I saw Black Panther two weeks after it debuted. It was a weeknight at 6 p.m., and the only available seat was in the front row. I looked around like, I knew this film was hot, but…seriously? Black Panther is already one of Marvel’s highest-grossing films ever. It’s received praise from pop culture icons including LeBron James, The Rock, and Will Smith, and has garnered critical acclaim.
Amid the movie’s rousing success, one minor detail keeps popping up in headlines: Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman, viewers have noticed, were jacked. We recycle this story almost every year, ogling at Hollywood’s paragons of physical perfection. In 2018, it’s Black Panther. Last year, it was Baywatch. In 2015: Creed. 2013: Pain & Gain. Articles invariably flood the internet about the grueling process the film’s stars underwent to transform into twisted steel and sex appeal.
Jordan and Boseman, the latest to inspire the trend, play estranged cousins turned nemeses in Black Panther. While battling for the throne of Wakanda, they box, run, flip, jump, and wrestle—and in the process, shirtless scenes abound.
So, could you someday look like these paragons? And if so, how?
“The key is not just putting on pounds of muscle, it’s creating the illusion of pounds of muscle,” Hollywood’s go-to movie-star transformation specialist, Harley Pasternak, told Complex.
Pasternak has worked with some of the biggest names in show business: Kanye, Kim, Lady Gaga, and more. He played himself as Megan Fox’s trainer in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014). He helped get Halle Berry in shape for Catwoman (2004), Tobey Maguire for Spider-Man (2002), and Seth Rogen for The Green Hornet (2011).
If you want to emulate the superhero look, Pasternak’s advice is to focus on the posterior chain and movements that emphasize the rhomboids, glutes, hamstrings, and triceps.
Lisa DeFazio, a dietitian and celebrity nutritionist, says people need to bear in mind that movie stars have unique advantages over the average person.
“Sometimes in our daily lives we’re not motivated or we’re struggling to gain or lose weight, but these celebrities are paid millions of dollars to look this way,” DeFazio told Complex. “If we knew we were going to shoot a movie and be paid tons of money, that would motivate anyone. Anyone could look like a celebrity if they really wanted to, especially if you have the money behind you. They’re just everyday people. A lot of them were waiting tables five years ago.”
Hollywood may set an impossible standard, but there are lessons we could all learn from Jordan and Boseman’s exhaustive preparation.
MBJ Beefs Up
Boseman Becomes a Martial Arts Maestro
At this point, I offer a word of caution: There is a difference between working out because you love your body and working out because you hate your body. Though learning from the stars and aiming for health is great, obsessing over your appearance can lead to body dysmorphia. Even Hollywood’s paragons are not immune to its self-critical pull.
“I think there is a slight body dysmorphia that you get after training so hard,” Jordan said while promoting Creed. “You’ll never be perfect. I think you’ll never be perfect and satisfied in your own mind because you’re always going to point out something you want to fix or improve.”
A desire for perfection and rapid results drives some movie stars to take steroids. Though one insider estimates 20 percent of actors use the juice to get in peak movie shape, Pasternak says hormone supplementation is unnecessary. Taking a strategic approach to training will make a bigger difference, he says.
“I can only speak for my clients, and my clients do not take steroids,” Pasternak says. “The truth is, a bigger person onscreen does not necessarily look more muscular. You think of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Lee, Sylvester Stallone—these guys were not big. These were the action heroes of the ’80s, and they weighed 150, 160 pounds. They were small guys, but because they were muscular and lean and had great proportions, they appeared big onscreen.”
To naturally simulate the effects of steroids, Pasternak recommends focusing on getting more sleep, which prompts the body to increase its production of testosterone and growth hormone.
With Jordan and Boseman at the peak of their acting careers, their training continues. Jordan is preparing for Creed 2, which will begin filming in Philadelphia in April. Boseman, meanwhile, will focus on Avengers 4 (2019).
Getting into movie-star shape may seem impossible. That may not even be your goal.
“Getting jacked is a young man’s game,” says Pasternak, the Hollywood transformation specialist. “I think getting up the stairs without wheezing and seeing their waist is the goal for 85 percent of Americans.”
Yes, it’s clichéd that we recycle this same story every year, but movie-star transformations can serve as motivation for viewers to get healthy. With the U.S. facing an obesity epidemic, that’s something we can all get behind.