Michael B. Jordan’s Greek god physique became the talk of the town among fans when he starred as Adonis Creed in the first Creed movie.
Many of my boxing clients asked me what it takes to get Jordan’s body, so I had my work cut out for me.
I spent a month watching his interviews, looking at his social media posts, and even watching movies like Creed and Black Panther to flesh out Jordan’s workout routine and diet.
Here’s what I found.
Quick Summary
- Many of Jordan’s workout routines combine strength training and athletic conditioning, especially his Creed workouts.
- Jordan’s diet is heavily protein-based, especially when he trains before a role.
- Jordan supplements his diet with BCAAs, protein powder, glutamine, and multivitamins.
- He incorporates HIIT sessions to burn extra calories and achieve a shredded physique.
Michael B. Jordan Stats
- Date of birth: February 9, 1987 (36 years old)
- Height: 6’0” (183 cm)
- Weight: 175–185 lbs (80–85 kg)
- Chest: 43 in (109 cm)
- Waist: 33 in (84 cm)
- Bicep: 15 in (38 cm)
Michael B. Jordan’s Workout Routine
Michael B. Jordan has played several roles throughout his Hollywood career.
Each role had different demands on his physique and strength levels.
So, we will explore three of his workout routines based on three films he’s starred in.
Creed I Workout
Below is the workout plan (designed by his trainer, Corey Calliet) Jordan followed before the filming of Creed I:
Day #1: Chest and Triceps
- Warm-up jog: 1 mile
- Incline dumbbell press: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Dumbbell flyes: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Push-ups: 10 sets x 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps (with short rest between sets)
- Dumbbell kickback: 3 sets x 15 reps
- Pushdowns: 2 sets x 20 reps
- Bench dips: 10 sets x 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps (with short pauses between sets)
Day #2: Back and Biceps
- Warm-up jog: 1 mile
- One-arm dumbbell rows: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Neutral grip pulldowns: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Barbell rows: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Alternating dumbbell curls: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Barbell curls: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Hammer curls: 3 sets x 12 reps
Day #3: Legs and Core
- Warm-up jog: 1 mile
- Dumbbell lunges: 3 sets x 30 seconds per leg
- Single-leg hip extension: 3 sets x 15 reps per leg
- Lying leg curls: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Romanian deadlift or stiff-leg deadlift: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Bodyweight squats: 10 sets x 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps (with short pauses between sets)
- Swiss ball crunches: 3 sets x 25 reps
- Resistance band reverse crunches: 3 sets x 25 reps
- Medicine ball toe touches: 3 sets x 25 reps
- Sprinter sit-ups: 3 sets x 25 reps
Day #4: Chest, Triceps, Biceps, And Core
- Warm-up jog: 1 mile
- Dumbbell bench press: 5 sets x 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 reps (with short rest between each set)
- Push-ups: 5 sets x 15 reps
- Dumbbell flyes: 5 sets x 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 reps (with short rest between each set)
- Push-ups: 5 sets x 10 reps
- Dumbbell curls: 4 sets x 12 reps
- Dumbbell kickbacks: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Bench dips: 4 sets x 20 reps
- Swiss ball crunches: 3 sets x 25 reps
- Leg raises: 3 sets x 25 reps
- Resistance band reverse crunches: 3 sets x 25 reps
- Medicine ball toe touches: 3 sets x 25 reps
- Sprinter sit-ups: 3 sets x 25 reps
Every workout ended with HIIT and boxing drills:
Hiit Workout
- Bench step-ups: 20 reps per leg
- Box jumps: 20 reps
- Side step-ups on a box: 20 reps per leg
- Jump squats: 20 reps
- Burpees: 15 reps
- Bench push-ups: 25 reps
Boxing Training
- Heavy bag routine
- Speed bag routine
- Hitting the mitts
- Jump rope
Creed II Workout
Jordan’s Creed II workout focused heavily on training his pecs and delts.
He did this routine 3–4 times a week and finished every workout with a boxing workout.
