Michael B. Jordan’s Human Torch might not have been the best portrayal we could have hoped for – but I still enjoyed the movie, and have to admit to the man’s killer physique.
Don’t deny it, people.
But, don’t fret – we’ll also be combining the workout routine he’s used for Creed as well, to give us the ultimate Human Torch physique.
And let’s not forget that he isn’t the first Human Torch to grace the presence of SHJ. Chris Evans may be our Captain America, but he came to us as Human Torch first.
Which Torch do you prefer?
Michael B. Jordan Stats:
Height: 5’11
Weight: (approximate) 175 lbs.
Age: 30
Let’s also take a second to realize that Michael B. Jordan is also casted in our Black Panther movie as Erik Killmonger!
The stud has a taste for superhero movies that we have to acknowledge, right?
Jordan struts just about 6 ft tall, right around the range of Brad Pitt, Charlie Hunnam, Stephen Amell and Tyler Hoechlin – standing still below Batista, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Momoa and Ben Affleck – but above others like Mark Wahlberg, Zac Efron, and Kit Harington.
We’ve seen some other boxers at SHJ if you’re interested as well. Recently we saw Frank Grillo, aka Crossbones supervillain, transform using boxing as well. But, prior, we had super-studs like Sebastian Stan, Miles Teller, Jake Gyllenhaal, Scott Adkins, and Manu Bennett use boxing and fighting tactics in there routines.
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Michael B. Jordan Diet and Nutrition
The Michael B. Jordan diet was revolved around bulking up. If you were to look up his weight right now it would show him around 150 ish lbs instead of the 175+ range. That’s because it hasn’t been updated after he bulked up over 20 lbs for Creed!
That being said, another really cool aspect of the diet he utilized is carb cycling, or what we utilize called cyclical ketosis (or sometimes referred to as carb reloading).
We see it used in many of our Nutrition Classes (Hunter Gatherers, Samurais, Monks, Vikings) in The Academy when we talk about the 80/20 Method of dieting.
Here’s part of an interview with Jordan’s nutrition coach:
Q: How intense was the diet plan that you put on Michael B Jordan for the movie Creed?
A: We literally tracked every calorie that Michael ate so he wouldn’t store any body fat but would pack on a lot of lean muscle mass.
Q: What diet “tricks” did you incorporate, I heard its not really possible to pack on a ton of muscle mass without storing ANY body fat?
A: Well – Michael was already fairly lean and had some visual abs before we started. This helped the process a ton. Building muscle further builds your metabolism and helps you burn more body fat – so putting on a bit of muscle each week helped supercharge his results and get even leaner. We incorporated “carbohydrate cycling” since insulin is a powerful muscle builder. Michael would load up on the post workout carbohydrates and eat a lot of simple sugars. We would have him eating a bag of gummy bears with a protein shake post workout!
Q: Wait a minute – he would eat a bag of gummy bears every day and he looks like that?!
A: Yup! Gummy bears have zero fat and are high glycemic – so they are the perfect food to eat following a workout to repair and rebuild damaged muscle tissue if you pair it with high quality protein. It actually has a similar effect on the body as eating white rice, or white potatoes – and it’s a lot more fun!
Now, I don’t know if we’re going to go ahead and have all of you eat a bag of gummy bears after every workout – but it is still good information.
So, the specific calorie counting (or macro counting) that Michael B. Jordan utilized for his nutrition turns out to be more similar to the Nightwing Path (Minimalist) in The Academy, but the carb reloading is just another trick they utilized to manipulate fat storage (or the lack thereof) while promoting muscle growth.
Michael B. Jordan Workout Routine Research
Michael B. Jordan’s mass gain and physique was due largely to his nutrition.
That much is a fact we know. Nutrition is king.
But, that doesn’t mean he didn’t absolutely train his butt off.
Here’s what Business Insider tells us about his workout routine:
In addition to a strict diet, here’s a snapshot of the intense workout Jordan did six days a week:
- 45 to 60 minutes of cardio
- Three sets of 25 reps of sit-ups every other day
- One-mile warm-up on the treadmill
- Two sets of 10 reps of push-ups
- Four sets of dumbbell curls
- Three rounds of 20 reps of box jumps, jump squats, and burpees
- Boxing training (heavy bag, speed bag, jump rope)
I mean, that kind of makes my job quite easy, eh?
Normally I have to sit there and pick and choose from different things I find in order to come up with a workout routine to fit the goal physique of these celebs, but Michael B. Jordan and his trainer were generous enough to give us a very specific insight.
Thank you Mr. Jordan.
Michael B. Jordan Black Panther Workout Research
So, Black Panther is out, and Michael B. Jordan looks INCREDIBLE.
My man is definitely Superhero JACKED.
I won’t spoil anything, but Chadwick and Jordan are both Kings in my eyes.
That being said, it’s only right to add some additional research to this article to spice it up a bit. For that reason, this is the section devoted to Michael B. Jordan’s Black Panther workout.
I will be keeping his Creed workout, but adding a second workout on top of it.
I know, I know, awesome.
Michael B. Jordan already had his shredded physique from Creed (obviously), and took to the weights to get BIG for Black Panther.
Maxim and Business Insider tell us:
Jordan teamed up with Calliet again to make himself believable as a marine-turned-Wakandan insurrectionary.
