Let's be real for a second. We’ve all seen the shots from Creed III or Black Panther. Michael B. Jordan walks on screen, and the first thing anyone notices—besides the acting, sure—is that midsection. It’s dense. It’s deeply etched. It looks like it was carved out of granite by a Renaissance sculptor who had a grudge against body fat.
Naturally, every time a new trailer drops, the search for the Michael B. Jordan abs routine spikes. People want the "secret." They want the magic exercise or the one specific pill that makes those serratus muscles pop.
But honestly? Most of the "guides" you see online are missing the point. They give you a list of crunches and tell you to eat chicken. If it were that simple, everyone at your local YMCA would look like Adonis Creed. It takes a very specific, almost punishing level of dedication to hit that level of conditioning.
The Corey Calliet Strategy: Beyond the Crunch
Michael B. Jordan doesn’t just "do abs." He trains his core as a byproduct of high-intensity athletic conditioning. His longtime trainer, Corey Calliet, doesn’t just throw him on a yoga mat for thirty minutes. They treat the core like any other muscle group that needs to be bullied into growth.
One thing people get wrong is thinking he only does high reps. While there are definitely high-volume days, a lot of the work is about tension.
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Take the "ladder" method they used for his chest and triceps. They apply that same logic to the core. Instead of just doing 100 sit-ups and calling it a day, they’ll stack movements. They might do a heavy compound lift—like a squat or a deadlift—where the core is screaming just to keep the spine straight, and then immediately jump into an ab circuit while the heart rate is at 160 beats per minute.
That’s the "Killmonger" secret. It’s not about the isolated movement; it’s about the state of the body while you’re doing it.
The Famous "Creed" Ab Circuit
If you really want to feel the burn he feels, Calliet has been known to put him through a "no-rest" gauntlet. Usually, it’s three rounds. No breaks between exercises.
- Swiss Ball Crunches: 25 reps. The instability forces the deep stabilizer muscles to wake up.
- Leg Raises: 25 reps. Keeping the lower back glued to the floor is the hard part here.
- Reverse Crunches: 25 reps. This targets the lower portion of the rectus abdominis.
- Toe Touches: 25 reps. Reach for the sky, literally.
- Sprinter Sit-ups: 25 reps. This is the one that usually breaks people.
Think about that. That’s 125 reps per round. Three rounds total. That is 375 reps of pure core agony, usually performed at the end of a two-hour session that already included boxing and heavy lifting.
Why Your Diet is Killing Your Gains
You’ve heard it a thousand times: "Abs are made in the kitchen." It’s a cliché because it’s true. You could have the strongest abdominal muscles in the world, but if they’re buried under a layer of Friday night pizza, nobody is ever going to see them.
For Creed, Michael B. Jordan was eating 6 to 7 meals a day. We’re talking every two to three hours. It sounds like a lot of eating, but it’s mostly "boring" food.
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His macros were incredibly tight. He was hitting roughly 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For a guy around 180 pounds, that’s nearly 300 grams of protein. He’s eating egg whites, ground turkey, chicken breast, and lean steak.
The carbs are the interesting part. He doesn't cut them out entirely—he’d have no energy to film those 12-hour boxing scenes if he did—but he times them. Most of his carbs (oats, brown rice, sweet potatoes) are consumed early in the day or around his workout window. By dinner? It’s usually just protein and green vegetables like broccoli or asparagus.
The "Cheat" Truth
Does he eat cheesecake? Yes. He’s famously obsessed with it. But here’s the thing: he earns it. During peak prep, a cheat meal isn’t a "cheat day." It’s one single meal, once a week, used to spike his metabolism and keep him from losing his mind.
If you aren't training 6 days a week with 2-a-day sessions, you probably can't afford the same "cheats" he does and still keep that Michael B. Jordan abs definition.
Consistency Over Intensity
The biggest mistake people make is going hard for three weeks and then quitting because they don't have a six-pack yet. Jordan has been working with Calliet for years. This isn't a "six weeks to shredded" transformation you see on a late-night infomercial. It’s a lifestyle that gets dialed up to an 11 when a movie role is on the line.
He’s also a natural athlete. Some of this is genetics—the shape of your ab muscles is determined by your tendons, which you can’t change. But the thickness and the visibility? That’s all work.
Actionable Steps to Sculpt Your Core
If you want to actually see progress, stop looking for the "best" exercise. Start focusing on these three things:
- Drop Your Body Fat: Most men need to be under 12% body fat to see clear ab definition. This happens through a caloric deficit, not more sit-ups.
- Weighted Ab Work: Treat your abs like your chest. Use resistance. Cable crunches or weighted leg raises will actually build the muscle "bricks" that show through the skin.
- Compound Movements: Stop skipping leg day. Heavy squats and deadlifts require massive core bracing. This builds a thick, functional midsection that looks better than just "skinny abs."
Start by adding the "Creed" circuit to the end of your workouts twice a week. Track your macros. Drink a gallon of water a day. It’s not glamorous, and it’s definitely not easy, but it’s the only way to get anywhere near that Hollywood look.