Steroids are usually associated with massive, humongous bodybuilders with pumped-up muscles and vascular physiques. But knowing who is and who is not on anabolic steroids is a lot harder than you can imagine. It is also not easy to tell who may have used anabolics in the past. It is even harder to tell who is juicing at the present moment because steroids now come in very many varieties. Some are used to pack dozens of muscles in record time, while others scale up metabolism and burn fat. This explains why some skinny fellow in the gym could just be riding a bike while a mass monster is lifting heavier than Ronnie Coleman.
Professional sports are stricter on steroid use than Hollywood. While drug testing is a standard procedure in professional sports, actors are not subjected to drug testing in Hollywood. This explains why many people suspect Michael B. Jordan’s steroids use for his blockbuster Creed 2 movie, given his impressive physique in the movie. It’s hard to say for sure that he took steroids, but that’s what we are going to unearth in a few.
Who Is Michael B Jordan?
Michael B Jordan is one of the top Hollywood actors if his role as Erick Kill monger in Black panther and his lead acting role in the Creed movies is anything to go by. Before getting his big break recently, his career was more of a roller coaster. The 32-year-old actor now has an impressive on-screen presence enhanced by his impressive physique. He weighs well over 200 pounds, standing at 6 ft in height.
The Big Break
Everybody considered Michael successful, but he wanted to achieve even bigger things, with eyes set on conquering the big screen. Until 2013, his career took off when he landed a role in the movie Fruitvale Station. His role as a shooting victim helped put him on the map. He did so well that he was compared to Denzel Washington and was even regarded as the actor to watch. He then appeared as Johnny Storm in Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot, but the movie did not so well as anticipated. Some argued that Michael had blown it. To silence the naysayers, he rebounded big time a year later, appearing as Adonis Creed in the movie Creed. That role secured his position as one of Hollywood’s best actors.
Early Life
Before answering whether Michael B Jordan takes steroids, it’s crucial that we first learn about his early life. He was born in Santa Ana, in California, to a mother who was an artist, which means the creative blood has always been in him since birth. His family then relocated to New Jersey after two years of living in Cali, where he joined New Arts High school. His athletism became evident when he started playing basketball. He even tried his hand in child modeling for brands such as Toys R Us before the acting bug bit him.
Later on, he ventured into acting and, with lady luck on his side, landed minor acting roles in shows like Cosby and the Sopranos. In 2001, at 14 years of age, he landed his first major movie role, where he acted alongside the timeless Keanu Reeves in the movie, Hardball. His first steady role was in the HBO series, The Wire. After a few years, he landed roles in CSI, Law and Order, All My Children, Cold Case, and appeared in many music videos.
Did Michael B Jordan Take Steroids?
Most lifters being accused of using steroids take it as a compliment. Those who aren’t natural eventually get tired of being accused of juicing because even if they have used steroids, it takes countless hours in the gym to build muscle and burn fat. Sometimes it’s easy to tell that someone is using the gear. They look too big and too muscular to be natural, are bloated, have acne and massive shoulders and traps, and are red in the face. Other steroid users are hard to pick out. The question is, did Michael B Jordan use steroids for Creed 2? Let us read on.
His Success as Adonis Creed
Before Michael took a role in the Black Panther as Erick Kill monger, his physical size was too big to be prepared for a role in the Adonis Creed. In Creed, he acted as an aspiring young boxer, a son to Apollo Creed from the Rocky movies. To prepare for his Creed role, he trained hard for over a year, worked out for many hours every week, and followed a super strict diet. His physique achieved a tremendous transformation as he trained with established boxers and fight specialists.
In Creed 2, Adonis would take on Victor Drago, the son of the man who killed his father, Ivan Dago. He took his training in preparation for Creed 2 to the next level, attaining a 20-pound muscle gain, and was shredded like never before. The physique was so impressive in Creed 2 that Michael B. Jordan steroids use became almost apparent due to his ramped-up physique.
The Transformation
Before his Creed role, he was skinny with abs, and it was easy to tell he was working out to stay fit. His physique was not the kind that turns heads, nor did he gain more muscle as he aged. He did have muscles in Fantastic Four as he played a superhero, but he was not a big guy, just pushing 180 at the most. In Creed 1, things started taking a turn as he trained and dieted, which saw him pack around 25 pounds in muscle. He lost fat considerably and got leaner and ripped. Though it was impressive, it was still not as remarkable.
In Black Panther, he needed to be a beast to fit perfectly in his role. This meant bulking up even more, which gained him 15 more extra pounds. He became bigger and muscular, and his physique would be likened to that of a bodybuilder in the offseason. It is in Creed 2 that Michael got even bigger while amazingly weighing the same. He burnt some little fat, lost water, bringing a more defined physique to the screens. To put it briefly, he earned a total of 40 pounds in 3 years, and given the timeline of events, it raised suspicion in some circles about Michael B. Jordan’s steroids use. There is no way such gain was just a result of lifting weights and protein shakes.
Bloating? Well… when he bulked up for his role in Black Panther as Kill Monger, he was a little bloated with his face carrying water. Steroids result in water retention and bloating, explaining why his face looked puffy in the movie. But the bloating was not extreme, so it’s hard to tell if he was really juiced.
Creed 2 Transformation
After bulking up for the Black Panther role, Michael lost fat and worked out more to attain a heavyweight boxer’s physique and shape. In Creed 2, he was much bigger than before and still impressively ripped. His jawline was defined, and he had a body fat of 8-10%, which is quite low and commendable. Unlike other bodybuilders who lose muscle when they diet down and lose fat, Jordan didn’t lose muscle. Contrastingly, he gained a few lean muscle tissues, which is hard to achieve under natural conditions.
Micheal’s Physical Training and Healthy Living
Michael worked out two times daily the entire week while preparing for Creed 2. We could say he trained like a beast! Most of his time was spent lifting weights while at the same time preparing to take the role of a professional boxer. His training focused more on compound movements targeting every muscle group, which is actually the fastest way to gain muscle mass. He also had nutritionists and dieticians carefully plan his meals. He would consume six meals per day and drink a gallon of water. The gym became like home to him.
While it is possible to bulk naturally under such conditions, there is no stage where his fat increased, which could mean that a short steroid cycle might have caused the muscle gain.
No Signs of Abuse
For some people, it is easy to tell they are using or abusing steroids just by looking at them. Some signs to look out for include:
• Acne
• Bloated face and body
• Enlarged and rounded shoulders and traps
• Gyno
• Profuse sweating
• Red Skin
• HGH gut
As it is now clear, other than a slightly puffy face as Kill Monger in Black Panther, there are no apparent signs of Michael B. Jordan’s steroid use.
Did Michael B Jordan Use Steroids?
So, did he use steroids? His initial transformation was legitimate and achievable owing to the time frame and the help at his disposal. But getting the size, he presented in black panther in such a short time raises eyebrows. He might have used steroids going by the fluid retention evident in Black panther. Also, gaining 40 pounds of muscle while preparing for Creed 2 is no mean feat. We believe he might have juiced to help him to get into shape.