“He told me, ‘I need to look like this,’ and it’s a picture of Killmonger fighting Black Panther,” Calliet told Business Insider. “He was very big, so I knew I had to make Mike look like a free safety or a Marine. If you want to be a villain you have to have that savage type of demeanor.”
And, lucky for us, we also get a full routine displaying how he swapped his cardio driven routine for Creed to a weightlifting/bodybuilding style for Black Panther.
Awesome.
Michael B. Jordan also said this about his Black Panther Workout to Men’s Journal:
“I just had to dedicate everything I had to getting in shape and becoming Killmonger,” said Jordan during a press event. “I was doing weapon training, gun training, and a lot of mixed martial arts.” Growing up as a reader of the comics, he felt a special duty to do justice by Black Panther’s arch nemesis.
I mention this, because as we know, mixed martial arts and weapon training is huge among becoming a superhero – which is why we have our Coach Derek in The Academy to guide us.
Keep this in mind because that is an ADDITION to the training I will supply you below.
Michael B. Jordan’s Black Panther workout is intense.
Let’s get that straight.
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Michael B. Jordan Workout Routine
Training Volume:
6 Days per Week
Explanation:
I just wrote an article about how many days you [really] have to workout a week, and it might have gone a bit against the 6 day split – BUT, this is what Michael B. Jordan was training…so this is what I’m programming!
The Workout
45 to 60 minutes of cardio
Three sets of 25 reps of sit-ups every other day
One-mile warm-up on the treadmill
Two sets of 10 reps of push-ups
Four sets of dumbbell curls
Three rounds of 20 reps of box jumps, jump squats, and burpees
Boxing training (heavy bag, speed bag, jump rope)
Michael B. Jordan Black Panther Workout
Training Volume:
4-6 days per week
Explanation:
I’m going to start with the routine we get straight from Maxim and Michael B. Jordan’s trainer. I’m also giving you a reminder that there was training on top of this (such as what Jordan describes as him getting into character with MMA, weapon training, etc.).
DAY 1. CHEST, BACK AND ARMS
1. INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS
Sets: 3 Reps: 12
2. DUMBBELL FLYE
Sets: 3 Reps: 12
3. PUSHUP
Sets: 10 Reps: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
4. DUMBBELL KICKBACK
Sets: 3 Reps: 15
5. TRICEPS PUSHDOWN
Sets: 2 Reps: 20
6. BENCH DIP
Sets: 10 Reps: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
DAY 2. BICEPS, TRICEPS AND LATS
1. ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW
Sets: 3 Reps: 12
2. NEUTRAL-GRIP PULLDOWN
Sets: 3 Reps: 12
3. BENTOVER ROW
Sets: 3 Reps: 12
4. DUMBBELL CURL
Sets: 3 Reps: 12 (Alternate arms.)
5. BARBELL CURL
Sets: 3 Reps: 12 How to
6. HAMMER CURL
Sets: 3 Reps: 12
DAY 3. LEGS AND ABS CIRCUIT
1. DUMBBELL LUNGE
Sets: 3 Reps: 30 sec. (each leg)
2. SINGLE-LEG HIP EXTENSION
Sets: 3 Reps: 15 (each leg)
3. LEG CURL
Sets: 3 Reps: 12
4. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Sets: 3 Reps: 12
5. SQUAT
Sets: 10 Reps: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
6A. CRUNCH
Sets: 3 Reps: 25 Rest: 0 sec.
6B. LEG RAISE
Sets: 3 Reps: 25 Rest: 0 sec.
6C. REVERSE CRUNCH
Sets: 3 Reps: 25 Rest: 0 sec.
6D. TOE TOUCH
Sets: 3 Reps: 25 Rest: 0 sec.
6E. SPRINTER SITUP
Sets: 3 Reps: 25
DAY 4. CHEST, ARMS AND ABS
1A. DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS
Sets: 5 Reps: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6
1B. PUSHUP
Sets: 5 Reps: 15
2A. DUMBBELL FLYE
Sets: 5 Reps: 10 to 6
Perform 10 reps your first set, then nine on the second set, and so on down to 6 reps.
2B. PUSHUP
Sets: 5 Reps: 10
3. DUMBBELL CURL
Sets: 4 Reps: 12
4A. DUMBBELL KICKBACK
Sets: 4 Reps: 15
4B. BENCH DIP
Sets: 4 Reps: 20
5A. CRUNCH
Sets: 3 Reps: 25 Rest: 0 sec.
5B. LEG RAISE
Sets: 3 Reps: 25 Rest: 0 sec.
5C. REVERSE CRUNCH
Sets: 3 Reps: 25 Rest: 0 sec.
5D. TOE TOUCH
Sets: 3 Reps: 25 Rest: 0 sec.
5E. SPRINTER SITUP
Reps: 25 Rest: As needed
DAY 5-6. MIXED MARTIAL ARTS / WEAPON TRAINING / ACTIVITY
If you’re familiar with Superhero Jacked, you know we love activity days.
This can mean MMA style training to build your superhero background with someone like Coach Derek – but it also could be sports, hiking, a boxing class, cycling, and so many more things.
Choose what works for you and get out there and use your fitness!
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