Clark Kent, watch out.

Walking into the gym five years ago, Ishmael Sandiford kept getting called the same nickname by random strangers: Black Superman. The moniker stuck.

“Six people called me that in a row,” says Sandiford, who goes by Ishtheblacksuperman on Instagram and owns Intraimperium Training, a fitness company.

By day, Sandiford works as an electrical engineer: designing, redesigning and reengineering data centers in Florida and the Mid-Atlantic. By night — and on weekends — Black Superman helps thousands of people achieve their fitness goals through online coaching, Instagram videos and in-person events.

The Richmond native became interested in fitness as a youngster through watching his father workout and seeing his brother Mikkel, who had cerebral palsy, improve his health through diet and exercise.

“Growing up, he wasn’t supposed to be able to walk, talk or live past the age of 5,” Sandiford says. Defying his doctor’s estimations, Mikkel was able to walk and talk; he lived to the age of 17. “Seeing that, growing up, it made fitness make sense.”

A longtime personal trainer, Sandiford feels a sense of mission in helping people strive for their fitness goals; his unique style of training has earned him more than 117,000 followers on the Instagram fitness account he started two years ago.

“I do a hybrid form of training, calisthenics mixed with weightlifting, but more heavy on the calisthenics,” he says of his workouts. “The reps and rep counts drive results.”

He also hosts Fit-X events, large DJ-fueled workout meetups that mix calisthenics with high-intensity interval training. Past events have raised money for breast cancer awareness and school supply drives for Barack Obama Elementary School.

“It’s fun, it’s community,” Sandiford says, adding that the events make attendees feel less self-conscious about working out. “They’re moving together. They’re sweating together. They’re pushing each other.”

If being a fitness guru while holding a day job weren’t enough, Sandiford competes in calisthenics competitions and appeared on Fox Sports’ Urban Fitness Xtreme TV series. He’s also a competitive ping pong player and enjoys roller skating and spending time with his family.

“Different things to take the edge off of the hustle and bustle,” he says. “That’s my flow.”