Chadwick Boseman Inspired Workout: Train Like Black Panther

The long anticipated wait is almost over, and the character of T’Challa in Blank Panther is set to hit the silver screen this February.

A character and movie, which has been talked about for decades, finally takes on the spot light.

And as we’ve seen in his smaller role in Civil War, Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of the character is spot on.

From his accent to his demeanor, Boseman is everything we hoped for as the superhero, Black Panther.

And in terms of physical fitness, he looks the part as well.

In this second part of the two part Black Panther inspired workout series, we’ll break down what we know about how the lead character prepared for the role physically and provide you an inspired program to try for yourself.

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Introduction to the Chadwick Boseman Inspired Workout

The role of T’Challa isn’t Chadwick Boseman’s first athletic role.

He had to be athletic to play one of the greatest and social groundbreaking baseball players of all time, Jackie Robinson in the movie 42.

And he had to have quick feet and amazing coordination to pull off some of the most famous dance moves of all time in his portrayal of the godfather of soul, James Brown, in Get on Up.

Both of which are very different body types than T’Challa.

But what we can learn about how Chadwick Boseman prepares for his movie roles is he completely commits to the character he is portraying.

For 42, he practice baseball twice a day. For Get on Up, he practiced his dance moves and worked on his flexibility to be able to perform the drop split.

And while we don’t know much about how he trains for Black Panther, we do know he actively participates in weight training, flexibility training, and combat training.

From all the information on the web that we have access to, albeit it’s not much, we can deduce the following principles about how Chadwick trains.

Chadwick Boseman Applies the SAID Principle

In the way that Chadwick prepares for his roles, it is very apparent that he focuses on a style of training that matches his character’s body type.

Thus, he employs the SAID (specific adaptation on imposed demands) principle. In short, he trains for how he needs his character to be.

For T’Challa, this is going to be a character who is muscularly lean yet flexible. Powerful, yet even-keeled. T’Challa will have the muscle necessary to fend off larger villains with the dexterity needed to be quicker than them during combat.

Chadwick Boseman Changes His Goals

A lot of guys, especially in Hollywood, commit to a body type. And for that reason, they end up getting type casted into very specific roles.

Just by looking at Chadwick’s resume, you can tell that’s simply not the case. Just as you need a different stimulus to achieve a different body type, you have to be motivated to attain that body type as well. And that’s where goal setting comes into play.

Chadwick Boseman is Consistent with His Workouts

Whether this is a byproduct of him regularly changing his goals to take on a different character or not, Boseman has been consistently in the gym since he hit the Hollywood scene (and likely before).

And his physique shows the fruits of his labor as he is consistently lean and in shape.

That’s where a lot of folks miss the ball. They see the drastic Hollywood transformations that take place 12-16 weeks prior to the start of filming and aspire to do the same. No need for drastic body recomposition if you remain consistent with your workouts and in great shape year round.

Chadwick Boseman Has Help in His Corner

A good trainer is worth his/her weight in gold simply from the knowledge they have about training, recovery, and lifestyle philosophy.

While we don’t get to see many clips of Boseman’s work in the weight room, we get a few of him with his martial arts instructor Marrese Crump.

Working with a trainer or simply having a mentor, regardless of your form of training, is an awesome strategy to ensure you don’t make any unnecessary steps during your fitness journey.

Chadwick Boseman Black Panther Inspired Workout Program

Alright, now that we have a little better understanding of the training principles it’s going to take to get you looking like the king of Wakanda, let’s break down a sample workout program you can perform to get lean like T’Challa.

It is important to note that this isn’t Chadwick Boseman’s actual workout program.

It is, however, a workout inspired by him and carefully designed with his body type and target body composition in mind.

This 8 week Black Panther inspired workout program utilizes 5 training days, including 3 full body hypertrophy circuits, 2 cardio training days, and 2 active recovery/off days.

All 5 training days would be followed by some sort of martial arts practice. If you don’t have access to this do not fret, you’ll still see great results from performing the program without it.

The exercises on your strength training days, aside from the very first lift, are meant to be performed as part of a circuit. Do not rest until you’ve completed each exercise. After you’ve finished each circuit, rest for 60-90 seconds.

On your off days, practice active recovery. To do this, perform some light activity that you enjoy doing and follow it up by working on your flexibility through foam rolling, dynamic stretching, or a combination of the two.

Chadwick Boseman Workout Day 1: Full Body Strength Circuit

Follow your workout with some light combat training. Working on striking, holds, sprawling, etc would be a great fit on your strength training days.

Chadwick Boseman Workout Day 2: Cardio

Perform 30-45 minutes of steady state cardio aimed to improve the distance traveled during that time frame each week.

Alternatively, you can perform 15 minutes of HIIT cardio (and/or 20 minutes of plyometric drills) if you’re an individual who is short on time.

If you have the ability to, you could also perform combat training on this day instead of cardio. Active sparring would be the best approach on non-strength training days.

Chadwick Boseman Workout Day 3: Full Body Strength Circuit

Follow your workout with some light combat training. Working on striking, holds, sprawling, etc would be a great fit on your strength training days.

Chadwick Boseman Workout Day 4: Active Recovery

Be active by performing something you enjoy. Some excellent options are to play a sport, perform yoga and meditation, or even going on a lengthy walk.

You could also perform speed and agility drills if you choose.

Chadwick Boseman Workout Day 5: Full Body Strength Circuit

*Perform exercises and hit what you need to. (i.e. your favorite exercises and/or needed target areas)

Follow your workout with some light combat training. Working on striking, holds, sprawling, etc would be a great fit on your strength training days.

Chadwick Boseman Workout Day 6: Cardio

Perform 30-45 minutes of steady state cardio aimed to improve the distance traveled during that time frame each week.

Alternatively, you can perform 15 minutes of HIIT cardio if you’re an individual who is short on time.

If you have the ability to, you could also perform combat training on this day instead of cardio. Active sparring would be the best approach on non-strength training days.

Chadwick Boseman Workout Day 7: Active Recovery

Be active by performing something you enjoy. Some excellent options are to play a sport, perform yoga and meditation, or even going on a lengthy walk.

You could also perform speed and agility drills if you choose.

Final Notes on the Chadwick Boseman Inspired Workout Program

The 8 week workout program listed above was inspired by Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman.

If your goal is to look like T’Challa in the upcoming Black Panther movie, it is a solid workout to help you reach your goals.

When performing the workout, it is important that you maintain a healthy diet. Start off by finding your calorie needs using our bmr calculator.

Then, depending on your goal, add/subtract ~250-500 calories from that number and aim to eat that amount from whole food sources: lean meats, healthy fats, whole grains and oats, fruits and veggies, and low fat dairy products.

If you’re trying to build muscle and lose fat to look like Chadwick Boseman, it’s important to rest and recover. Aim to get 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night and be sure to practice those active recovery days to help your muscles repair.

More of a villain? Check out our Michael B. Jordan Killmonger inspired workout.

Be sure to check out Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther on February 15th!

If you have any questions regarding the workout routine (or future superhero/villain inspired workout requests), please leave us a comment!