For R&B singer Massari, sculpting a tight, sinewy package is a job requirement. In January, the 31-year-old Lebanese-Canadian, now at work on his third untitled album, blazed 18 pounds of fat and grew 13 pounds of muscle in 11 days, taking super-setting to the extreme.
My goal
"To get down to 3 per cent body fat. I'm 165 pounds now with 12 per cent body fat, down from 23 per cent. I want to get my body to a certain point where if I have to look extremely good for a video, it'll only take two weeks."
My workout
"I'm in training with The Winning Factor, led by Pennsylvania-based John Schaeffer, who trains Apolo Ohno's and other Olympians from different sports.
"I do two workouts per day and exercise seven days a week using his Static Tension Principle: a 10-second hold immediately after 10 repetitions of an exercise, instead of resting between sets. We also do drills between exercises. Here's a typical training day:
"I'm up at 8:30 a.m., have a pre-workout meal, which is oatmeal, coconut oil, colostrum powder and peanut butter and I have three spoons of this before the gym. I take vitamin D, calcium and glutamine before bed to facilitate recovery. No dairy - it makes fat."
Strength: "Leg press. The first exercise is always six sets of 10 reps, from then on three sets of 10 reps."
Cardio: "I grab dumbbells (ranging between 15 and 40 pounds on each arm), put them on my shoulders and run up and down stairs, and then every second step, twice."
Strength: "Leg press again, then squats."
Cardio: "Stairs again."
Strength: "Next is one-leg squats."
Cardio: "Stairs."
Strength: "Leg extensions, and at this point, I'm praying for the Lord to take me, I can't even breathe."
Cardio: "Running up and down stairs, and then every other step, for speed and endurance 10 to 15 times."
Strength: "Hamstrings."
Abs: "One exercise is lying down with bent knees and I grab a 40-pound dumbbell at my feet, bring it up and over my knees to my chest and back down."
Intervals: "Treadmill drills for 20 minutes: one minute at 4.5, one minute at 7, one minute at 9, one minute at 5.5, then 10, and so on."
Meal: "I eat chicken, broccoli, sweet potato and rice."
Cardio: "An hour and a half later, I hit the steps again, and then do 60 minutes of cardio. "
Meal: "I have chicken and pineapple."
Rest of the week: "Chest and triceps; back and biceps; shoulders and boxing; the last day is a combination of everything."
My lifestyle
"I constantly tour Europe, the Middle East and Australia, so I'm conditioning and following a strict diet to avoid the chance of getting sick."
My motivation
"Sex appeal and image is crucial for the entertainment world. To sell a product I need to package it in a way that will bring interest from my female fan base, so I can fulfill their fantasies."
My anthem
"I listen to Swedish House of Mafia, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg."
My challenge
"Everyday temptations of bread."
The critique
Maximize vitamin absorption
Tish Doyle-Baker, doctor of public health and a certified exercise physiologist in Calgary, suggests Massari should ensure optimal workout recovery by combining vitamin D and calcium with magnesium, required by the body to remove calcium from the soft tissues and deposit it into the bones.
"Dietary foods sources are nuts, brown rice, millet, buckwheat, whole wheat, rye, lentils, split peas, and black beans. Or Massari can take 600 milligrams of calcium and 200 mg of magnesium a day (3:1 ratio)."
Pack a prisoner's workout
Dr. Doyle-Baker says Massari needs a no-gym routine when he travels and recommends the Prisoner's Workout, effective at confusing muscles, so adaptation is constantly occurring.
"Do 20 burpees, rest, do 19, rest, do 18, rest, and so on, all the way to 1; repeat with push-ups, triceps chair dips, pull-ups, squat jumps, jump lunges and planks. The benefit of functional training is that Massari will maintain strength useful in other life activities."