Andrea Shaw

Shaw grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where she first trained in gymnastics and competitive cheerleading at Benjamin Nolan Middle School. Burnout pushed her toward academics in high school, but after gaining weight, her mother, a nurse and former personal trainer, encouraged her to start working out at Powerhouse Gym in Centerline, Michigan. She began attending on her own at age 15, and at 17, her mother's training partner, a female bodybuilder, gave her advice on muscle building. At 18, a training adviser doubted her commitment, which only fueled her determination. When she discovered Oxygen Magazine, she set her sights on figure competition, but her body responded so quickly to resistance training that people began asking if she competed. In 2008, she entered two figure contests, placing 3rd and 4th, yet she felt off track and took an eight-year hiatus from competing.

She attended Wayne State University, earning a bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science, while also gaining 20 pounds during her freshman year due to neglecting her health. She tackled it with small steps, substituting baked chips for regular chips and spinach wraps for bread. She interned at Detroit Medical Center, worked in physical therapy at Beaumont, and earned group training and personal training certificates. She returned to competition in 2016, and by 2018 she won the John Simmons Championship and the Lenda Murray Detroit Classic, along with other placings. With black hair, brown eyes, and a natural chest, she now works as a fitness trainer and businesswoman, and her Instagram has grown to 170,000 followers.