    Very interesting. That explains his fantastic physique

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +3

      As I mentioned in my video, Bruce earned every muscle of his extraordinary physique. I never knew anyone who worked out as hard as he did. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, many athletes were using steroids as simply another supplement. No one sat on the couch and grew muscles. They all had to work hard, and Bruce worked harder than most.

  • @shanetravis2550
    @shanetravis2550 2 года назад +3

    Your not really telling us anything new we all new he used steroids he also stop beacuse he felt like the steroids where making him slow everyone has tried something to inprove there preference using some form of a drug

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +3

      Actually, before those drug letters were made public, there was a large contingent of Bruce's followers who were still adamant that he never used anabolic steroids. Regarding his stopping, no one knows his reason or for certain that he never resumed using them. Thanks for you post.

  • @MORCOPOLO0817
    @MORCOPOLO0817 7 месяцев назад

    I think I rember reading that the autopsy showed signs of kidney failure. The high protein intake in part could explain that .

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  7 месяцев назад

      The autopsy didn't indicate signs of kidney failure. My sense is you read that the autopsy showed a high BUN level, which his physician later felt may have been a typo.

    • @MORCOPOLO0817
      @MORCOPOLO0817 7 месяцев назад

      @@TomBleecker As a side issue, why do you think Ed Parker had a bad heart?

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  7 месяцев назад +1

      @@MORCOPOLO0817 My understanding is that he was born with a relatively common malady called a left bundle branch block. While this usually doesn't create problems, in the event of a heart attack, it can make the attack worse. Second, Ed Parker loved to eat, and it's probably a fair statement that he was a bit overweight.

  • @Michael-qq6sf
    @Michael-qq6sf Год назад +4

    Well guess what? The 19 riders behind Lance when he was caught also tested positive for steroids 😳

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      I'm not surprised. Steroids had been widely used in the Olympics since the 1950s. Moreover, it was well known that Bruce wasn't the only martial artist using steroids in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

  • @zibtihaj3213
    @zibtihaj3213 2 года назад +1

    so if they were not illegal and not anything that bad ( for that time), than why did he not call it by its name - why call it STUFF . That stuff could be anything. (plus he could have gone to a pharmacy in HK to get them , send someone atleast)

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +3

      He wasn't in Hong Kong at the time. He was in Los Angeles. Also, the next sentence mentions that he has made the "gains" that he wanted, and then further down he mentions that he is going to stop heavy lifting. Also, bodybuilders who stacked anabolic steroids included pharmaceuticals that required a prescription.

    • @zibtihaj3213
      @zibtihaj3213 2 года назад +1

      @@TomBleecker why was he writing letters to Bob from USA when he could have gotten the, not illegal steroids, himself ?? Arnold and the gang (and many many others were using truck loads of them , just the bloat was a give away). He wrote "gains".... steroids dont give you "gains" they give you .....gains.... Sounds more like one of those mental things that Bruce was known to work on (maybe some Psychedelic type things) . I am not saying that he did not use them , just that : that letter does not convince me one bit. I do respect your opinion , but in this case........not convinced. If steroids were a big part of his life at the end than there would be many letters mentioning them by name...... they mention every other thing under the sun lolll tons of notes and diet and what not. anyway happy new year - life is too short anyway , 32 or 92 years of age

    • @LupusRexRgis
      @LupusRexRgis 2 года назад

      @@zibtihaj3213
      “They are all on steroids!” (Nate Diaz)

  • @mariacardenas4665
    @mariacardenas4665 11 месяцев назад

    Never Believed he used anabolic steroids

  • @craigbosko2229
    @craigbosko2229 Год назад +1

    STEROIDS, SINCE THE EARLY 70'S, WHEN I WAS GETTING INTO THE MARTIAL ARTS AND A FRIEND OF MINE INTRODUCED ME TO BRUCE LEE IT NEVER DAWNED TO ME THAT BRUCE LEE WAS TAKING STEROIDS. I ALWAYS FELT THAT ALL THAT MUSCLE MASS WAS ALL NATURAL,HE ONLY GOT IT THROUGH BY LIFTING WEIGHTS. PRETTY SAD TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +3

      As I pointed out in this video, Bruce didn't take steroids, and then sit on a couch and watch his muscles grow. He worked harder than any martial artist I knew then or since. He essentially worked hard to perfect the physique he had. Had he used anabolic steroids to gain an advantage in a competitive sport in which steroids are banned, that would be a different story. But he didn't do that. I don't hear people faulting Arnold Schwarzenegger for his use of steroids in all the action films he starred in or for winning the Mr. Universe title.

