Alexandria Wyckoff
Michael B. Jordan has been known for his physique ever since his appearance as a boxer in the film Creed.
While he was named the 2020 Sexiest Man Alive, Jordan had to work hard to get to that point.
Training hard may be a piece of his success; Michael B. Jordan found the most results through discipline and consistency.
Didn’t Start Muscular
Corey Calliet has been Jordan’s personal trainer for several films, ever since Creed. D
uring an interview with Looper in 2023, Calliet shared that when they first started working together, Jordan could “barely bench 20 lbs.” and that “he used to hate” high-intensity interval training.
Jordan added, “I was really, really slim, couldn’t gain weight, couldn’t really gain muscle. I had to change my eating habits, my workout routine and all that. I didn’t start off benching 225. Nah, I started at 125, you know, 150, 180 and built my way up so now I can go to a gym and I can bench 225, no problem. That took time.”
To get Michael B. Jordan to his current physique, there was a lot of daily cardio, lifting, and endurance circuit training.
Tailoring Workouts to Roles
As mentioned before, personal trainer Corey Calliet is behind many of the prized physiques of Michael B. Jordan, including Creed, Black Panther, Without Remorse, and Sinners.
Instead of following one blanket routine for all of his roles, Calliet revealed to Australian Men’s Health in 2021 that Michael B. Jordan’s body transformations are specified for his current role.
Calliet shared, “The focus for Creed was to create an elite-functioning athlete which meant boxing training, skill development in the ring, and strength and conditioning sessions. Black Panther on the other hand had me implementing a bodybuilding training approach with focus on muscle development and aesthetic with strategic cardio to support his lean mass gain.”
He added, “The training was pulled from the fundamentals of athletic conditioning, as well as from bodybuilding.”
Jordan often did a combination of cardio, circuit training, interval sets, and even CrossFit.
Michael B. Jordan’s Diet
During his films, Jordan would usually eat around three to six meals a day to “bulk up,” filling up on lean proteins and veggies.
While he tries to eat healthy food most of the time, Jordan does allow himself a cheat day every week, so it’s easier to stay on track for the majority of his diet.
He told CNBC Make It in 2024 that, “I don’t cut it out, but you’ve got to have more discipline and moderation. You know what the consequences are if you eat like s—.”
During his Creed role, Michael B. Jordan was eating lots of food to bulk up.
During an E! Online interview from 2015, he joked, “Literally in the middle of takes, I would just be eating food. Chicken and rice and broccoli—a lot of it.”
Along with lean protein and green veggies, Jordan made sure to include healthy fats and nutritious grains in his diet. During workouts, he supplemented his diet with protein shakes and pre-workout.
As for his meal of choice for cheat days during the filming of Creed? Philly cheesesteaks.
Calliet shared, “I don’t know if a person has ever eaten as many cheesesteaks as I saw Mike eat.”
Stretching and Recovering
Today, diet and exercise aren’t the only things that Michael B. Jordan prizes for his health. He often wakes up every morning to stretch, meditate, and perform deep breathing.
He shared, “When you’re young, you’re like ‘I don’t have time to stretch. Let me get right into the action.’ That catches up to you a little bit. Warming up your body before you jump right into the action is something you have to do more of as you get older.”
While his routine may look slightly different than during his Creed days, staying hydrated, working out consistently, and fueling his body gives him the perfect competitive edge on- and off-screen.