Between starring in box office hits like Avatar and Fast & Furious, and hit television shows like A&E’s Breakout Kings, Hollywood’s leading man Laz Alonso hasn’t had much down time. Yet, he always finds time to make fitness a top priority.

“I got serious about [fitness] in high school. All my buddies were big, and I was a 155-pound rail,” said Laz in an interview. “It was a crash course of ‘I want to keep up with these guys.’ ”

Celebrity trainer Mike T, who has helped get the bodies of Nicole Murphy, Angela and Vanessa Simmons and Kelita Smith camera ready, is also credited with helping to sculpt Laz’s famous muscles. Using a combination of cardio, weights and circuit training, Laz trains four to five days a week when he’s not filming. When he needs to get into top shape for a role, that increases to six to seven times a week.

In his early days of doing theater in New York, Laz Alonso’s handsome looks and leading man swagger typically got him typecast as the good guy, the one that always gets the girl. However, his years of experience have taught this NAACP Image Award winner how to not just play the roles that people expect him to play.

“I want to play memorable characters,” said Laz about choosing quality roles that have a direct impact on the story over quantity of roles. “I try to bring some humanity to the characters. Time, experience and working with good directors teach you how to do that, so you’re not just playing a type; you’re actually playing a real human being.”

Read more about Laz Alonso’s workout and health mantra at BlackDoctor.Org.

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(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Twentieth Century Fox Television)