    • @user-gl6px3ly1z
      @user-gl6px3ly1z Год назад +1

      @@TomBleecker у Арнольда возникли проблемы со здоровьем из за стероидов, как я слышал. Эксперименты Брюса тоже были за пределами. Лекарства видимо вызывали у Брюса излишки ярости. Всё же есть сомнения , что его ранняя смерть результат отравления ?

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +2

      @@user-gl6px3ly1z Истинный.

  • @tuttlespeachtree3413
    @tuttlespeachtree3413 9 месяцев назад

    Only specific types of Performance Enhancing Drugs will cause someone to look bigger, others may give increased endurance, and healing properties. Bruce Lee did not have the body type to become big anyway, like Bolo Yeung.

  • @specialperson565
    @specialperson565 2 года назад +1

    Bruce is too smart he will never do such thing and will stay away from people like old man.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +1

      So, what do you have to say about all those drugs that Bruce was taking that were shipped to him by his friend Bobby Baker? And what "old man" are you referring to that Bruce stayed away from in 1967?

    • @johnts1
      @johnts1 2 года назад

      @@TomBleecker I love your stories, Mr Bleecker. I just purchased your book. I can't wait to read it. Unsettled Matters

  • @MORCOPOLO0817
    @MORCOPOLO0817 7 месяцев назад

    I was taking testosterone supplements at one time. I stopped because it was giving me a short temper and after getting blood taken, it was abnormally high.

    • @axelstone3131
      @axelstone3131 22 дня назад

      Testosterone boosters don’t work and if they do they most certainly do not increase your levels to that extent. If they did they would be prescription only.

  • @MM-ig1iv
    @MM-ig1iv Год назад +1

    It makes sense.. people didn't know of any harmful side effects back then. and the steroids showed results! Bruce also used that muscle stimulator thing that would shock the muscle, it was something new and he was obsessed with trying new things and trying to look his best. so it doesn't really surprise me if he was using them.. but he wasn't really that big.. just really lean and however to achieve that long term.. is like a red flag! you'd almost have to definitely be using some sort of fat burners or speed to look like that. the guy was amazing though.. no matter what. he achieved more than most people will their entire life by just 32!

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      Bruce was most definitely an extraordinary martial artist. Few people have ever disputed that. In my view, however, I don't agree with you that he accomplished more in his 32 years than most people accomplish in a lifetime. If one just looks at his accomplishments in the Hollywood film and television industry, he had one film with a major Hollywood studio (ETD) that did extremely well. Although its box-office receipts were impressive, the film took no awards. Compare that one film to the hundreds of box-office hits that have won Academy Awards from as many actors, directors, writers, and producers. Outside the Hollywood film and TV industry, there are millions of highly accomplished professional men and women in the fields of law, medicine, science, religion, politics, as well as hundreds of humanitarian endeavors, who have accomplished far more than Bruce did. I could add appreciably to this list. Thanks for your post.

  • @alohablue2907
    @alohablue2907 8 месяцев назад

    Bruce talked about not wanting too much muscle because as he talked about all that muscle consumes too much oxygen too quickly in a fight

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  8 месяцев назад +1

      I hadn't heard that. I know that he once said that the most important element in a fight is power. Years ago, tournament champion icon Joe Lewis said this in an interview, "Bruce was real self-conscious about his narrow chest. He had a flat ribcage, and his legs were really skinny and that really bothered him. He wanted some meat on his body. He was 5-foot-7 and weighed about 138 at that time, and he had been lifting for a while. He was really strong, but he just had no muscle mass.”

  • @danstafford5977
    @danstafford5977 2 года назад +1

    Bruce Lee liquefied most of his food... putting raw beef and blood into a blender!

