Supported by the International OCD Foundation.

Michael Jai White, a master of martial arts, has left a strong mark in Hollywood as an action star. He broke barriers in many ways in Hollywood and was compared with Bruce Lee for many years.

During his appearance on the Men's Health Podcast, the hosts asked him whether his martial arts training style and his imposing physique helped him in Hollywood, like Bruce Lee.

In response, White said, “One thing that helped me is that I'm kind of dysmorphic. I'm very dysmorphic, actually.”

According to the International OCD Foundation, dysmorphia is a condition in which a person believes their body is too thin or not sufficiently muscular. In reality, these individuals typically possess a normal or highly athletic build.

He continued by saying, “Uh, I don't see myself as what I think of. I always thought of myself as a light guy. Yeah. And therefore I move like um a smaller person. Yeah. So, you know, I see my when I see somebody about 170 pounds, I think we're the same weight.

To give the statement more context, White always dominated the screen with his 6'1" height and 220 lbs weight. However, due to dysmorphia, he always considered himself a 170-lb man.

Like, if you hand me a t-shirt, I naturally go to the medium, and I can't fit it over my [laughter] Yeah. So, that's my whole life has been that way.”

White even admitted that he often thought the person opposite him in a movie scene was far heavier or more muscular than he was. This condition always pushed him toward hard work.

Despite that condition, White built a massive physique and a legacy in Hollywood, with roles such as Jax in Mortal Kombat and Bronze Tiger in Arrow.

But let's see how dysmorphic pushed him to work harder.

Michael Jai White’s workout routine during his prime

According to Jacked Gorilla, White's weekly routine used to be:

For shoulders, chest, and triceps

• Push ups
• Rope jumping
• Dumbbell shoulder press
• Dumbbell bench press
• Dips
• Dumbbell chest fly.

For biceps and backs

• Chin ups
• Jump rope
• Cable rows
• Preacher curls
• Dumbbell rows.

For legs

• Jump rope
• Hamstring curls
• Leg press
• Weighted lunges
• Glute pushdown
• Back squats
• Air squats.

Most of the sets performed at least 12 reps.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil