Michael Jai White is as near to a real-life superhero as it gets. In addition to being the first African-American actor to play a prominent comic book hero in the 1997 movie Spawn, he has over 80 film credits and eight black belts, and he could probably kick your ass in real life.
Although he is known for his expertise in mixed martial arts, Michael Jai White rose to fame as a Hollywood actor. White faced a hard task after portraying the legendary heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. One of the major challenges of his career was striking a balance between boxing drills and muscle building.
At 58, actor Michael Jai White talks about longevity, muscle growth, and his favorite workout
White, places a high value on working out and building muscle. In a recent Youtube video, he talked about his longevity, the difficulty of exercising at 58 and his favorite routines.
1. Actual physical fitness brings immediate respectability.
When people are in their 60s or 70s, but still have the physique of a younger athletic human being, we automatically respect them. The amount of dedication it takes for a person to maintain that level of fitness throughout the years is immense and is a testament to discipline. Unlike younger actors, there is not the factor of youth making them appear credible in some ways.
This is why people like Sylvester Stallone possess such natural authority when on screen, says White. Because the very existence of his physique on screen before he utters a word gives you an immediate belief in his toughness.
“You don’t even have to try to sell somebody on discipline if they’re in their 60s and they’re in shape. Yeah. Like, like Stallone, come on. Like, he’s playing a character. Well, how hard does he have to try to be believable as a badass at damn near 80? Cuz he is a badass at 80. Yeah. You know, there’s no there’s he doesn’t have to act.”
2. Discipline becomes un-fake-able.
As the speakers mention, it is the point that physical fitness becomes very hard to fake. It’s one thing for a younger person to get in great shape fairly quickly; it’s another for an older person to keep themselves in shape and healthy over many decades. This level of physical fitness takes years of disciplined eating, training, recovering, and perseverance.
This is precisely why people with incredible fitness for their age receive automatic respect and admiration. Their body is tangible evidence of years of undying commitment. When they look good in their later years, it’s clear they put in the work.
3. Nothing on Earth gives you more time than working out, White claims. Without exercise, he thinks people run the risk of living shorter, lower-quality lives.
“It shouldn’t be a chore. There’s nothing on earth that gives you more time than fitness training. It gives you more time on this earth and at a higher quality of life. So if you don’t spend the time, you’ll probably have less time and a worse quality.”
4. Michael Jai White is speaking from experience
Michael Jai White uses his life as evidence to describe these points. In his years as a martial artist, film and television actor-as well as roles such as Spawn, Arrow, and The Dark Knight-he has established himself as an action star with incredible martial arts skills.
Having spent decades mastering his physique in order to reach and sustain this fitness level over a long period, he understands the dedication that it takes.
5. As for his own training, he says:
“Sometimes I can’t train as much,” he shared. “Now, I’m gonna let my body heal and everything else, but in anticipation of when I’m done, I’m gonna start hitting two-a-days and feeling at my best. I do not feel at my best when I can’t train consistently.”
Watch the whole podcast below:
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