  • @stew6662
    @stew6662 Год назад +1

    A lot of people have a hard time separating the Man from the Myth. Growing up all we had to go on was the Myth, however with the internet and social media in general we are learning about the man which is far more interesting.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      It’s often difficult for everyday people to unpack who Bruce Lee was as a person because the Madison Avenue merchandising of him and his brand has almost reached a deity-level status. Because of this, it’s hard to relate to him and who he became. In order to understand your heroes, you have to understand their struggles, fears, and failures. Only then, can you relate because you see yourself in their experience.

    • @stew6662
      @stew6662 Год назад

      @@TomBleecker Certainly it was the Hong Kong press early on. I remember growing up thinking that Norris and Lewis, were his students when it fact they were just friends/acquaintances who ran in the same circles and shared common interests. I think what has fascinated me about his life is how chance played a big part of it. What if Jay Sebring wasn’t in the audience that day. Would he have passed his screen test for the GH, if he didn’t happen to act before. Would he have gone back to Honk Kong earlier if he was still struggling with his schools or would he eventually succeed at something regardless because he had an inner drive like a lot of successful people have. What part did Linda play in all of this. Not many women from her background would marry a Chinese man in the 60’s no less. What made her unique?

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      @@stew6662 Excellent questions. With regard to Linda, I have no doubt that she was instrumental in helping Bruce achieve his goals. With regard to their marriage, it's been well documented, even in Linda's book, that Bruce and Linda married because she was three months pregnant. And, of course, back in the '60s, if a young man got a girl pregnant, the right thing to do, if not the only thing to do, was to marry her. Bruce stepped up to the plate and did the right thing.

    • @stew6662
      @stew6662 Год назад

      @@TomBleecker Tom, just wanted to thank you for answering by post. As for Linda, I totally get that she was pregnant and was somewhat forced upon them. However once again, it was chance that he married somone like her. I don’t know what their conversations were in private but it seems that she allowed him to find himself and provided emotional support. I’m assuming she was young and infatuated with him early on and later their relationship evolved into something else. What it was in the end I really don’t know.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      @@stew6662 Linda has always been, at heart, an easygoing person, which worked well for Bruce. My sense is their early years were their best years, and that their last few years were filled with turmoil, which is why Linda has often publicly stated that, in retrospect, she wishes she and Bruce could have taken back their last few years in Hong Kong. Thanks for the back and forth. Cheers

  • @qweewq2648
    @qweewq2648 Год назад +1

    Tom, idk how it possible, but Bruce looked totally natural in The Way of the Dragon. He weighed about 59-62kgs. Biceps, abs, chest been just overtrained and ripped and no signs of using anabolics.
    Plus Bruce had different genetics based on eastern/asian type. He was naturally lean, muscular and really hard working too.
    Idk, even if he used them, then they, anabolics, just didn't work for him!

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +1

      I'm curious as to what you think about all the street drugs he was taking, such as cocaine, LSD, mushrooms, marijuana, and M pills. Do you think he actually did all those drugs?

    • @qweewq2648
      @qweewq2648 Год назад +1

      Ok. Idk, marijuana is almost "nothing drug", but good to sit down, relax and dreaming. But other stuff and drugs ... it's a difficult story.
      I think he used them only in experimental goals. Or to relax. Or keep his mind on high intellectual level.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +2

      @@qweewq2648 If what was written in those letters, Bruce's drug use wasn't recreational or experimental.

  • @robertwalker841
    @robertwalker841 2 года назад +4

    you can see a massive change in bruces physique from 1970 onwards, also acne on his body face, he developed the xmas tree back sought after by bodybuilders and prob had roid rage he took coke etc so why not steroids ? tom bleeker knows the truth and tells the truth great series of vids.

  • @ShaunSavage-kl9pd
    @ShaunSavage-kl9pd 7 месяцев назад

    I injured my body racing motocross. Slipped disk torn ligaments in my left knee. My rehab program was stack 100 pound boxes 12 hrs a day then go on 20 mile bike ride from the slaughterhouse. Natural testosterone heals.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  7 месяцев назад

      In most cases, you're correct, although at times the healing process is slow depending on one's testosterone level. In the case of a person with only one small testicle, the healing process would be particularly slow.

