Last updated on September 12th, 2021 at 11:41 am

I won’t lie, Mike Colter makes a pretty convincing Luke Cage.

Well done Netflix. Well done.

I usually find myself reforming my original idea of the superhero into the newly found actor that they’re screened as.  In this case, of course I’ll still do that, but it doesn’t take much!

You can probably think back to when we saw workouts from Jason Mamoa (Aquaman/Khal Drogo/Conan), Manu Bennett (Deathstroke), and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman).  The three of these superheroes love to incorporate an active lifestyle into their fitness regime.  We’re going to be seeing the same thing with our new Luke Cage.

Mike Colter Stats:

Height: 6’3

Weight: (approximate) 205 lbs

Age: 41 years old

Mike Colter is pretty tall, but he falls right in the average height among SHJ.

The average height is roughly 6’1-6’3 range with guys like Stephen Amell, Hugh Jackman, Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Adam Driver, and a ton more.

We also have the short range with guys like Mark Wahlberg, Zac Efron, Tom Holland, KJ Apa, Kit Harington and a few others.

Oh, and let’s not forget the monsters that are 6’4 and up like The Mountain, Dwayne Johnson, Joe Manganiello, Ray Fisher, Ben Affleck and one or two others.

But, either way, don’t worry.

I write these routines so that they can be utilized by anyone and everyone.

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Mike Colter’s Diet and Nutrition

Just like we already know is true with our own physiques, Colter attributes 75% of his to that of his diet and nutrition.  Colter avoids bad foods (in which from his description we see are mainly starchy carbs and sugar), and eats a diet high in protein.  He says the high protein diet is able to keep his muscle growth, while the lack in carbs support his lean physique.

Sounds familiar, eh?

We’re seeing more and more people turn to diets with this Paleo style.  We’ve seen Brandon Routh (The Atom/Superman) go full paleo, and people like Zac Efron who take an approach similar to Colter.

While Colter tells us the main outline of his diet, he doesn’t tell us that he is exactly as strict as Efron, which leaves me reason to believe he might also incorporate some “cheats”.  For this reason I would suggest utilizing cyclical ketosis and carb reloading if you’re looking to do the same.

We see a lot of celebs opt for a sustainable approach like this.

That’s why our Academy Nutrition Classes (Monks, Minimalists, SuperHumans, Vikings, Spartans, Hunter Gatherers, Greek Gods, Samurais, & Eat Fat, Lose Fat) revolve around helping you find the specific diet that is right FOR YOU.

Of course, there are a lot of reasons to HAVE the strict guidelines.

We’ve seen a lot of celebs opt for specific restrictions.

For example: Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart incorporate 80/20 dieting with big weekly cheat meals, Hugh Jackman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hopper, and Terry Crews utilize intermittent fasting(something I use daily as well), Mustafa Shakir and Madelaine Petsch are vegans, Brandon Routh and Frank Grillo opt for paleo, and tons of others utilize their own variations as well.

And, that’s just to name a few celebs from each, by the way.

You can check out our Nutrition Pillars for more information and articles on all of the above and more.

Curious what the Top Diets Among Celebrities actually are? Check it out.

That’s why our Academy Nutrition Classes (Samurais, Monks, SuperHumans, Vikings, Minimalists, Hunter Gatherers, Spartans) all revolve around finding what is sustainable for YOU.

Mike Colter Workout Routine Research

Colter tells Foods4BetterHealth that he likes including swimming, intense cardio training, and basketball in his routine.  He speaks of switching up the way he thinks about training due to an injury and his different approach to strength training:

He felt that he needed to shock his body into getting fit the right way. Colter’s first workout plan caused him to over lift and hurt his shoulder, and sustaining that injury caused him to rethink his workout plan for the role.

Colter is not a fan of the traditional gym workouts that other actors do. He doesn’t want to just spend his time in a weight room strength training; he prefers to mix it up with other exercises, including swimming, cardio training, and playing basketball.

Hey, I’m all for these types of routine.

I’ll take any chance I can get at creating workouts that allow for hiking, active sports, and a different form of circuit training.

It’s a bit different than his fellow Marvel Netflix Original stud Charlie Cox, but if you’re trying to look like Daredevil I guess you can head over there!

Of course Mike Colter can bulk up, we’ve seen him in Million Dollar Baby, and we also see his physique as Luke Cage, but he’s also been quoted by TheGeekTwins saying:

I remember going to some auditions – I am a 6’3,  African American, baldheaded guy, I mean automatically, if I am a certain size people are going to look at me a certain way. I understood that there are lot of people who can do this kind of thing. So my little interpretation of this that if I really try to navigate my career in a different, perhaps I can find unique success. I knew that was an issue, so I decided to stay away from the weight room. I like to work out but I knew that if I look 225 lbs., well you know visually it would put me in a certain category.

So taking his shoulder injury and career into consideration, it shows us why Mike Colter finds other ways to keep his superhero physique.  Judging by his size, I’m going to go out on a limb and say he might use some free weights occasionally.  But, don’t quote me on that.  I also found that for his Luke Cage role he decided to put on the mass first and then add in severe cardio, so this may also be a factor.

For those of you who need to bulk first, considering this will have a different training split to it (strength gain, but also staying tone and lean), you can check out the Workout Database for bulking workouts, or Skip Go and head straight to our new Bulk and Strength Program.

Looking to step it up a notch?
Check out The Superhero Academy and start unleashing your inner SuperHuman.

Mike Colter Workout Routine

Training Volume:

3-5 days per week

Explanation:

This is where the word “Cager” originated for our Activity Days, so don’t be confused by the name.  Our Academy Members use the phrase Cager all the time, and if you’re part of The SHJ Army you should too.

Want To Upgrade This Workout?

The Superhero Academy now comes with an Upgrade Your Workout Tool that allows Academy members to turn any SHJ workout into a 4-8 week fully planned regime detailing exact weights to lift and including reverse & tradition pyramid training, straight sets, super sets, progressive overload and more.

Video Link:
SHJ YouTube Workout Guide

Day One: Chest, Strength, Triceps

Warm Up:

Stretch

15 min incline walk

Workout:

Bench Press

4×12

Close Grip Bench

4×12

Incline Bench Press

4×12

Skull Crushers

4×12

Chest Flys

4×12

Cable Pushdowns

4×12

Dips

4×15-20

Day Two: Cager

Hiking, Basketball, Tennis, Swimming, Football are just some of the things Mike Colter loves.

You can also insert other sports, activities, and different forms of fun training.

Interested in leveling up as a superhero? 

Maybe some MMA training like Coach Derek.

Day Three: Legs, Strength, Shoulders

Warm Up:

Stretch

15 min incline walk

Workout:

Squats

4×12

Military Press

4×12

Leg Press

4×12

Shoulder DB Front Raise

4×12

Hamstring Curls

4×12

Shrugs (DB or BB)

4×12

Quad Extension

4×12

Day Four: Cager

Hiking, Basketball, Tennis, Swimming, Football are just some of the things Mike Colter loves.

You can also insert other sports, activities, and different forms of fun training.

Interested in leveling up as a superhero? 

Maybe some MMA training like Coach Derek.

Day Five: Back, Strength, Biceps

Warm Up:

Stretch

15 min incline walk

Workout:

Deadlift

4×12

Preacher Curls

4×12

Cable Rows

4×12

Hammer Curls

4×12

Lateral Pulldowns

4×12

Face Pulls

4×12

Chin Ups

4×10-15

Looking to step it up a notch?
Join The Superhero Academy and start unleashing your inner SuperHuman.