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Meet The Celeb Trainer Who Helped Lucifer Get Ripped

LA-based trainer Paolo Mascitti had three months to whip Tom Ellis' body into tip-top condition.

LA-based trainer Paolo Mascitti had three months to whip Tom Ellis' body into tip-top condition.

LA-based trainer Paolo Mascitti had three months to whip Tom Ellis' body into tip-top condition.

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Even Lucifer needs a personal trainer to get in shape.

And by Lucifer, we’re referring to Lucifer Morningstar, the dashing-as-hell (no pun intended), suit-wearing, quippy fallen angel portrayed by Welsh actor Tom Ellis on the supernatural drama Lucifer.

When the show, about the devil killing time on Earth as a special consultant for the LAPD, was rescued by Netflix for its fourth season — following its cancellation by its original broadcaster Fox a year ago — Ellis had three months to get ripped.

Body transformer: Celeb trainer Paolo Mascitti's clients include Tom Ellis, Nicole Scherzinger, and Hilary Duff.


To achieve that, Ellis engaged the services of LA-based celeb trainer Paolo Mascitti. A personal trainer with almost 20 years’ experience, the Italian-born Mascitti’s clients include Hilary Duff (his first), Grimm’s David Giuntoli and S.W.A.T.’s Alex Russell.

“Tom is very tall, like 6’ 4”, and he tends to be skinny, so it’s hard for him to gain muscle mass,” Mascitti, 38, tells 8 DAYS over the phone. Working with actors is always a challenge because “there is always a due date” to achieve a certain look.

For Ellis, Mascitti devised a regimen that entails mostly compound movements, lots of pull-ups, squats, bench presses and deadlifts. The routine they used was a four-day upper/lower split with heavy weights, and two days of HIIT (high intensity interval training), using body weight, kettle bell and medicine ball, squats and jumps in different variations involving a 2.1 interval ratio (two minutes at moderate intensity and one minute pushing to the limit ).

Diet-wise, Ellis had five regular meals and two shakes per day. His meals were macrobalanced, with carbohydrates coming from mostly vegetables. You can check out the end results of his hard work in the ‘Orgy Pants to Work’ episode, which is set in a nudist colony (Hubba hubba!).

Right now, Mascitti, a former professional volleyball player, is back in the gym with Ellis, prepping him for the fifth and final season of Lucifer. Here, we chat with the devil’s trainer and ask him for some super-easy fat-burning tips for us mere mortals.
1 of 4 Let's get pumped: Tom Ellis before and after his Devil's Workout.


8 DAYS: Are you already a fan of Lucifer before working with Tom Ellis?

PAOLO MASCITTI: No, I wasn’t familiar with the show. But now Tom and I are friends. Actually, I first trained Kevin Alejandro who plays Detective Dan Espinoza. We still train together. Then I trained Lesley Anne Brandt who plays Mazikeen on the show. Tom is the third person from Lucifer that I trained.

How important is the chemistry between the trainer and the client?

The client doesn’t want to hate your trainer and the trainer doesn’t want to hate his client. You want to get along in a nice environment. You will know if there is chemistry as soon as you meet the person during the first and second session. Somebody like Tom is very easy to get along and I am also that way. We are a good match. Tom is the nicest person, very easy-going. He’s a hard worker. I tell them what they need to do and they have to commit 100 per cent to get that kind of transformation in that short amount of time.

Have you ever turned down a client?

Up to this point, I have never done that. I like to take the challenge. I have done some quick transformations. Again, this depends on the body types. Some people get better results than others. It depends on age and genetics.

2 of 4 Cheeky bugger: Ellis with Lauren German in the 'Orgy Pants to Work' ep of 'Lucifer'.


Who is your most challenging client?

Right now, I would say Nicole Scherzinger. She’s extremely athletic, so you have to be able to train somebody like her. She’s a dancer and she trains extremely hard. If you don’t give her something that’s challenging or change your routine constantly, she gets bored easily. I love her and she’s extremely nice, and we work very well together.

Is there any actor you would like to have as a client?

I don’t have a specific actor in mind. It’s more about the project than the actor. I would like to work with any actor who is fully committed for four to five months to transform his body for a specific role.

What advice would you give our readers who can’t find time to exercise?

Everyone just needs to find time for themselves. I’m sure everyone can find 30 minutes to exercise like three times a week. Just a little can make a huge difference. Imagine the amount of time we spend on social media… doing nothing. If you cut that by an hour and a half per week, you can squeeze in three sessions. Everything is part of a puzzle. Exercising without a proper diet doesn’t work. You have to be aware of what you eat. Everything works together.

3 of 4 Nice view: Paolo Mascitti takes a breather between exercises.

What exercises would you recommend we can do at home to burn fat?

Any routine that raises your heart rate — squats, lunges, jumps in different variations.

What are the best exercises for someone who doesn’t like weight training?

Any form of exercise will do — running, boxing, and swimming.

I can do the exercise but I always have a tough time sticking to diets.

I know. You can change some of the diet. I’m not saying you must give up everything. There’s definitely some stuff you can avoid. Like me, for example, I haven’t eaten meat since I was seven, but I don’t tell a client, you cannot eat meat. But for me, I don’t like processed food. I advocate to avoid all kinds of processed food. When I work with a client, we teach them how to eat properly, and for the first week or two— I know this is extremely dramatic— I ask them send me a photo of every meal they had.

What are your thoughts on Keto Diet?

Ten years ago there was the Atkins Diet. Today, we call it Keto Diet. They are essentially the same thing. It is the new ‘It’ diet right now until another fad comes along. No, I’m not a fan of it. It will give you temporary benefits but it is very restrictive and hard to follow. It’s heavy on red meat and other fatty and salty processed foods.


4 of 4 Sweating it out: 'Lucifer''s Lesley Anne Brandt and Nicole Scherzinger also trained with Mascitti.


Do you have time to exercise yourself?

I always find time to train, even if I have to squeeze time between clients. Sometimes I would work out with them, if I don’t have the time.

What’s your favourite exercise routine?

I don’t think I have a favourite routine. I train maybe four times a week. I do compound movements and old-fashion routines like pull-ups, bench presses and dumb bells. For two to three times a week, I would do high intensity exercises. I also box a couple of times a week. I mix things up so I don’t ever get bored. I enjoy everything I do on a weekly basis and it’s essential to keep my mental and physical health in shape.

What do you have on your cheat day?

During the weekend, I choose one meal and usually I would have pizza. I’m Italian, you know.


The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Follow Mascitti on Instagram @paolomascitti. Lucifer is now streaming on Netflix.

Paolo Mascitti Photo: Leslie Alejandro; Others: Paolo Mascitti/Instagram, Netflix, TPG News/Click Photos.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Ellis' training routine.


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