He started with three exercises:
- Smith machine incline press: 4 sets x 15–10 reps
- Cable crossover: 3 sets x 15–10 reps
- Low-incline dumbbell press: 3 sets x 15–10 reps
Jordan would follow this by doing the five following exercises as supersets:
- Low-incline dumbbell flyes: 3 sets x 15–10 reps
- Standing barbell shoulder press: 4 sets x 8 reps
- Seated dumbbell lateral raises: 3 sets x 15–12 reps
- Dumbbell rear lateral raises: 3 sets x 15–12 reps
- Smith machine one-arm shoulder Press: 3 sets x 15–10 reps
Finally, Jordan would perform the following exercises in a circuit without resting for a total of three rounds:
- Shadow boxing with 3–5-lb dumbbells: 1 minute
- Jumping jacks: 30 seconds
- Shadow boxing: 1 minute
- Mountain climbers: 30 seconds
- Shadow boxing: 1 minute
- Burpees: 30 seconds
- Shadow boxing: 1 minute
- Shoulder taps: 30 seconds
The Creed III workout plan, also designed by Corey Calliet, followed a similar routine, except Jordan trained six days a week.
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Without Remorse Workout
Jordan played a Navy Seal in the movie Without Remorse, which demanded a lot of quick movements and functional strength.
We tried this workout with our clients at TotalShape. It looks deceivingly easy but tires you out pretty fast.
Here’s Jordan’s Without Remorse CrossFit workout routine:
- American kettlebell swings: 30 seconds
- Reverse lunges: 30 seconds
- Double-unders: 30 seconds
- Butterfly sit-ups: 30 seconds
Repeat for a total of four rounds, with no rest between each exercise or round.
“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.”
- Michael B. Jordan
His Workout Principles
Here are four workout principles you can follow from Jordan’s workout routine:
- Daily cardio: Jordan always included 45 to 60 minutes of cardio after every workout to build cardiovascular endurance.
- Bodybuilding training: Jordan approached his boxing routine with bodybuilding exercises to train every muscle group. Weight training was a vital part of his routine that supported his lean mass gain.
- Athletic conditioning: In addition to building muscle and strength, Jordan’s training regimen included various conditioning routines like interval training, sprint workouts, plyometric exercises, and speed ropes.
- High-intensity interval training: Jordan ended most of his workouts with a HIIT session to burn extra calories and achieve a shredded physique [1].
“Jordan did lots of different types of workouts to "keep shocking his body.”
- Corey Calliet, Body Transformation Specialist
Michael B. Jordan’s Diet
Jordan’s meal plan changed with every role.
The following meal plan is based on what he ate when training for Creed:
- Meal 1: Six egg whites, one whole egg, 45g carbs (like rice, oats, etc.).
- Meal 2: Protein shake, 35g steel-cut oats.
- Meal 3: 8 oz. lean protein (like chicken, beef, or ground turkey), 65g of sweet or red potato, and 1 cup green vegetables.
- Meal 4: 8 oz. chicken, beef, ground turkey, or fish; 35g of rice or sweet potato.
- Meal 5: Protein shake, 35g steel-cut oats.
- Meal 6: 8 oz. chicken, beef, ground turkey, or fish, 1 cup green vegetables, 1 tsp. olive oil, coconut oil, or macadamia nut oil.
His Diet Principles
Based on his eating habits, here are three diet principles you can take from his meal plan:
- Protein-heavy meals: Protein-dense meals help your muscles recover faster, so you can train harder [2].
- 6-meal diet: If you’re into boxing and weight training, you’ll need to keep your body consistently fueled with clean calories throughout the day, as Jordan did.
- No skimping on the carbs: While most diet plans go low on carbs, Jordan ate plenty of them to fuel his cardio workout.
Supplements
Jordan took the following supplements to fuel his diet and workout routine:
- BCAAs
- Protein powder
- Glutamine
- Multivitamin
The importance of choosing the absolute best BCAA supplements for muscle recovery cannot be overstated, and people like Jordan can attest to that.
You might also be wondering what works better for recovery: glutamine or BCAA. While that depends on the individual, you can't go wrong by following Jordan's approach and opting for both.
FAQs
How Many Times a Day Did Michael B. Jordan Workout?
Michael B. Jordan worked out two to three times a day, six days a week. His workouts averaged about 60–90 minutes each.
How Much Weight Does Michael B. Jordan Lift?
Michael B. Jordan can lift a weight of 325 lbs (147 kg) on the bench press. He can also lift 115-pound (52 kg) dumbbells.
How Long Did It Take Michael B. Jordan To Get Jacked?
It took Michael B. Jordan four months to get jacked. He worked out six days a week for four months before filming Creed III to produce his best physique.
References:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25162652/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24435468/
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