How much training would you do if you were about to step on set with Sly Stallone? Michael B Jordan dedicated a year and a half to getting in shape for the role of the son of Apollo Creed in Creed, the reboot of the Rocky franchise. Jordan changed his diet (“broccoli, grilled chicken, brown rice, steak, sweet potato”), and embarked on a programme of weight lifting and boxing training “until I ran out of time”.
Men’s Fitness’s Ben Ince sat down with Jordan to ask him how he stayed motivated while getting in shape. For Jordan, it was the goal of looking and feeling like a real fighter that drove him, and his advice for readers who are struggling to make a change is that they have got to want to change for themselves.
And naturally, Jordan took a few hits while filming, “some was on purpose and some wasn’t”. The biggest “felt like I was in a car accident for three days”. And the best way of getting over a punch like that? Jordan's least favourite part of his regime – ice baths. Pro tip: “Get into the water before the ice.”
Creed is in cinemas from 15th January
