How to Get Fit Like Michael B. Jordan, According to His Trainer – AskMen

When actors are tasked with looking jacked for certain roles, it’s not like they just stroll into their local gym and get to work.

Instead, they partner up with the best of the best, hoping that before filming starts, they’ve taken part in a full-body transformation that leaves them with muscles growing out of their muscles.

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For Michael B. Jordan, an A-lister whose most recent turns on-screen have shown him as this brolic, buffed up badass (think “Creed” and “Black Panther”), he didn’t exactly grow to that size overnight. Curious how Jordan went from just your average guy to a bulked up version of himself?

Just ask Corey Calliet, a celebrity trainer and body transformation specialist who claims that fitness “saved” him.

Corey Calliet

“I immersed myself in every aspect of transforming myself in the gym and quickly realized how life-changing it truly was,” he tells AskMen. “I wanted others to experience this – I needed to share that power I felt. I began encouraging others to join my workouts, and between my own bodybuilding competitions and prep I would coach others on their way to the stage.”

Calliet’s pursuits didn’t stop at bodybuilding. “I knew I could help transform anyone by spreading the knowledge I gained during my own journey. My fitness background was never handed to me just because I met the physical qualifications … it was without a doubt earned with every foot I stepped into the gym, the countless hours researching scientific literature and studying the greats, and of course, with every transformation I was a part of.”

As for the point at which Calliet believed he was qualified to train others, he chalks it up to the moment he transformed himself.

“I knew if I could change myself, I could help others connect with their fitness journey too,” he says.”

Each person is unique, so naturally, there’s a decent amount of time spent planning before really putting in the work. Calliet breaks down the training process, saying that it starts with an assessment of the “current state of body and lifestyle” that he’s working with, and the identification of areas he can help to change (like nutrition and body composition) before things kick off.

“For every client that comes under my care, I always assess their mindset, their body and their lifestyle. This allows me to identify any current limits they’re placing on their goals, and push them above and beyond,” explains Calliet.

For [someone like] Michael B. Jordan, I take more than just the state of his mind and body into consideration when I’m formulating my transformation plan. I have to consider the potential pitfalls of travel, fatigue, accessibility of adequate training facilities or nutrition (if we’re in the middle of nowhere), all of it. With this, I put together an arsenal of methods to use to ensure we are always making progress toward our goals.”

Now, you’re probably thinking, “Well, I’m not Michael B. Jordan, and what works for him won’t work for me.” And while you’re right about that, there’s one piece of advice Calliet has that’s pretty universal whether you’re an A-lister or an average dude: “You absolutely have to push the limit to make change.”

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“The go-to is honestly to just get moving in the first place,” says Calliet in regards to a desire to get fit. “And if you’ve already been at it, don’t just move in the way you’re used to. Do something different. If you’re used to cardio, head over to the weight training side of the gym. If you’re stuck at the weight rack, add some HIIT-style workouts into your regimen. It doesn’t have to leave you crawling out of the gym, but it better be anything but average.”

It’s all about doing the proper workout that’ll target the right parts of the body. To Calliet, doing a “a 10-15 minute cardio warm-up of your choice” will help to get that blood pumping before using weights “to help build, tone and define your muscles (and increase your metabolic rate to burn fat).”

“If your goal is to lose weight/burn fat,” he adds, “jump on your favorite cardio machine post-weights for 20-25 minutes to really tap into those unwanted fat stores.”

With the working out part covered, it’s time to highlight the diet portion of things. While some may think it’s all about how much you lift or how many crunches you do, nutrition and training go hand-in-hand.

“Without one you really can’t have the other,” notes Calliet. “Think about your nutrition being the factor that not only fuels the level of work you put in the gym, but determines how far your work takes you. Your training on the other hand is the sculpting process. Either way, both determine how you look. Stick to lean proteins, powerful carbs and fat-fighting fats.”

Corey Calliet

If you want to watch Calliet in action, check him out on “Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian,” an E! reality series — airing Sundays at 9pm ET/PT — in which regular men and women seek assistance from fitness professionals in order to change their lives (and bodies, of course).

Sure, these people aren’t gearing up for superhero films like his typical clientele, but according to Calliet, working on “Revenge Body” brings him back to “the deep transformative process of focusing on training the mind, and not just the body.”

“My current day-to-day fitness work usually involves professional athletes and celebrities seeking to change their physique and function — my ‘Revenge Body’ work requires me to help transform lives top-down, inside and out,” he says. “I am thankful for that opportunity to dig deeper.”

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