Kickboxing combines boxing, martial arts and aerobics for a workout that burns up to 800 calories an hour. California Kickboxing and Fitness Club is the first of its kind to combine a kickboxing studio with a fitness club, while maintaining its small gym feel, something the co-owners are proud of.

Del Real worked as an executive for Xerox, and trained as a mixed martial artist in his free time. His supervisors noticed the cuts on his hand that he would get while fighting, and told him, “You have to grow up and stop doing these things. This is your career.” Del Real said, “I was offended to my core,” Del Real says. “Screw that, I’m going to do what I’m going to do.”

Kimya Borhanjoo, Co-Owner and Business Manager, and Del Real were friends, and when the opportunity arose, Borhanjoo presented the idea of financing the kickboxing club, and asked Del Real to be the co-owner and head trainer. In the summer of 2004, they opened the gym, complete with ten standing punching bags, a full-size boxing ring, an open floor for class training and an annex for weight training.

The fitness center has blossomed over the past three years and classes are filling up. While some may think it’s mostly men, the classes, according to Borhanjoo, are split 50-50 – men and women. “Times have changed,” Borhanjoo says with a smile.

Del Real assures that classes are not divided by gender, age or skill level. “I like classes that are mixed. Let’s just say you don’t know what you’re doing yet,” said Del Real. “And right next to you is a real competitor and I’m telling you how I want it done with my words and I’m showing you how I want it done with my body and you still don’t get it. I’ll point to the competitor and say, ‘Look, you see her?’ You’ll look and think to yourself, ‘Oh, I get it.’ So I’d rather it be mixed.”

Just from a 10-minute conversation with Del Real, even the most skeptical observer can see that this is Del Real’s passion and he loves to teach. “This is all I do,” Del Real said. “I wake up in the morning and ask myself, ‘how am I going to be a better trainer – how can I help my students’ and I’m always trying to make them better. I quit a lucrative job because I couldn’t get this out of my mind. I don’t hire anybody who doesn’t have the passion or ability to teach.”

“This isn’t about style,” said De Real, noting that MMA is growing in popularity. “It’s not about trendiness. It’s not about looking the part or wearing the correct clothes. It’s about training right.”

No, it’s not about style. It’s about fighting, self-defense and having fun. If it weren’t, Del Real would still be putting on a shirt and tie every morning.

California Kickboxing & Fitness Club, 26 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 585-TONE, www.CAKickboxing.com.