In today’s article we are going to do a body breakdown for the stars of Black Panther – Michael B Jordan who plays Erik Killmonger in the film and Chadwick Boseman who plays the role of Black Panther. We’ll talk about the physiques both of these dudes had during the movie and we’ll also breakdown what they did to get those insane bodies for this blockbuster movie.These two guys not only put on one of the greatest performances of their careers for this epic movie, but they also underwent impressive body transformations. Today, we’ll show you a workout and give you some nutrition tips to help you get a body like these badass Marvel heroes.

Let’s start with Chadwick, the Black Panther. If you want to go straight to Michael (Erik Killmonger), just scroll down to the next section.

Black Panther Goals

The ideal physique for the Black Panther role was to stay lean and athletic. He wanted to have a body that looked like he could do some serious ninja moves with. Basically, when it comes to getting this body type, the primary goal is functional strength and athleticism.

Black Panther Nutrition

We scoured the Internet looking for Chadwick’s nutrition regimen and what we found was that he didn’t really have one. He’s a naturally lean guy, so he didn’t have to do too much to stay that way.

For those of you who want to get as lean as him, nutrition will be key to losing enough body fat. We recommend dialing in your calories and macronutrients to make sure that you’re in a calorie deficit, meaning you’re consuming fewer calories than you’re expending. When you eat less calories than you are expending in daily activities and exercise, you lose body fat and that’s the easiest way to get a lean physique to show off your shredded muscles.

You can use our Nutrition Calculator to find out exactly how many calories you should consume and the right amount of macronutrients including protein, carbohydrates and fats. Just plug in your information and make sure to hit those target numbers every day.

You can also use a technique called intermittent fasting to get a lean body like the Black Panther. We recommend intermittent fasting because most dudes (ourselves included) have an issue with overeating. This technique cuts out your first or last meal each day to get overall food intake down. Basically, intermittent fasting doesn’t change the foods you eat, but instead changes when you eat them. You split your meals into a shorter feeding window and a longer fasting period so that your body burns fat instead of glucose. In general, we eat in an 8-hour window and then fast for 16 hours, typically from 8pm to noon the following day.

Black Panther Workout

Chadwick was working out 3-5 times per week leading up to his role in the Black Panther. To get a body like the Black Panther, you should do bodyweight and plyometric exercises like jumping rope, ring holds, wall sits, inchworms and push-ups.

Chadwick’s warm up consisted of some type of light cardio like jogging, some air squats and push-ups. You can do jump rope for a light warm up to get your muscles loose and ready for your workout. Make sure to also add in push-ups, pull-ups and burpees. Aim for 50-100 push-ups and pull-ups for the entire workout. His gymnastics and core workouts consisted of 5 high intensity rounds, which are a lot like what our HIIT jump rope workouts.

Read on for an example workout that we got from the guys over at Superhero Jacked, so you can replicate Chadwick’s exercise regimen and get a body like his.

Day 1: Gymnastics + Core

Warm Up:

• Stretch

• 800m jog

• 3×5 Pull Ups

• 3×10 Air Squats

• 3×15 Push Ups

Workout: Circuit 21-15-9

Round 1: 21 reps or seconds each

• 21 reps or seconds each

• 21 second ring hold with legs straight (if possible)

• 21 inchworms

• 21-second wall plank hold

• 21 plank to push-ups

• 21 second reverse superman hold

• 21 lunges

Round 2: 15 reps or seconds each

• 15 second ring hold with legs straight (if possible)

• 15 inchworms

• 15-second wall plank hold

• 15 plank to push-ups

• 15 second reverse superman hold

• 15 lunges

Round 3: 9 reps or seconds each

• 9 second ring hold with legs straight (if possible)

• 9 inchworms

• 9-second wall plank hold

• 9 plank to push-ups

• 9 second reverse superman hold

• 9 lunges

Day 2: MMA, Boxing, and Cardio

Since this workout program is designed to create a lean physique, your workout should be intense. Think along the lines of martial arts specific training that you would get from going to a boxing or MMA gym. Just make sure it’s high intensity – getting in good work on the speed and heavy bag.  If you want a low impact cardio exercise we highly recommend doing one of our jump rope endurance workouts.

Day 3: Gymnastics and Core

Warm Up:

• Stretch

• 800m jog

• 3×5 Pull Ups

• 3×10 Air Squats

• 3×15 Push Ups

Workout:

• Circuit

• 5 Rounds for Time:

• 400m run

• 25 Pushups

• 15 Pull-ups

• 10 Handstand Pushups

• 5 Burpees

Day 4: MMA, Boxing, and Cardio

Chadwick did cycling, long distance running and rowing to get his Black Panther body. He also did sprints, but we substitute that with a jump rope sprint. Check out some of our cardio jump rope workouts and get that high intensity cardio training in.

Day 5: Gymnastics and Core

Warm Up:

• Stretch

• 800m jog

• 3×5 Pull Ups

• 3×10 Air Squats

• 3×15 Push Ups

Workout: Circuit 1 Round

• 70 Calorie Row, Run, or Bike

• 60 Box Jumps

• 50 Dips

• 40 Pushups

• 30 Pull-ups

• 20 Burpees

• 10 Pistol Squats (each leg)

Summary:

For the remaining two days, if Chadwick worked out, he would add in additional martial arts and gymnastics training days. The focus in this workout is cycling through bodyweight exercises to burn fat and build functional strength for a lean body.