  • @JimSmith-nb4tx
    @JimSmith-nb4tx 2 года назад +7

    Nice video Tom. I can understand why people put Bruce on a petal stool....I did it when I was young. As I got older, I research a lot about his life. Hearing other people talking about being around Bruce and the things he could do. It's pretty amazing. When the drugs letters came out, it really put into perspective.....Bruce was just a normal guy who excelled at the martial arts. It makes perfect sense about why he would start doing them. To get bigger. Imagine Bruce at 180 pounds? How hard he would hit? Plus no one really knew the consequences of doing them back at time. I bet it was the roid rage that got him to stop. I knew people who had done them....they get very violent, very fast. Bruce already had a temper so I'm sure Bruce thought "I can't do this anymore or else I'm going to kill somebody" He'd be kicking people through walls all day just for looking at him wrong. I had a cousin who was on steroids, he beat his friend face in...really bad....just because he thought he was checking out his girlfriend. He stopped using them after that. He felt bad after he came down from his rage. When they say "rage" they just take out all that energy out on something. Imagine if Bruce had that rage? I'll tell you Tom, you were right about Bruce using the anabolic steroids. It all adds up for me. Bruce was arrogant in his abilities....which he had the right to be. If I had his abilities, I'd be doing the same thing....but he wasn't a bully. I've heard stories about him dealing with people who challenge him and even the one you mentioned, about how he used his two fingers to take that guy out the dojo. He took the guy outside....made his point and came back inside....acted like nothing happen. That's not a bully. Bullies brag about who they beat up. Bruce got into a lot of fights but he never kept a record of all their names. The guy that Bruce beat up on the racquet courts....Bruce paid for his hospital bills. That's compassion....that's not him trying to be a badass. People see all these flaws coming out....as a bad thing....(the drug letters and anabolic steroids) and for a bit, I was kind of hurt. Shortly after it really humanize him for me. I realize that I put him on a pedestal, that he never asked to put on. He's not perfect and I'm ok with that. It doesn't take away from what hes done. He wanted to be rich and famous. Back then, that was the thing to be.

    • @JimSmith-nb4tx
      @JimSmith-nb4tx 2 года назад

      @Whammer79 sorry lol normally im walking and texting......and dont proof read. I need to stop replying on this voice to text app

    • @matthew80127
      @matthew80127 Год назад +1

      @Whammer79
      A “Petal Stool” is an even higher place to be….. if we use it enough, it’ll become part of the language, lol

    • @AshaRenWooly
      @AshaRenWooly Год назад +1

      Petal stool??? 😂 😂

    • @bearsbantertalkshow1497
      @bearsbantertalkshow1497 Год назад

      @jim Smith, great points. An ex of rage was a wk before his death, he pulled a knife on Lo Wei at the Golden Harvest office.

    • @user-oi1iq6tt4j
      @user-oi1iq6tt4j Год назад

      It still is lol

  • @TheSubwaysurfer
    @TheSubwaysurfer Год назад

    Sorry for the way spellcheck makes me seem like I’m retarded trying to correct my spelling and grammar! I meant to say in my last post that elite athletes use steroids to enhance their performance. Bruce was more than a movie star he was training like a world-class athlete so quite naturally he would take the next steps to do what elite athletes did

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад

      If you make a mistake, you can edit your comments after you've posted them. Hover your mouse over the three dots to the far right, edit your comments, then repost. RUclips works the same as Facebook in this regard.

  • @twinkletoes2717
    @twinkletoes2717 6 месяцев назад

    He loved his gear from Bobby too

  • @MrLeewsee
    @MrLeewsee Год назад +1

    This guy is talking about things he knows little about. Lance Armstrong was not using anabolic steriods because at the time those were being tested for. Lance was admittedly using EPO.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  Год назад +3

      Yes, Armstrong was using growth hormone, but he was also using anabolic steroids. In any case, the subject is about Bruce Lee using steroids, which you know little, if anything, about.
      www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/01/17/169650077/lance-armstrong-to-admit-to-using-performance-enhancing-drugs#:~:text=Betsy%20Andreu%2C%20the%20wife%20of,EPO%2C%20growth%20hormone%20and%20steroids.

  • @danielschneekloth3135
    @danielschneekloth3135 Год назад +1

    He also loved cocaine , hash and weed , said popping pills

  • @kyhber1
    @kyhber1 Год назад

    So where's your proof? Where? .

  • @gmoney8585
    @gmoney8585 7 месяцев назад

    "THEM" doesnt necessarily mean more than one but can describe a general term

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  7 месяцев назад

      What part of the video is your comment addressing?

