If you’re going to play the role of a man being trained to become a professional boxer, you have to do more than just say the lines. You need to look like a guy who’s been working out like crazy as well. For his role in Creed, Michael B. Jordan did a lot more work than simply what you see on screen. His workout regiment was crazy enough, but his diet was insane.
While workouts are important, your body needs a lot of calories to burn in order to build the muscle that Michael B. Jordan needed to look the part of a real boxer. While most of us eat three meals a day, assuming a latte and a muffin counts as a meal, Jordan’s full meal plan included six meals over the course of the day. His "breakfast" consisted of six egg whites, with one whole egg and some carbs. He’d follow that with a protein shake. His next two meals would let him eat some actual food finally, as long as it was lean protein like chicken or turkey. Then another protein shake. Dinner was more chicken or turkey. The menu honestly feels as brutal as any strenuous workout. The image of Rocky Balboa swallowing raw egg is one we’ve seen in previous films. It’s not clear if Jordan was allowed to cook his morning eggs or had to consume them in that way. While the total amount of food seems like a lot, each meal is fairly small, and with the workout he was going through it’s hard to imagine he wasn’t starving between meals.
The exact calorie count of the full plan is not clear but it’s obviously well in excess of the standard 2,000 calories that most people are expected to consume. Without the workouts the actor was doing, he would have blown up like a balloon. It’s probably something on par with what The Rock eats on a daily basis.
It wasn’t all regimented protein however. According to Men’s Journal, Michael B. Jordan’s trainer, body builder Corey Calliet, gave Jordan 24 hours, from Saturday evening until Sunday evening, to cheat on the diet and have whatever he wanted. Since most of the movie’s filming was done on location in Philadelphia, you can probably guess what Jordan did with his freedom. Lots and lots of cheesesteaks.
Corey Calliet wasn’t Jordan’s only trainer however. It turns out that Sylvester Stallone himself did most of the actual boxing training with Michael B. Jordan. After six films playing Rocky Balboa, the actor knows as much about boxing as most professionals, and certainly more than any other actor ever.
Could you put yourself through this kind of regime? Do you do it already? Please tell me it doesn’t hurt as much as it appears to.
