An Incredibly Ripped LL Cool J Dishes Advice for Men’s Fitness

At 43, rapper and actor LL Cool J still has one of the hottest bodies in showbiz. It’s all about hard work to stay in such a good shape, pushing himself further and further with each workout, he says in the latest print issue of Men’s Fitness (story via here).

LL made the transition to acting years ago and he’s now enjoying a lot of success with his role on “NCIS: Los Angeles.” He didn’t let criticism get him down because he envisioned his goal – the same applies to his working out.

Of course there are days when he doesn’t feel like getting out of bed, but his whole philosophy is about managing to overcome this first impulse and keep on going, he explains.

“You gotta master your emotions, master yourself. What’s that saying – ‘A man who can conquer himself is greater than the one who can conquer a city’? If it’s the right thing, and you know you’re supposed to do it – do it even if you don’t feel like doing it,” the star says.

He believes fitness and career longevity go hand in hand because what’s on the inside becomes apparent on the outside. Similarly, if you stay in the best shape you can possibly be, you will be successful.

He also says that man (speaking in general) must learn to listen only to that voice inside and not to loud criticism coming from the outside world.

There will always be some who will try to bring you down through whatever means available to them – the secret to overcoming this is knowing when to let go by staying focused on your goal.

“The four quadrants of your life are health (exercise and diet), business (going after your dreams and working toward them), family and friends (spending time with them and enjoying them) and the spiritual (giving to charity and being grateful). It’s like a scale,” LL explains.

“The secret to balancing a scale is putting equal amount of weight on both sides. Obviously no one is perfect, but if you always mean to balance the four quadrants in your life, things kinda fall in place,” he adds.

Limiting yourself is the worst thing you can do, he says, because “dreams don’t have deadlines.” Whether it’s fitness or career – or both – you’re working on, you should always visualize yourself where you want to be and work hard to get there, the rapper says.