Michael B. Jordan Aims To Level The Fitness Playing Field
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Whether playing the villain or the victor, Michael B. Jordan’s on-screen roles all have one thing in common: a sculpted body able to carry out fantastical missions and realistic physical combat. From the Creed series to the Black Panther universe, the 36-year-old actor’s muscles are character traits, servicing a storyline beyond aesthetic.
In real life, however, the New Jersey-bred talent keeps his fitness goals practical, and through his latest partnership with the action drink, the movie star hopes to help others do the same. Announced Wednesday (July 12), Jordan, and the Gatorade-backed flavored water launched the Propel Your City Project, aiming to bring people together through movement. The multi-city drive will support the efforts of fitness organizations that are dedicated to addressing barriers to exercise and wellness in their communities.
Emily Boido, Senior Director of Marketing, Enhanced Water Brands, Gatorade explained the inspiration behind the program evolved from a desire to “harness the power of movement to tackle barriers that make exercisers feel excluded,” operating on Jordan’s platform prioritizing fitness and inclusion.
“I thought that was really smart to amplify what they’ve already done on the ground, not just be a cookie cutter program coming in, [saying] this is what we’re doing, you guys come work out with us. It’s like, ‘No, what are you guys doing already? Okay, great. Where do you guys need help? Awesome. This is what we can do. Let’s help do that.’ And I think that was a really smart approach to meeting people to where they are,” Jordan explained to VIBE over a Zoom video chat.
The Just Mercy film lead was active in selecting projects for the initiative. In L.A., efforts will go towards securing a centralized studio space for WalkGood LA, a Black and Brown-led, community walking club that drives healing and connection locally with yoga classes, guided meditations, breathwork, hikes, run clubs, and other activities. Detroit will see expansion in The Trap Studio’s Yin Nights events where it hosts signature classes that incorporate music and dance with yoga to introduce the practice to people of color and those who have felt excluded from it.
In Houston, the BLK Beetles organization is launching the first monthly ‘Movement & Mindfulness Experience,’ creating wellness experiences that create spaces for equity and restoration for the BIPOC community. The Atlanta-based efforts of the Atlanta Run Club finds support for weekly track events to activate and empower diverse runners, coordinating free groups and meet-ups for all fitness levels.
In addition to amplifying the aforementioned communities, fitness buffs across the country can enter for the chance to win $500 to put toward memberships for themselves and a friend. To learn more about free fitness classes available in select cities on the brand’s official website.
VIBE caught up with the Hollywood heartthrob to learn more about the Propel partnership and his personal fitness journey. Take a look at the conversation below.
VIBE: How did you get into this partnership with Propel and what were your deciding factors?
Michael B. Jordan: We met during the Creed III [campaign]; they were brand sponsors for my movie. I think that’s where the relationship started. [I] got a chance to get to know them a little bit more. [Like] what’s their agenda, and what their plans and goals were moving forward as they kind of rebrand their product. Getting into the communities and helping young people or people in general, just to get to the fitness. Whether that’s access to information, to facilities, to just how can we help amplify and support people on their fitness goals. I think that was a big initiative for me. Cause as we get older and we’re privy to more information. As we’re younger and you’re growing up, you know, don’t have a lot of access to a lot of information around things that are truly healthy for you.
How important do you think it is for community and fitness circuits and how important has community been on your own fitness and wellness journey?
It’s extremely important and it’s different versions of community. I feel like your physical community is around you. That sense of having access to places and things to actually exercise. I think establishing or finding out what your community and how you want to work out I think is important.
Then, also I feel like a group of people who have a like-minded goal, [like] classes are awesome or boot camps. Whatever it is, where you have a whole bunch of people at one place focused on one thing. And then it helps you [when] somebody holds you accountable. When you got to get up by yourself, go to the gym by yourself, eat by yourself, you got to workout by yourself, that could be tough. You find a million different excuses to not do it. I think when you do support a community of people, you feel more involved and you feel more motivated.
On your own wellness journey, encompassing your physical and mental well-being, what have been some of the hardest things that you had to push through to get to where you are today ?
I think being honest and true on my journey is really important.
Listen, my job is to work out. That’s a difference for somebody who just wants to maintain or wants to get a certain level of health. For me, over the years, [it’s] realizing what works for me. I’m a lunatic when it comes to working out, when it comes to discipline, locking in, I just kind of go for it. But my fitness journey, [really started in my] mid-twenties when I first started doing Friday Night Lights and doing roles that were physical that had me shirt-off, tank tops, stuff of that nature. I’m like, ‘Okay, wow, I got to really change my body if I’m going to be on-screen like this all the time.’
I think with all these movies and superhero films and all the muscle suits and all this other crazy sh*t, there’s sometimes an unrealistic expectation for entertainment to be at a certain level and that comes with it. You want aspirational things. When people want to go to the movies, they want to get escapism. They want to f**king see things that are larger than life. That’s going to inspire them. So I think I want to always play my role in that as well.
But in my journey to get there, also giving people grace [and] understanding that there’s going to be days when you don’t feel like getting up and that’s okay, too. Meditation is really important. Your mental health is just as important as your physical body and your muscles and the things that we often see. Your brain is one of the biggest muscles you have. And you don’t really pay attention to it because you don’t see it.
What advice would you give to someone, specifically younger, that looks up to you?
How do I answer this? I would say A: find out what works for you. There’s a lot of youth now that sometimes don’t even have goals. I think setting goals is important, And then you could unpack from there… Sometimes if you don’t, that might be a real intimidating thing of, ‘I don’t know what I want to be. I don’t know where I want to go.’ I think being true to yourself and sitting still sometimes, letting those things come to you. Find something you’re passionate about, no matter what it is, and work towards it.
There’s a lot of distraction nowadays. I say, try not to be as distracted. Pick two or three things that you really care about and just see it through, learn about it, obsess over it. Because oftentimes the goals that we do set is often not where we end up, or we end up somewhere adjacent. It may not be exactly what I set out to do, but wow, in this journey I saw this or I discovered that and maybe that makes me happy…that fulfills me. I think not doing anything is the quickest way to not achieve your goals, but doing something I think is a necessary first step.
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