Michael B. Jordan Reveals His Fitness Routine Plus the Importance of Finding Community Through Fitness

Whether it was those training scenes in the Creed trilogy or his role as Kilmonger in Marvel’s Black Panther franchise, we all can agree that Michael B. Jordan takes pride in his physical well-being. His passion for health and wellness started during childhood; he was always involved in some type of organized sports like basketball and baseball—real day ones remember his role in Hard Ball.

“My dad was my first little league and basketball coach, and he was the first person in my life that really piqued my love for sports and fitness,” Jordan told EBONY from the set of a new project he’s currently working on. Now, the New Jersey native is paying it forward by pouring into fitness communities across the country in hopes that others can be inspired to start their own journeys.

For the second year, Jordan, along with Propel Fitness Water, is launching multi-city fitness hubs—physical spaces where local fitness and wellness leaders will host free classes for the community—and they start in the actor’s hometown.

Last year, the Propel Your City Project provided access to fitness for people across the country, offering over 160 free classes from fitness and wellness organizations that fostered inclusivity in their communities. This year’s initiative will include seven returning partners and nine new organizations. The hubs will also allow organizations to host programming that might otherwise be difficult for those without a designated space.

“This is all about building community while being around like-minded individuals also looking to work on their physical well-being,” the Creed star shared. “Having a support system or group can provide some mental fortitude, and it provides you an opportunity to have accountability partners and vice versa, which can have a positive impact on your mental health.”

According to a study conducted by Propel, 77% of exercisers say the group setting of workout classes motivates them to exercise and that they saw better results when they worked out with others.

“Throughout this year we’re tapping into 16 unique fitness clubs and organizations and helping them develop and grow to enhance their local fitness communities. We’re going from Newark [New Jersey], and Atlanta to Houston and more.”

While he may not always be able to pop into his favorite group workouts due to his demanding schedule as an actor, Jordan shares that he still very much sticks to a solid routine. And he let us in on what that looks like on an average day.

“I wake up, stretch, meditate and do breathing exercises. From there, I’ll get in some fasted cardio which is usually two miles on the treadmill and follow that up with a protein shake and a big breakfast. In the evenings, I’ll typically go lift weights. Some mornings, I may switch it up and lift instead, it really just depends, and then do my cardio in the evening. Of course, this looks different when I’m working on a project. But no matter what, meditation and some type of breathing exercises are always a must for me.”

To ensure his body is healthy at all times from the rigorous training he can put it through, the Black Panther star makes sure he schedules regular massages.

Near the end of our conversation we asked the star if he could tell us anything about the project he’s currently filming. While he couldn’t say much, he did let us in on one little secret.

“There will definitely be some scenes where I get to show off my physique in this project as well,” Jordan dished.