Ed. Note: The following content was provided by Real Andrews, who is a client of KHTS AM-1220.

Real Andrews, a Santa Clarita trainer at BalaCore Fitness and co-host of the brand new KHTS AM-1220 show “Getting Real with Real Andrews,” began his multi-dimensional fitness career more than 30 years ago.

Having grown up watching his father exercise around the house, Andrews first found the motivation to begin working out as a result of the hardships he experienced during his high school years.

“I graduated from a school where it was a graduating class of 1,200, and I was the only African American,” Andrews recalled. “I was 135 pounds, so you can imagine the bullying… I started lifting weights, and honestly I just wanted to get big so people wouldn’t pick on me anymore.”

Andrews decided to turn his newfound passion for exercise into a career as a trainer after noticing an explosion of mediocre, but outrageously expensive trainers trying to imitate the newly popular “Body by Jake” fitness program.

“It used to, for lack of better words, piss me off when I watched these guys taking money from people– talking on their phone, eating a sandwich, not really paying attention,” Andrews said. “I was like, you know what, I can do better than that. I can give people the attention they deserve.”

Not long after, Andrews received his certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and began what would turn out to be a long and successful career in the world of fitness.

For Andrews, the best part about being a BalaCore Fitness trainer in Santa Clarita is watching his clients transform their bodies and their lives.

“I collect every testimony, every email, every text, everything that’s put on Facebook,” he said, recalling a woman he trained in Connecticut who not only met her weight loss goal, but went on to become a trainer and body builder.

As a Santa Clarita representative of AdvoCare, which offers wellness and sports performance supplements, Andrews specializes in helping kids with dreams of becoming professional athletes meet their goals without the use of steroids.

“As a trainer, you’re always looking for tools to help your clients get the best results that they can,” he said. “It’s really important that (athletes) have an edge, but not that they put stuff in their body that they can test positive for. The AdvoCare products are free of banned substances. They’re great products that help people get great results.”

While AdvoCare products can help his clients enhance their performance, Andrews stressed that no supplement can act as a substitute for effort during training sessions.

“You still gotta do the work– nothing replaces good, hard work,” he explained. “What it allows you to do is, you’ve got more energy (so) you can train harder. If you’ve got more protein coming in, it can help you rebuild muscles better so you can get in the gym and hit heavier.”

Related: Santa Clarita Valley Resident Wins Daytime Emmy For Role In Web Series

In addition to his work as a Santa Clarita trainer at BalaCore Fitness and local distributor of AdvoCare products, Andrews has also seen success as a professional stuntman and actor.

Following a small roll in a movie at the age of 16, Andrews decided to combine acting with his athletic background and became one of the first African American stuntmen ever in Canada. He went on to star in the eighties television series “Night Heat” and the popular soap opera “General Hospital,” and he’s appeared in television shows like “Law & Order” and “Damages.”

His web series, “The Bay”– where he plays the role of Dr. Keith Campbell –won an Emmy award earlier this year for “Outstanding New Approaches- Drama Series” at the 42nd annual Daytime Emmy Awards held in April.

Andrews currently co-hosts the KHTS AM-1220 show “Getting Real with Real Andrews” alongside Santa Clarita life coach Alex Urbina to help Santa Clarita residents be their best selves.

“I basically bring the physical, passionate, motivational side of it, and Alex brings the mental and emotional side of it,” Andrews said. “Together, we give people tools to break through those barriers to deal with negativity and adversity and to help them to be everything that they were created to be.”