Preparing for a movie role is one thing, but training to play a boxer in an iconic film franchise is quite another. As they do press to promote “Creed III,” the film’s stars have shared a little of what it took to get into fighting shape.
Whether its Jordan’s new thirst trap campaign for Calvin Klein underwear or Majors’ shirtless cover for Men’s Health, the pair have not been shy about showing off their physiques.
So, of course, the one thing everyone wants to know is how did they get ripped, and how long did it take. Majors told Men’s Health he trained for the role by committing to several months of brutal cardio, strength training and mental conditioning.
“If I’m going to bench-press 250 in a film, I need to be able to bench-press 275 a few times.”
During the workout scenes in the movie, Major is lifting real weights, not props. After all that training, Majors figured he might as well lift the real thing.
“Jonathan, you know, lives a little bit of the character, so there’s a fluidity from off set to on set that you respect,” explained Jordan. “The time it takes to do these fights and what it takes out of you daily is truly incredible.”
Jordan’s and Majors’ routines
Both men start with 20 laps in the pool to warm up. After that, Jordan moves on to 3 sets of bent over barbell rows, starting with 10 and decreasing by one for each of the remaining sets.
As for Majors, he starts with isolated back workouts: lat pull downs for 10 minutes, then 3 sets of 12 single armed dumbbell rows on each side. To wrap it up, Majors does 3 sets of 10-12 close-grip bodyweight pullups.
When it comes to shoulder work, Jordan does push presses — 3 sets of 10-12. He says it’s one of his favorites because he has such broad shoulders.
Majors on the other hand prefer 3 sets of 12 dumbbell shrugs.
What would boxing training be without a serious ab workout? Not to mention how it would impact the movie poster.
Majors sticks to basic but effective movements, 3 sets of 8-10 leg raises and 3 sets of 8 oblique knee raises.
Jordan prefers a cardio approach, incorporating 3 sets of 8-10 ball slams and 30-60 seconds of battle ropes.
When it’s time for a cool down, Majors loves a good stretch, while Jordan prefers to calm his mind with meditation.
“Creed III” marks Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut and has already brought in over $100 million worldwide.
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