Michael B. Jordan has made his name in Hollywood ever since his overwhelming role as Erik Killmonger in Black Panther. The on-screen presence of Michael has been significantly enhanced by his impressive physique. Standing at 6 ft tall and weighing over 200 pounds, he has charmed everyone with his impressive physique. But did Michael B Jordan take steroids for Black Panther? This question often leaves his fans wondering.
I must mention here that Michael B Jordan is not the only celeb who is assumed to have taken steroids. Many others including Terry Crews, Zac Efron, Tom Hardy, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Anthony Joshua, etc., have been thought of juicing to get big and huge muscles. While some of them are actually guilty of having used steroids, others have tried to bulk up naturally.
Michael’s physique has been one of the hottest topics of conversation after people watched Black Panther. Of course, the incredible change in his body for this movie seemed all too suspicious. With all of this being said, two questions come to my mind, did Michael B Jordan take steroids for Black Panther? Or is his amazing transformation just another example of a great workout plan with great muscle-building genetics coupled with a healthy diet?
Today I will try to debunk all the speculations about the approach of Michael about building muscle at such a scale. Let’s take a closer look to see the evidence of the aforementioned claims.
Contents
Where Did it All Begin?
If you take a look at Michael B. Jordan back when he was 22 years old in Friday Night Lights, there is nothing really impressive whatsoever to look at his muscular physique. It can be observed that he has very average-looking genetics, probably on a lean side and you wouldn’t think much of this physique except that he doesn’t work out consistently.
He didn’t have any notable muscle definition, no appreciable mass, nothing really to speak of. Moving forward to his role in Creed at 28 years old in 2015, he starts to take a bit of an athletic look. It was perfectly normal for Michael to gain 24lbs of muscle for Creed.
Before, you read any further, here’s a small guideline to find compare steroids vs natural bodybuilding.
Timeline of His Physical Gains:
Starting from his initial box office hit with Creed, Michael B. Jordan bulked up over a 3-year period. Natural guys follow an obvious trend where they gain as much as 20lbs of muscle when they get started to weight lifting. After the initial phase has passed, their gains tail off and are slow for the rest of their lives.
Creed I:
As it has been mentioned before, Michael B. Jordan gained 24lbs of pure muscle for his role in Creed. This muscle gain is totally achievable for a natural guy who is dedicated enough to follow a workout plan. It has come to light that Michael trained five days of the week for almost a year to get himself prepared for the role of a boxer. Every bite of food he took was instructed by his dietitians who planned a low-fat diet for him.
Learning how to box is considered to be a key way to lose weight and gain lean muscle. As the movie was about a boxer, Michael had to learn how to box beside his physical training. These shreds of evidence prove that Michael was 100% natural for his role in Creed. It is further clear from his photos from Creed as he isn’t too big to be a natural.
He is just ripped because of considerable fat loss which is normal for a natural guy after strict training sessions. Hence, based on the timeframe and the support he would have had, it can be said that the first stage of his transformation is legitimate.
Black Panther:
The guy is best known for his role in Black Panther. So, did Michael B Jordan take steroids for Black Panther? Well, Michael wanted to do justice to the comic character Killmonger after being cast into Black Panther. He knew he had to be a superhero to play a superhero villain. This meant that he had to bulk up more than he already had in Creed. It is not easy to add 15 lbs on top of 25 from Creed without stopping the muscle growth process after the newbie gains.
After comparing his arms, chest, and shoulders from Creed and Black Panther, it can be seen that he is bulkier in every respect in Black Panther. With this being said, he managed to gain 40 lbs of muscle after Creed and Black Panther which is twice as much as a natural guy’s experience.
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What Makes People Think Michael B. Jordan Was on Steroids For Black Panther?
After Creed, Michael’s muscle gains didn’t come to halt. After getting the role of Killmonger in Black Panther, he was really enthusiastic about getting as jacked as Killmonger in the comics. For him to fit in the role he needed to be a beast. He had a decent amount of weightlifting before working for Black Panther in 2018.
Michael’s physique takes on a more bulky look. He is not very lean and has barely visible abs. Based on how he looked in Creed, health experts have concluded that his genetics for building muscles are not great. It is nearly impossible for a guy like him to get such gains in less time period without using steroids.
He didn’t even do any aggressive bulk for Black Panther. Aggressive bulk means raising the fat percentage in your body to 10% and then performing a cut. Such a result is possible after months of hard work and is highly dependent on how your body works.
However, many celebrities take steroids as a compliment. The reason is that even if lifters use steroids, it doesn’t change the fact that they have to spend countless hours in the gym burning fats and gaining muscle mass.
Michael’s Photos Before And During Black Panther:
Taking a close look at before and during Black Panther photos of Michael leaves us in some kind of suspicion. He did gain 24lbs of pure muscle for Creed I but that is quite possible with the right coaches and dietitians.
However, during Black Panther, it is unbelievable for any guy to get to the size he was as Killmonger. However, this guy didn’t show any common side effects of steroids including acne, steroid gut, or gyno. Although, there is a notable difference in his face in Black Panther when compared with Creed.
In Black Panther, there is a rounder look to his face as he is retaining some water. The latter is the sign of steroid use. A small amount of liquid retention is normal in cases when the use of anabolic steroids is in reasonable quantity. Apart from his inspiring physique, his face did look puffy in the movie which could be a result of steroid use.
His Physical Training and Diet:
The workout regimen of Michael B Jordan was nothing fancy but tough training and weight lifting. Knowing the fastest way to gain muscle mass was working on compound movements targeting, Michael did so and spent most of his time lifting weights. He took meals that were carefully planned by his dietitians and nutritionists.
Verdict: Michael B. Jordan does not look natty!
With very few chances of us being wrong, all the evidence that we managed to collect about Michael B. Jordan, it is safe to say that the actor may have used steroids to help him get into the shape to play the role of Killmonger in Black Panther.
Reasons:
- The fluid retention of Michael B. Jordan is evident in Black Panther which is the side effect of steroids intake.
- Adding 15 more pounds to already added 25 pounds of muscle and experiencing another growth spurt cannot be a result of lifting weights and protein shakes.
- As per health experts, Michael’s genetics for building muscles is not really great. He cannot look as big as he looked in Black Panther by merely following an intense weight training protocol.
