Usher is looking built on the cover of Men's Health, where he discusses his portrayal of boxer Sugar Ray Leonard in the upcoming film Hands of Stone. Usher took some time from his sessions in the ring at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, New York, to talk about his fitness routine and how he stays in top form.

"I train like an athlete every day, believe it or not," he said, adding that since taking on the role he's been shedding weight to get from 180 pounds down to Leonard's 146 pounds. But he learned that just as important as pushing yourself is knowing when to give your body a chance to recuperate.

"My second day I decided to ride to the gym," which is located 10 miles from his home in Atlanta. "So I rode there. Boxed. Rode the bike back home…Mentally, I'm the type of person who can ignore the pain. Put it somewhere else and allow my body to just go there. But I always suffer. You can't box, ride a bike for 20 miles in the heat — Georgia heat — and then go to the studio and rehearse. That's not happening."

"Sugar Ray Robinson said the most potent weapon in boxing is rest," Usher continued. "Now I realize you can't push yourself all the way. You have to pull back a little bit."

To read the entire story and ogle those tight abs, grab a copy of Men's Health 25th anniversary issue, on newsstands now.

(Photo: Men's Health Magazine, November 2013)