Here’s How Chadwick Boseman And Michael B. Jordan Got Ripped For ‘Black Panther’
Marvel's Black Panther is making waves not only for its box-office success but also for Chadwick Boseman and Michael Jordan's jacked physiques.
Boseman and Jordan, who play estranged cousins turned enemies in the film, had to battle it out for the throne of Wakanda. In one scene, the two had to lose their shirts and show off their ripped bodies.
The shirtless scene was so much to handle that a 17-year-old girl snapped her retainer while watching it. Here's how experts believe the duo got shredded for the film.
Create An Illusion Of Muscle
According to celebrity trainer and body transformation specialist Harley Pasternak, the trick doesn't lie in gaining pounds of muscle but in making others believe that there are pounds of muscle.
To achieve a superhero physique, one must concentrate on the posterior chain and workouts that bring out one's rhomboids, glutes, hamstrings, and triceps, he adds.
Pasternak has trained a long list of A-listers, including the likes of Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Lady Gaga. He also starred as himself in the Megan Fox starrer Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and his resume includes getting Halle Berry in shape for Catwoman, Tobey Maguire for Spider-Man, and Seth Rogen for The Green Hornet.
Movie Stars Are More Motivated Than Common People
Celebrity nutritionist and dietician Lisa DeFazio believes that people need to understand that movie stars have a different motivation for losing or gaining weight compared to common folk.
"Sometimes in our daily lives we're not motivated or we're struggling to gain or lose weight, but these celebrities are paid millions of dollars to look this way," DeFazio told Complex. "If we knew we were going to shoot a movie and be paid tons of money, that would motivate anyone."
DeFazio added that anybody could look like a movie star if they pursued it religiously, particularly if they have the finances to back them up. She pointed out that even celebrities are human beings at the end of the day and many of them waited tables a few years ago.
Jordan's 'Black Panther' Workout
Although the industry sets an impossible standard, there is a lot to learn from the way Jordan and Boseman prepped for the role.
Jordan who plays the antagonist Erik Killmonger in Black Panther put on 15 pounds of muscle in the months leading up to filming. However, what helped his cause was the 2015 Rocky spin-off Creed, for which he had to get ripped with a little help from celebrity trainer Corey Calliet.
According to Calliet, Jordan worked out two to three times a day and ate six meals to play the Marvel supervillain.
"[We did] a lot of old-school bench presses, lat pulldowns, deadlifts - nothing fancy, just really contracting the muscle," Calliet told Men's Health. "We lift heavy - a lot, a lot of times."
