I saw Black Panther twice. I went the first time with my fiancee and the second time alone. All I could hear and feel was my significant other salivating over Michael B. Jordan’s movie physique.
Let’s keep it real, Kilmonger was mad diesel in the movie. Homie looked like a well-chiseled action figure waiting to take over the universe. After getting over my feelings of slight hateration I decided to figure out how he did it. Here’s Michael B’s Kilmonger workout plan. This workout routine isn’t for the weak, so get your vibranium and electrolytes together before trying.
Jordan’s physical trainer, Corey Calliet wanted to create an image of Kilmonger that would be memorable. The two have been working together since Jordan was in 2015’s Fantastic Four.
Calliet sat down with Men’s Health to give us the behind scenes look at how Kilmonger developed this killer body. Don’t worry fellas even Michael B. Jordan struggled early on Jordan “could barely push 25 pounds” according to Calliet. “By the time we got to Black Panther, he was doing 115-pound dumbbells.”
The vision for Kilmonger’s body was simple…it needs to be intimidating.
“The word that kept playing in my mind was ‘savage… When you see him, you need to be scared. You need to be intimidated. We don’t want the nice, young-looking Michael.”
The two accomplished that goal by implementing a core routine of bench press, lat pulldowns, and deadlifts two to three times per day with lots of weight. During the filming of Black Panther, Jordan was able to gain up to 194 pounds, but Calliet trimmed him down to a leaner 184.
Kilmonger’s Ultimate Workout: Day One
Day 1: ?Machine Chest Press: 3 sets, 20 reps?Flat Flys: 4 sets, 15 reps?Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets, 20 reps?Push-Ups: 10 descending sets starting with 10 reps
Day 2: ?Front/Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 4 sets, 12 reps each side?Dumbbell Overhead Raises: 4 sets, 12 reps?Squats: 10 descending sets starting with 10 reps?Leg Lunges: 2 sets, 1 rep, hold for 30 seconds
Cardio Cool Down: ?Complete 5 rounds of this circuit; 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off:
Push-Ups?Barbell Curls?Leg Raises?Jump Squats
In addition to the 6 days of heavy lifting and conditioning, Jordan also ate six times a day. Studies show that eating this many times a day helps to promote weight loss, metabolism and decrease satiety.
Sample Meal 1: ?6-8 ounces chicken?1 cup Jasmine rice?1/2 teaspoon olive oil
Sample Meal 1: ?6-8 ounces lean ground chicken?1/2 avocado? 2 cups spinach
It’s going to take time and focus fellas, but I think we can get the results we seek. If you start now you can be killing Instagram feeds by July. However, Calliet reminds us to not get too photogenic too soon.
“Make sure that you have a good diet, and make sure that you’re going to the gym and you’re working out — that you’re really in the gym getting the time in, not just sitting there on the phone on social media acting like you’re really working out,”
Daunte Henderson, founder of the MADEMAN Foundation, author, and educator based in Chicago. You can follow him at @brotherhenderson on IG