    • @gmoney8585
      @gmoney8585 7 месяцев назад

      @@TomBleecker Thank you for replying sir. When he talks about the "stuff" I often have heard and said "them" or "they" in reference to a singular object or person

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  7 месяцев назад +2

      @@gmoney8585 In one of the letters in which I believe he's referring to the steroids as not needing "them" anymore, he was referring to numerous steroids. Back then, people who used steroids didn't use only one but stacked several different ones. When I cycled steroids, I took pills and injections of several different steroids.

  • @francoismorin8721
    @francoismorin8721 2 года назад

    I have to make an important statement that you will find interesting Mister Bleecker: It is possible that most of Bruce Lee's fit were not caused by anabolic steroids use, but by cortico-steroids use, an anti-inflammatory medication, used for his back pain, said to be unbearable. Because they both have the same unwanted side-effects and cortico-steroids use is worst! You lose muscle mass with them. How do I know, I had to take massive doses of corticosteroids due to my health condition of suffering from inflammatory bowel disease of ulcerative colitis .At one point I suffered those side-effects: Headaches, insomnia, acne, emotional unbalance, thinning of the skin causing stretch marks, abscess under my armpits and loss of muscle mass. Now, many people say that Bruce Lee got is sweat glands under his armpits removed for aesthetics reasons, but I got the same thing offered by a surgeon when I asked him for a solution to stop having abscesses forming under my armpits. So I wonder if this could have been one of Bruce's motivations. Bruce was so small before his death and said to be having headaches and temper issues. He taught cannabis helped treating those symptoms. It calm him down and it increases appetite. So maybe Tom, your hypothesis about cortico-steroids is the best to explain Bruce's sad condition more than anabolic steroids. . I also can believe Bruce could have tried anabolic steroids as it was sold out of the counter in drugstores back then. It wasn’t seen as much more than a supplement and it was banalized out of ignorance.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад

      I believe his bursts of rage, as well as his weight loss, were caused by an assortment of drugs, including cocaine. Regarding Bruce's back pain, it wasn't that severe and cleared up in a short time with cortisone injections, muscle relaxants, and Jacuzzi. The reason Bruce had the sweat glands removed under his arms was because his copious sweating was a problem for an actor. He just couldn't have his wardrobe constantly drenched in sweat. I agree with you (and Dr. Richard Hunter) that Bruce's use of corticosteroids was more dangerous than his use of anabolic steroids. As an aside, according to the literature, a side effect of cortisone is euphoria. As such, I'm less inclined to believe it had much to do with his outbursts. Thanks for your post.

    • @francoismorin8721
      @francoismorin8721 2 года назад

      @@TomBleecker Tom with all respect, I agree that Bruce wanted to look good on camera. You know better what Bruce used for his back pain. I often read he really was still in great pain, but maybe it is one of those exageration surrounding his persona. I do not know what type of corticsteroids took. If he only had a few injection, then it may not explain his problems. But mood swing is one of the symptoms. Not much euphoria trust me. I had intravascular Prednison when hospitalized doese a horse would receive. I also took oral pills at home for extended periods. Here are the side effect according to Mayo clinic. And it includes all above mention. But again, I may be idolizing Bruce. And I have no clue to what he really took for medicine. And yes the 70's where the 70's. Linda Lee would know what drugs he took when she lived with him. So here are the Side effects of oral corticosteroids
      Because oral corticosteroids affect your entire body instead of just a particular area, this route of administration is the most likely to cause significant side effects. Side effects depend on the dose of medication you receive and may include:
      Fluid retention, causing swelling in your lower legs
      High blood pressure
      Problems with mood swings, memory, behavior, and other psychological effects, such as confusion or delirium
      Upset stomach
      Weight gain, with fat deposits in your abdomen, your face and the back of your neck
      When taking oral corticosteroids longer term, you may experience:
      Elevated pressure in the eyes (glaucoma)
      Clouding of the lens in one or both eyes (cataracts)
      A round face (moon face)
      High blood sugar, which can trigger or worsen diabetes
      Increased risk of infections, especially with common bacterial, viral and fungal microorganisms
      Thinning bones (osteoporosis) and fractures
      Suppressed adrenal gland hormone production that may result in a variety of signs and symptoms, including severe fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and muscle weakness
      Thin skin, bruising and slower wound healing

