When people hear the name Allen Joe, many will immediately think of Bruce Lee.
But Allen Joe had already accomplished a great deal before he ever met Bruce.
Allen was born in 1924 and grew up in Oakland, California. As a young man, he became interested in bodybuilding after experiencing bullying. Instead of allowing that experience to define him, he turned to training and physical development.
He eventually became a serious bodybuilder and trained under Ed Yarick, alongside some of the best-known bodybuilders of the time, including Jack Delinger, Roy Hilligenn, Clancy Ross and Steve Reeves.
In 1946, Allen became the first Asian American to win the Mr. Northern California Bodybuilding Championship.
At a time when bodybuilding was still very different from what it is today, this was a remarkable achievement.
Allen was also a World War II veteran, and his life was about much more than martial arts.
Meeting Bruce Lee
Allen met Bruce Lee in Seattle in 1962.
Bruce was immediately impressed by Allen’s physical development and knowledge of bodybuilding. Their friendship continued after Bruce moved to Oakland, where Allen became part of a small group of martial artists and friends that became known as the “Four Musketeers” Bruce Lee, Allen Joe, James Yimm Lee and George Lee.
The name “Four Musketeers” was also used by Allen himself when he later described their friendship and time together.
Allen and James introduced Bruce to basic weight training and body conditioning. Allen also gave Bruce his first set of weights.
This became an important part of Bruce’s development.
Bruce was already an exceptional martial artist, but he was constantly looking for ways to improve himself physically. Weight training, conditioning and strength development became an increasingly important part of his training.
Allen later recalled that their early workouts were actually quite simple: basic exercises such as squats, pullovers and curls.
Nothing complicated.
Just hard work and consistency.
More Than Bruce Lee’s Friend
What I find particularly interesting about Allen is that his own story can easily disappear behind the much bigger story of Bruce Lee.
But Allen was not simply “Bruce Lee’s friend.”
He was a champion bodybuilder in his own right, a veteran, a martial artist, a trainer and someone who had dedicated much of his life to physical development.
He also remained interested in training throughout his life.
Even at the age of 92, Allen was still lifting weights.
That says something about the man he was.
For Allen, training was not simply something you did for a few years when you were young. It was part of his way of life.
The Four Musketeers
There is something fascinating about that small group in Oakland.
Four very different men, brought together through martial arts, friendship and a shared interest in pushing themselves further.
Bruce Lee.
James Yimm Lee.
George Lee.
Allen Joe.
Each of them contributed something different.
James was an experienced martial artist and an important mentor to Bruce.
George was a skilled craftsman who built and modified much of Bruce’s training equipment.
And Allen brought his knowledge of bodybuilding and physical conditioning.
Together, they were part of the environment in which Bruce Lee continued to experiment, train and develop his ideas.
Remembering Allen
I was fortunate enough to know Allen personally.
That makes the historical stories mean something different to me.
I didn’t meet a name from a book.
I met the man.
And perhaps that is what I remember most.
Behind the photographs of Allen standing beside Bruce Lee was a man who had lived a long and remarkable life of his own.
A bodybuilder.
A martial artist.
A veteran.
A husband.
A friend.
And someone who continued to train and stay active throughout his life.
Allen passed away on April 2, 2018, at the age of 94.
I feel very fortunate that our paths crossed.
Rest in peace, Allen.
Walk on.
