Pound for Pound, He’s Certainly No Nerd

Five years ago, Joey Lawrence made a promise to himself. “When I was 16, I vowed that I would not go to the pool or beach, take off my shirt and look like a nerd--you know what I mean--a little runt.”

Keeping that promise has more than paid off for Lawrence, who stars in “Brotherly Love” on the WB network along with his brothers Matthew and Andrew. “Exercise is great for relieving stress. I’ve never had my own show before. I’m involved in everything--from casting to the writing meetings--and that puts a lot of pressure on you.”

The Payoff

* “I’ve put on about 15 pounds in the last three years of solid muscle. The abdominal muscles are actually showing. They’re really starting to come in great so I don’t want that to go. I’m just under 5 feet 10 inches and I weigh 163. I’ve got a 29-inch waist so that’s all right and a 42 1/2 inch chest, so that’s not bad. I want to get up to about 173, but strictly muscle.”

* “After work, I go in the pool and, I mean, there’s nothing better than swimming for an hour and a half because you get all your anger out. It’s the only time when I honestly feel relaxed.”

The Workout

* Four or five days a week, Lawrence concentrates on the free weights at a gym.

* He likes to take morning walks. A couple of days a week, he’ll get on the treadmill. “If I do too much cardiovascular, I lose weight. It’s hard for me to gain.”

The Diet

“I eat all day, but I don’t just eat a lot of food. I make sure it’s healthy.”

* Liquids: Water, iced tea, nonfat milk. “I very rarely drink soda.”

* Breakfast: A banana, half a bagel and a hard-boiled egg (just the white).

* Lunch: A breast of chicken (skinless) with pinto beans and cracked wheat bread.

* Dinner: A bowl of soup and some pasta.

The Treat

“You know, I absolutely love French fries. I absolutely love ‘em. So what I do is, I’ll order a turkey breast sandwich, no mayo, and a big side of fries and I’ll have like 10 of them and pass around the rest. It’s really hard, but I’d rather have the taste in my mouth than say no.”

Guest Workout runs Wednesdays in Life & Style.