Celebrity

‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Star Jonathan Majors Sums up His Workout Routine in 1 Word

To play a Marvel villain, you have to be in great shape. Jonathan Majors knows all about a tough workout routine -- he's had to train for a lot of his roles.

by India McCarty

Published on February 23, 2023

3 min read

Jonathan Majors summed up his workout routine with one word: ‘Pain’

Majors is in extremely good shape, with magazine photos of him shirtless quickly going viral online. In a recent WIRED interview Majors did alongside co-star Paul Rudd, the actor was asked about his workout routine and shared how he maintains his physique.

He and Rudd were taking part in one of WIRED’s popular “Autocomplete Interviews,” and Rudd asked the question, “What is Jonathan Majors’ workout routine?” Majors replied with just one word: “Pain.”

Jonathan Majors likes to ‘challenge’ himself at the gym

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania wasn’t the only project Majors had to get into shape for. The actor is also set to star in the upcoming Creed III, where he plays a boxer going up against Michael B. Jordan’s Creed.

Jonathan Majors attends the UK Gala Screening of Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ at BFI IMAX Waterloo on February 16, 2023 in London, England. | Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney

Majors also plays a bodybuilder in Magazine Dreams, which was released at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. According to the actor, he gained 10 pounds of muscle for Creed III, five for Quantumania, and six for Magazine Dreams.

While many assume Majors’ workout routine is just to make him look like the boxers and bodybuilders he’s playing, the actor told Men’s Health that there’s more to it than that.

“When you see these guys, it’s like, Yeah, they’re f****** fit. But if you look at it, there’s a story there,” Majors explained. He also shared that working out is an “important” part of his life.

“I try to challenge myself to get to a place to express things in the gym the same way that I do in my line of work,” Majors said. He shared a bit of his workout routine with the outlet, including pull ups, leg raises, and dumbbell shrugs.

Jonathan Majors revealed he ate ‘6,100 calories a day for about four months’ in preparation for ‘Creed III’

Working out wasn’t the only way Majors packed on the muscles for his roles. The actor told Variety that he also did some major eating as part of his preparations for the movies.

“I’m 6 feet tall. I’m 202 pounds,” Majors explained. “In order to sustain that and to grow that you have to eat as much protein that you weigh. I ate 6,100 calories a day for about four months. That included the pre-work and the post-work of Creed III.”

He then moved on to his role in Magazine Dreams, saying it required, “The normal bodybuilder works out two times a day. I’m playing Killian Maddox…I would train two hours, two times a day for the movie and a third time after wrap. Meanwhile, you eat six times a day. Lots of chicken. Lots of elk. That’s just for me. I like it.”

Jonathan Majors ‘likes being physical’ and has no plans to slow down his fitness routine

Given his confirmed status as the MCU’s Phase Five villain, Majors will be playing Kang awhile longer, Still, even if he could slow down a little on his workout routine, the actor shared that he likes staying in shape.

“I played football in Texas. I got an appetite,” he said. Majors added, “I really like being physical. I like hiking and running. I’ve got dogs. I’m only 33, I got to do something to stay with it.” However, he noted, “I don’t work out three times a day anymore. Just once a day.”