Michael B. Jordan Just Revealed the Hardest Things About Getting in Shape
His ‘Black Panther’ fitness regime apparently involved a lot of trips to the bathroom
If you need some inspiration to get in top-performance shape, look no further than supervillain Erik Killmonger — better known as actor Michael B. Jordan.
During a Tuesday appearance on Ellen, Jordan, who plays Killmonger in the upcoming Black Panther film, shared a few key pieces of advice for getting into supervillain shape, which apparently included plenty of cardio as he walked back and forth to the bathroom all day.
Jordan explained to host Ellen DeGeneres that he drank a gallon of water every day as he trained for the role. “Do you know how often you have to use the bathroom when you’re drinking a gallon, especially in the middle of the night?” Jordan joked, according to E! News. “You’re trying to sleep; you’ve got to wake up and use the bathroom. You’re like, ‘Oh, my God. I’m just going to hold it.’ It just doesn’t quite work out.” (Want tips on staying hydrated? Here’s how much water you should be drinking when you work out.)
Besides chugging a lot of water, Jordan said that in a single day, he was working out two to three times and chowing down on six meals. The die-hard regime certainly prepped his body for big screen battle, but apparently it also meant he had zero social life.
“It’s hard to go out to a club or a party when you’re like, ‘Oh, wait! Meal prep! We gotta go pop this thing in the microwave and eat food,'” Jordan explained. “It’s tough to socialize when you gotta get in shape like that.” (Want to prep like Jordan? Here are 5 healthy meal prep recipes you can make in a slow cooker.)
As for Jordan’s favorite workouts, the actor is a big fan of boxing (makes sense, given his starring role in Creed).
“It’s like, everything is connected when I connect,” Jordan said of boxing in an interview for Nike in October. “When you hit it clean, you just know it. You feel it. It just flows and it connects. Searching for those perfect punches is cool.”
Want to try out a boxing workout of your own? This three-minute warmup is sure to torch your arms. If you’re looking for something more, this quick boxing workout will hit all the major muscle groups.
So what does the future hold for Jordan? Filming on Black Panther may have wrapped — the movie premieres on Feb. 16 — but production on Creed II starts in April. You can probably guess what that means.
“As soon as I leave here, I’m going to the gym,” Jordan said, adding that he is “in the process of getting back in shape.”
