“Black Panther” was released in February 2018, and Michael B Jordan’s physique in the movie shocked fans. Jordan had recently appeared on the big screen as the boxer Adonis Creed, and even though he was already jacked, his size was nothing like Erik Killmonger’s.
According to celebrity trainer Corey Calliet, who has been training with the actor since he was preparing for his role in “Creed,” Jordan got bigger than ever before. The 29-year-old actor packed on 15 pounds of muscle on top of his already muscular body to play the supervillain Erik Killmonger in the 2018 Best Picture nominee “Black Panther.”
What makes Jordan’s physique even more appealing is that he gained muscle particularly in his chest and shoulders.
The secret trainers use for actors to get the classic Hollywood physique is focusing on shoulders and upper chest. Growing these body parts gives the illusion of looking huge while keeping body fat percentages low. (This is similar to the Greek God Program, which has helped thousands achieve this look in a short time frame.)
How Big Is Michael B. Jordan in “Black Panther”?
Michael B. Jordan is 5-feet, 11-inches tall. He got his weight up to 184 pounds for this role and still hovers around 10 percent body fat. Jordan’s weight fluctuates 10-15 pounds based on his role. As a boxer in the 2015 movie “Creed,” he had a lean physique at around 170 pounds. In order to get the Marvel supervillain look, Jordan had to gain almost 15 pounds of muscle without gaining fat.
Key Characteristics of Erik Killmonger’s Physique
Erik Killmonger looks scary and intimidating. He achieves this effect by having big traps, broad shoulders and a popped upper chest. (The hundreds of kill tattoos don’t hurt, either.)
The jacked Killmonger body doesn’t seem achievable for a regular guy. However, you need to remember that specific camera angles and lighting enhances the looks of the actors. If you use the strategies laid out in this article, you can achieve Killmonger’s physique.
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Killmonger has a V-shaped torso, sculpted shoulders, square pecs, dense-looking arms and lean legs. Aside from the shape of his body, Killmonger is very strong. His relative strength — strength to weight ratio — is the secret behind the dense muscles.
Training with heavy weights while eating everything in sight will surely make you stronger. However, you need to eat and train strategically to increase your relative strength. This is where the Greek God Program comes into play. By following this program, you will gain strength and muscle and lose fat.
You don’t need to gain a ton of muscle to look like Killmonger. Adding 15-20 pounds of muscle in the right places without gaining fat will give you the head-turning, intimidating physique. This should take you roughly a year to achieve (assuming 1-1.5 pounds of muscle gain per month).
Erik Killmonger’s “Black Panther” Workout Routine
Michael B Jordan’s personal trainer Corey Calliet revealed that, in order to look like Killmonger, he had Jordan get back to basics. Calliet’s primary focus was getting the actor stronger in main lifts such as the bench press, deadlift and squat.
Jordan’s bench press got upwards of 300 pounds, which is more than 1.5 times his bodyweight. This is relative strength, and you can get there by patiently lifting heavy weights. Incorporating strategies such as reverse pyramid training and Kino rep training will speed up the process of getting stronger.
Training Schedule
The “Black Panther” workout routine is a three-days-a-week strength training program where you focus on heavy compound lifts. You’ll alternate between two workouts and each workout will last around 40-45 minutes, which is all you need to achieve the ultimate Kinobody Physique.
Workout A: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
- Incline Bench Press: 5 sets x 5, 6, 8, 8, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
- Flat Bench Press: 3 sets x 6, 8, 10 reps (reverse pyramid training)
- Face Pulls: 3 sets x 8-12 reps (Kino rep training)
- Skull Crushers: 3 sets x 6-10 reps (straight sets)
Workout B: Back, Biceps, Traps, Legs
- Weighted Pullups: 5 sets x 5, 6, 8, 8, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
- Sumo Deadlifts: 3 sets x 5, 6, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
- Bent-Over Flyes: 3 sets x 8-12 reps (straight sets)
- Cable Curls: 3 sets x 6-10 reps (Kino rep training)
Black Panther Workout Notes
Warmup
Start each workout with a few minutes of warming up. Perform two warmup sets of the upper body and lower body exercises at the beginning of your workout. The first warmup set should be five reps with 60 percent of your working weight, and the second warmup set should be five reps with 80 percent of your working weight.
Reverse Pyramid Training
Reverse pyramid training is specifically designed to increase your strength and stimulate hypertrophy. You will perform your heaviest set at the beginning when you’re fresh. In the subsequent sets, you’ll drop the weight by 10 percent and increase the number of reps. Rest three minutes between sets.
Muscles get stronger by lifting very heavy with low reps. If you only do heavy sets with low reps, though, you’ll be missing out on the increased muscle fiber activation from higher rep ranges. Reverse pyramid training helps you get the dense, strong muscles by combining the best of both worlds.
Kino Rep Training
In order to increase the volume of your shoulders, biceps and triceps, you will use Kino rep training. This high-volume, high-rep training style will stimulate sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and make your muscles look bigger.
Pick a light weight for your first set of Kino rep training and increase the weight in subsequent sets. Your last set should be very challenging and you should feel the pump in your muscles. Rest 1 to 2 minutes between sets.
The Greek God Program includes specialization routines you can follow to focus on weak body parts along with a proven nutrition guide. Diet is a big part of shaping your body, and this program gives you the nutrition strategies to build muscle while avoiding fat gain. Plus, it incorporates both reverse pyramid training and Kino rep training to maximize output while minimizing input.
Supplements for the “Black Panther” Workout
Supplements are not required to reach your goal physique as long as you follow the workout and nutrition plans. However, certain supplements can speed up your results.
In order to increase your workout performance, consider using a high-quality pre-workout supplement. Kino Octane is the best all-natural pre-workout on the market. Unlike cheap pre-workouts, Kino Octane delivers clean, sustainable energy. You’ll get through your workouts with high energy and laser focus without the post-workout crash.
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You can also accelerate your muscle building by using the post-workout supplement Kinobody Gains. Kinobody Gains is packed with research-backed ingredients at clinically effective doses. These nutrients increase your strength on your key lifts and help you add on muscle by activating your body’s natural muscle-building pathways.
