You’d have to be blind not to notice that Keith Anderson is pretty buff. After all, the “Pickin’ Wildflowers” singer was named Men’s Fitness magazine’s “Ultimate Country Star,” one of People’s 50 Hottest Bachelors, and he was once runner-up in the Mr. Oklahoma bodybuilding contest. But Anderson’s fitness credentials go beyond good looks — this certified country hunk is also a certified personal trainer. 

“I was a fitness trainer for three years in Dallas, and after I moved to Nashville I did it for another two years,” he says. “Fitness is important to me for many reasons. One is you feel better, not just physically but mentally and spiritually. You feel better when you’re in shape — your clothes fit well, your energy level is up. When you’re an artist and you’re out on the road every day, you’re not eating that well, and if you can get a good workout in every day it can make a difference. Plus you’ve got to look as good as you can for the photo shoots and videos.”

The Miami, Okla., native was a sports star as a kid and played baseball in college until an injury sidelined him. “I started gaining a little weight and got bummed out,” he says. “A guy I knew from the football team got me into the whole bodybuilding/body sculpting thing. After college I moved to Dallas and got certified as a personal trainer. I put a band together, and I would do that during the day and play in the band at night.”

His athletic experience taught him a lot about his body and made him a tough trainer. “I was pretty strict,” he laughs. “As a trainer you want to work on every body part, and most people do not want to work on their legs — all they want to do is work on their upper body. And that’s probably one of the things I learned from bodybuilding was to develop the definition and shape of the legs. So I really had a lot of leg workouts.”  However, Anderson doesn’t consider his lower body his best feature. “My legs are not are not my favorite body part — they’re short and stocky,” he says. “I don’t know, I guess probably my arms are my best body part because all the Andersons have kind of big arms and big shoulders.”

Even with his regular gym schedule, Anderson admits it’s not easy staying fit. “Now it’s a constant battle with the old gut, trying to keep the old six-pack going,” he says. “When you’re 21, you can drink beer and you don’t have to worry about it, but now it’s hard to keep the weight off!”