NEW PICS: LL COOL J. IN MEN'S FITNESS MAGAZINE.

Instead of experiencing a mid-life crisis like or letting his gut go like some other rap legends, 40-year-old LL Cool J is still as fine and as energized as ever as you can clearly see on the cover of Men's Fitness magazine's August 2008 issue. He is so fine, yall! He's also still growing as an artist, an entrepreneur, and as a man. While most of his 80s counterparts spend their time playing guest DJ at the hottest nightclubs or appearing on low-rent VH1 reality shows, LL, stays on the grind by working on his thirteenth and last studio album under his Def Jam contract, Exit 13, launching his Todd Smith men's clothing line, developing a drama for CBS and planning Platinum Nutrition, a line of dietary supplements. As for his workout plan, the rapper/actor, who's at a lean and trim 212 pounds, eats six to seven small meals per day to speed up his metabolism. He scrapped fried foods from his diet years ago but admits to 'cheat days' and 'cheat weeks.'

"[Seven years ago] I looked in the mirror and didn't like what I saw. I saw some ripples on my back and some spots that I didn't feel comfortable with. But I wanted to do it the right way and not go lie on somebody's operating table. It took a lot. I had to dig deep, but that is what I'm doing. I have more reasons to believe in myself now because look what I've accomplished. Let's be realistic: I have been a relevant figure in practically every era of hip-hop. No one else can say that. You have people who dominated one era. I have been relevant in every era and dominated a couple. Russell Simmons and I are the blueprint for everything you see going on in hip-hop."

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