The 33-year-old recently posted pictures of his cover shoot for a health magazine, where he showed off his chiseled physique. And boy, was the reaction to these pics positive. Apart from fans and netizens praising Aarif for his super ripped bod, Hongkong socialite and daughter of casino mogul Stanley Ho Laurinda Ho and Hongkong actress Jennifer Tse also left thirsty comments.

Aarif, who’s currently based in Beijing, also shared more about the secret behind his physique in an interview.

Apart from working out regularly, the singer-actor also credits intermittent fasting as the main reason for his fit bod.

“I’ll fast for 18 hours [in a day], and in the remaining six hours, I’ll only consume what my body needs,” he said, adding that this helps to burn fat and stimulate muscle growth. 

He added that he tries to make sure that the food he eats are not too oily or salty, and that he consumes more meat and vegetables. He also does not recommend cutting out starchy food and items that are high in healthy fats entirely. 

Aarif also follows a strict exercise regimen. “I run for an hour every morning, while monitoring my heart rate, because my body might burn more muscle than fat if my heart rate gets too high. I then go for two hours of weight training, and another one hour run at night," he said. 

For his cover shoot, Aarif abstained from drinking water two days before his shoot so that his muscles would look more defined. Before the shoot, he also warned the staff, saying: “Because my body is currently lacking water, I might be in a bad mood”.

As for whether it’s hard for him to resist eating certain food, Aarif laughed: “The temptation of having bigger muscles is greater than that of food, so to me, it’s not a problem.”

Photos: PBE Media, Aarif Rahman/Instagram