Erik Killmonger Goals

The ideal physique for Killmonger was to be jacked and athletic. Michael B Jordan put on a lot of muscle for Creed, but he had to take it to another level for this role. Just for reference, Michael B Jordan weighed in at 175 pounds when he filmed Creed and he apparently gained 15-20 pounds on top of that to film Black Panther. The primary goal for the Erik Killmonger role was to build muscle so we’ll show you some tips on how to do that.

Erik Killmonger Nutrition

Michael B Jordan was almost entirely focused on building muscle leading up to this role. To do so he was eating 6 times a day, eating in a calorie surplus for his body specifically and doing something called carb cycling. Let’s break down each of the steps Michael used to get that ripped body.

Step 1:

The most important thing when trying to build muscle is to be eating in a slight calorie surplus, meaning you are consuming more calories than you are expending. Again, you can figure out the right numbers for your body using the Nutrition Calculator, just enter your information and select “gain” for the goals section.

Step 2:

He was eating the right distribution of macronutrients, meaning carbs, fats and protein for his body. Again you can find out those numbers using the calculator above. If you are a man, toggle the protein to “high”.

Step 3:

Michael built so much muscle because he was eating 6 times a day. Now, this is not necessary for the average person, but it’s definitely helpful for making sure you are hitting your numbers perfectly and getting the nutrients you need throughout the day.

Step 4:

The final step Michael used to build muscle was a technique known as carb cycling, where you increase or decrease the numbers of carbs you’re consuming to maximize your fitness goals. To take advantage of his weight lifting workouts, he was consuming most of his carbohydrates directly after his workout. He even admitted to eating gummy bears post workout!

Erik Killmonger Workout

Michael B Jordan was working out 6 days a week leading up to his role in the Black Panther. If you want to build a significant amount of muscle like he did, you need to put in the time and dedication to get it done.

For every day, Michael did a short warm up, typically 3 minutes of light cardio. We like to start by doing 3 rounds of 3 minutes doing jump rope. At the end of every workout, Michael also did 15-30 minutes of heavy bag training, sparring or other very high intensity exercise training to finish. You can always grab one of our HIIT jump rope workouts to finish out each workout with a little cardio.

Here’s a sample workout we found over at Muscle and Strength to help you get the Erik Killmonger body. Just make sure to start off with a light cardio warm up and finish strong with a high intensity jump rope workout.

Day 1: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

Warm Up: 5-10 minutes jump roping

Example Workout: 3 sets of each with 12 reps

• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

• Dumbbell Fly

• Machine Shoulder Press

• Lateral Raise

• Dumbbell Shrug

• Weights Dip

• Skullcrusher

Cardio to finish: Do 15-30 minutes of cardio intervals like hitting the speed bag or sparring with a buddy.

Day 2: Legs and Core

Warm Up: 5-10 minutes jump roping

Example Workout: Do 3 sets of each with 12 reps

• Barbell Squat

• Leg Press

• Leg Curl

• Leg Extension

• Standing Machine Calf Raise

• Seated Calf Raise

• Plank – 20 seconds

• Decline Sit Up

• Hanging Leg Raise

Cardio to finish. Wrap it up again with 15-30 minutes of heavy bag training, sparring or one of our HIIT jump rope workouts.

Day 3: Back and Biceps

Warm up: 5-10 minutes of jump rope

Example Workout:

• Lat Pull Down

• T-Bar Row

• Weighted Pull Up

• Underhand Barbell Row

• Hyperextension

• Barbell Curl

• Hammer Curl

Cardio to finish. Finish up with 15-30 minutes of heavy bag training, sparring or HIIT jump rope workout.

Day 4: Rest or Abs

Example Active Recovery Day:

Take it easy and let your muscles recover on your rest day. That doesn’t mean you should sit on the couch like a potato and not move at all. Try to do mild, active exercises such as Yoga or go for a long walk. Light exercise will minimize the lactic acid in your muscles so you can rest and then get right back at it.

Example Workout:

You can also add in a short circuit of ab exercises like sit ups, leg raises, bicycle crunches and flutter kicks.

Day 5: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

Warm Up: Jump rope 5-10 minutes

Example Workout:  3 sets each with 12 reps

• Seated Dumbbell Press

• Bent Over Reverse Fly

• Dumbell Bench Press

• Push Ups

• Close Grip Push-ups

• Rope Pressdown

Cardio to finish.

Day 6: Pull and Posterior

Warm Up: Jump rope for 5-10 minutes

Example workout: 3 sets of 12 reps

• Deadlift

• Close Grip Lat Pulldown

• Dumbbell Curl

• Barbell Hip Thrust

• Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift

• Standing Machine Calf Raises

• Seated Calf Raises

Cardio to finish.

Day 7: Rest day or abs

Example Active Recovery Day:

Take it easy, but keep your body moving with low intensity exercises such as hiking, swimming and cycling. Just make sure to match the activity with your fitness level. Since this is a rest day, you want to give your muscles a chance to recover and not push them too hard.

Example Rest Day Workout:

Short circuit of ab exercises like sit ups, planks and leg raises.

Do The Thing

If you’re interested in starting your training now – check out our 4-week challenge where you’ll get four weeks of workouts directly to your email inbox. If you’re trying to get that Erik Killmonger body, you can take your training to the next level with the Swole Samurai Workout Plan, which focuses entirely on helping you gain muscle to get the body you want. If you’re shooting for the Black Panther physique, the Shredded Ninja Workout Plan will help you lose body fat and build that sexy, lean body.

If you want to look like these shredded dudes you need to get clear about what your goals are and then stay consistent. Getting these kind of results can take months and even years. Make it fun and enjoy the process!

#DOTHETHING