We are just one week away from the season 4 premiere of True Blood on HBO and to remind you just how HOT the show is, let me present to you photos of Joe Manganiello (who plays the hottie werewolf Alcide on the show) on the cover and in the pages of Muscle & Fitness magazine. Now M&F mag has absolutely nothing at all to do with True Blood but the mag features Manganiello naked from the waist up and, trust me, it’s a sight to behold. Check out below Joe‘s Muscle & Fitness cover, some excerpts from his coverstory and some photos from his workout photospread.

When producers tapped Joe Manganiello for the role of Alcide Herveaux, an Alabama contractor who happens to be a werewolf, the 6’5″ actor had three months to prepare before filming. Since the Mt. Lebanon, PA, native laid the foundation for his current Hollywood success in the weight room, Manganiello was more than up for the challenge. As one of the few actors working in Hollywood with a physique worthy of an action star, the response from his female fans keeps him motivated. “I had a friend of mine call me and tell me that it was a girl’s birthday in his office, and they got her a cake with my picture on it. A year ago I wasn’t on anybody’s cake. It makes me feel really good, and it makes me want to work even harder from a fitness standpoint.” “When I first got Joe he was about 240 pounds,” says Ron Mathews, Manganiello’s trainer, “He was trying to get bigger to look bigger, but in my experience, when you’re really cut, you look bigger on film. When you’re bigger but a little less cut, you just look fat.” According to Mathews, Manganiello already exhibited a “psychopathic dedication” in the weight room. His client also brought a strong physical background into the gym. Manganiello played football and basketball in high school, and had made the Junior Olympic team for indoor volleyball. At 13 he started hitting the iron, guided by a high school teacher well versed in weight training. None of this, however, prepared the actor for the relentless painstorm Mathews had in mind. “Before me, Joe was doing a typical guy workout,” says Mathews. “He’d do a set of bench, talk with his friends, do another set of bench, and pyramid up. I added in plyometrics and kept his heart rate at 160 and above for at least 50 of our 60 minutes together” … “I’m 220 pounds on the nose,” says Manganiello. “Funny thing is, everyone keeps saying, ‘How much weight did you lose? You look so much thinner!’ But all my measurements have gone up. My waist is two inches smaller, but my shoulders, arms, and chest have all gone up. That’s how I know it’s working.”

Muscle & Fitness shares the work out that Manganiello uses to stay in peak condition:

WORKOUT 1
(8:30–9:30 a.m.)
ONE HOUR OF EASY CARDIO FIRST THING IN THE MORNING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

WORKOUT 2
(11:00 a.m.)
CHEST AND LEGS

SUPERSET 1
SQUAT 8-12 REPS
BENCH PRESS 8-12 REPS
LATERAL BOUNDING 10-40 SECONDS

SUPERSET 2
SMITH MACHINE LUNGE 8-12 REPS
DUMBBELL FLYE 8-12 REPS
STEP-UP JUMP 10-40 SECONDS

SUPERSET 3
ONE-LEG RDL 8-12 REPS
PLYOMETRIC PUSH-UP 8-12 REPS
LUNGE JUMP 10-40 SECONDS

SUPERSET 4
LEG EXTENSION 8-12 REPS
CABLE FLYE 8-12 REPS
TRAVELING PUSH-UP 10-40 SECONDS

TRAVELING PUSH-UP
Assume a basic push-up position, with either a box or medicine ball under your chest. Pivoting to the left, place your right hand on the ball and perform a push-up. As you come up, pivot to the right, place your left hand on the ball and your right hand on the ground, and do a push-up. Switch hands with every rep so you travel back and forth over the ball.

STEP-UP JUMP
Place your right foot on a bench or plyo box and leave your left foot on the ground. pushing off with your right foot, explode upward and land on top of the bench. Switch feet every rep.

LUNGE JUMPS
Go down to a lunge and explode upward into a jump. In the air, quickly scissor your legs so your rear leg is now in front. Land softly, descend into another lunge and repeat.

LATERAL BOUNDING
This is a side-to-side explosive movement that looks like speed skating. Stand in an athletic position (knees slightly bent, weight on the balls of your feet) and explode to the right, landing in a slight crouch with most of your weight on your right foot. Continue catching and pushing off of each outside leg. Do not move forward at all.

Erm … yeah … that sounds like a LOT of work. I don’t think that I’ll be lookin’ like Joe Manganiello anytime soon but as long as he keeps showing off the fruits of his labor, I think I’ll just enjoy from afar. Homie looks SICK in this magazine feature. I can’t wait to see this hot bod in action when the fourth season of True Blood premieres on HBO next Sunday night :)

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