    • @francoismorin8721
      @francoismorin8721 2 года назад

      @@TomBleecker But indeed Bruce did not seem to havbe any swelling of the face by wather retention. It is often common in corticosteroids use. Look at Elvis Presley, his face swelling was also cause by the intake of corticosteroids (Oups I corrected my first statement about Elvis...he did have an autoimmune inflammatory disorder, but seemingly not irritable colon... or maybe he did. I remeber reading it somewhere) But he did take a lot of wake-up and sleep pills. But that round face was mainly caused by corticosteroids at the end of his life. And I use to think it was because Elvis was fat, but look at his face how swelled up it was. Thsat is typical of water retention. He wasn't that fat. poor Elvis. But Bruce Lee was always trainning and sweating so maybe he did nbot have that side-effect and also according to what you just mentioned he only had localized injection for his back.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад

      @@francoismorin8721 It wasn't so much Bruce wanting to look good as it was the wardrobe person not wanting to deal with Bruce's shirts drenched with sweat and none of the shots matching. His excessive sweating would have been a real problem for production. With regard to his cortisone injections, he had a series of injections from Dr. Herb Tanney prior to leaving for Hong Kong. The question is how much cortisone (and whether oral or by injection) he took when in Hong Kong. With regard to what Linda may have know about Bruce's use of cortisone, it's questionable. She did know about his use of cocaine and other drugs, but I'm not sure about cortisone. You're correct about long term use of cortisone being a real nightmare. There is, for some, a euphoric effect. This is off the internet: "treatment with cortisone can cause mood disorders such as irritability, anxiety or even a sense of euphoria."

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад

      @@francoismorin8721 I don't believe that Bruce was taking injections of cortisone in his back after he left for Hong Kong because his back was no longer a problem. Also, keep in mind that he was heavily into diuretics, which would have blown off the excess water caused by cortisone.

  • @johnthomasjr.7748
    @johnthomasjr.7748 7 месяцев назад

    Bruce Lee is a human being. He has issues like the rest of us have. Bruce Lee was a married man and he had other women. So it's a possibility he may have used steroids. Me personally I still admire the guy. I enjoyed his movies. I also admired that he still up against racial oppression. He taught people regardless of their skin color as long as their hearts is right. Me personally I admire him for that.

  • @leestephenfitzpatrick6373
    @leestephenfitzpatrick6373 2 года назад +4

    As you said " he couldn't put size on his legs" if he took steroids his legs would certainly would have been massive, with the amount of training he did.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 года назад +5

      Bruce first tried steroids in the states, and after using them for a short while decided to stop using them for whatever reason. He clearly stated this in one of his letters to Bobby Baker in which he wrote that he had "made the gains that he wanted" (I paraphrase). Difficult to say how much muscle he had gained in that short period, but it's fair to say it wasn't that noticeable. As I stated in the video, not all athletes who use steroids gain massive muscles. Keep in mind, also, that around this time, he had one of his testicles surgically removed, which would surely have hindered his progress in his weight training. As an aside, can you provide a reason why Bruce would have said no to steroids when he never said no to anything else that he felt would help him achieve his goal that he wrote in his Definite Chief Aim?

    • @ibberman
      @ibberman Год назад +1

      You are wrong, sorry.

  • @msbrownbeast
    @msbrownbeast 2 месяца назад

    4:56 Bruce Lee was born with an undescended testicle. He didn't have one removed.

    • @TomBleecker
      @TomBleecker  2 месяца назад +1

      In March of 1969, Bruce was admitted to St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica where surgeons removed the undeveloped testicle that had remained undescended since birth and repaired a hernia. This is a well-known medical fact that was entered into evidence at the Coroner's Inquest in Hong Kong and appears in Bruce Lee's medical records.

  • @davidjd123
    @davidjd123 Год назад

    My acupunctures a older chinese woman that immigrated from Hong Kong to California and even taught at a Traditional Chinese Medicine school for years she was close to one of Bruce Lee's Mistresses ( another Chinese woman in the chinese community of San Francisco) , she did not like him because of that lol. I think because her husband also cheated on her which led to her divorce. Small World