Joe Manganiello fitness & workout secret: Actor says working out is about pushing boundaries

Magic Mike XXL star Joe Manganiello graces the cover of Muscle & Fitness for the third time, showing off his glorious, sculpted muscles all over again. People reports that the 38-year-old actor opened up about his rigorous workout routine and also shared some motivational words on staying healthy.

Manganiello said that his workout consists of three to four sessions a week with trainer Ron Matthews, with whom he works out in what he calls "the pain cave." The actor said that he would use sets of 10 225-lb deadlifts, or four 300-lb deadlifts.

"There’s a moment when there’s going to be 10 sets. And I’m on set 5 or even set 4, and I’m done," Manganiello admitted. "My body is starting to quit, I’m having a minor league panic attack in my brain because I can’t visualize doing the next rep, let alone the next set, and I want to quit."

But then Manganiello said that the motivation is all inside your head. He explained: "I think, ‘What am I doing this for? I don’t have a movie coming up that I’m training for specifically.’ And that’s where you’re going to grow. That’s the spot. That’s when you crack the pit, if you will. And that seed is inside."

Manganiello also recalled his younger years, comparing school cliques to the film "Breakfast Club," in which students were usually segregated into stereotypes. He also admitted that he was partly a jock, saying, "“The first year I played football, I was the captain of the team...I got along with a group—the weirdo intellectuals—who generally hate jocks. And I also was the captain of a sports team. So I got along with the jocks."

What most don't know, Manganiello is also a multihyphenate, as he is also a producer, director and author, who has published a book titled "Evolution" in 2013. He said of this endeavor: "[The book] was about putting yourself into a position where training becomes mental, not just physical. It’s about pushing the mind past those perceived limitations, and the only thing I could say to people is you just have to back yourself into that corner and see what you’re made of."

He continued to share motivational wisdom, saying, "There’s always going to be somebody bigger than you in the gym and somebody else skinnier than you. You’re always going to be right in the middle—unless you’re me. I was the absolute skinniest. I was the one who couldn’t do one dip or one pull-up, and even if you’re that person, there’s still hope for you. So just get in there and get to work."

In November, Manganiello is set to marry his fiancée, actress Sofia Vergara, who recently appeared in the film Hot Pursuit, and graced the cover of the Fall 2015 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, E! Online reports. Watch out for this power couple, as their magazine covers hit stands very soon.