All About Michael B. Jordan's Workouts and Physical Transformation Over the Years

Michael B. Jordan tailors his diet and exercise to each new role

Michael B. Jordan is no stranger to being shirtless on-screen.

From playing a boxer in the Creed series to a villain in Black Panther to his most recent role playing twin brothers in the blockbuster hit Sinners, the actor has been known for his physique. It turns out that the 2020 Sexiest Man Alive has had to really work on his physical shape throughout the years.

Jordan told Yahoo Life! in 2023 that working on the Friday Night Lights series was the first time he considered his physical appearance as an important part of his career and future as an actor.

"I had already competed in high school and played basketball and organized sports and all that good stuff, so I think there's a certain level of fitness that came with just being competitive and having to be in some type of shape," he said. "Once I started to realize, 'Oh, this is gonna be on TV. Oh, this is for a movie and posters, marketing shoots,' I kicked into another level of fitness for myself."

Here is everything to know about how Michael B. Jordan's physique has changed over the years.

Jordan didn’t start out muscular

Jordan’s trainer for Creed, Corey Calliet, told Looper in 2023 that when they first started to work together, Jordan could “barely bench 20 lbs.” and that “he used to hate all this” when referencing the high-intensity interval training approach they took for the movie.

"I was really, really slim, couldn't gain weight, couldn’t really gain muscle,” Jordan told Looper. “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."

According to Calliet, getting Jordan to that point took a lot of interspersing daily cardio, lifting and endurance based circuit training.

"I felt muscles I didn't even know I had," Jordan told Men’s Journal in 2017 of the workout routine.

He tailors his workouts to his roles

In addition to Creed, Calliet has also been Jordan’s trainer for other films including Black Panther and Without Remorse.

Instead of following one specific routine, Calliet told Australian Men’s Health in 2021 that transforming Jordan’s body for each role took different, specified approaches.

“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,” Calliet said. “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 (25-30 min daily at most compared to the hours he got while boxing).”

While the specific routines and what they focused on changed, Jordan shared some of his plans  with Men’s Journal in 2017 for Creed and his general routine with Australian Men's Health in 2021, both featuring a mix of timed cardio and interval sets targeting specific muscle groups in the abs, arms and legs. Calliet also said he introduced Jordan to Crossfit.

"I worked out two to three times a day, six days a week,” Jordan said on Good Morning America in 2015. "And if you do that consistently for about 10 months, your body will change."

He eats well and stays in shape between movies

Despite usually following demanding workout and diet regimes, Jordan tends to take breaks in between movies.

He told PEOPLE in 2023 that he loves to find other ways to workout including swimming, playing sports or playing with his then 3-year-old nephew.

“As I've become a little bit more selective on the roles that I do, my downtime has increased a little bit more. I think I'm starting to redefine — finding a healthy balance of just breaking a sweat,” Jordan said.

When it came to diet in the past, he would have around three to six meals a day to “bulk up," including lots of lean proteins and veggies. While Jordan said he still eats healthy foods between movies, he also allows himself a cheat day every week, making it easier for him to stay on track.

"I don't cut it out, but you've got to have more discipline and moderation," Jordan told CNBC Make It in 2024. "You know what the consequences are if you eat like s—."

He’s all about stretching and recovering

These days, Jordan is taking an even more holistic approach to his health and body.

As he told CNBC Make It, he wakes up every morning to stretch, meditate and perform deep breathing.

“When you’re young, you’re like ‘I don’t have time to stretch. Let me get right into the action,’ ” Jordan said. “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 Jordan explained to PEOPLE in 2023 that his fitness looks “different” these days, working out consistently, staying hydrated and maintaining his competitive edge keep him in shape on- and off-screen.

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