Like their father, actor Mark Keller, Joshua and Aaron Keller embody fitness and a healthy lifestyle. In the interview, they reveal what they value when training, who is the strongest in family challenges and which fitness tool should not be missing when traveling.
“Bergdoktor” star Mark Keller (58) is currently proving his fitness on the TV show “Let’s Dance”. He also passed on his enthusiasm for sports to his sons Aaron (31) and Joshua (28). But sport and fitness are not just fun at “Los Kelleros”, they are also a constant family competition. In an interview with “Ippen Media”, Aaron and Joshua Keller reveal Papa Mark’s fitness secret, provide insights into their training and tips for fitness success.
Sport and fitness seem to play an important role in your life. How much do you train per week and what?
Aaron Keller: “I train four to five times a week. I play a lot of tennis and soccer, and of course I also do fitness. I spread that out over the week.”
Where does the love for sport come from?
Aaron Keller: “We grew up like that. My father always played sports. That's why it became clear to us pretty quickly that we wanted to do that too. You can see how healthy and good it is for the body. It keeps you young and fit. We love sports and have a lot of fun playing all ball sports. Fitness is just part of our lives.”
Fitness challenges with the Kellers: No mercy for Papa Mark
Do you also encourage each other in competitions?
Joshua Keller: “Always with dad anyway! And Aaron and I also have a lot of competition, be it tennis or whatever. We're always fighting and trying to outdo each other. This is a beautiful thing for our family, everything is a competition. Of course, this also improves performance because you always want to keep going.”
Aaron Keller: “Our father only looks so good because we beat him up like that.”
Joshua Keller: “There is no mercy!”
Read more: This is why “Bergdoktor” star Mark Keller is embarrassing his son
Which of you is the fittest? And what do you have no chance at against your father Mark Keller?
Aaron Keller: “Dad is the best when it comes to mobility.”
Joshua Keller: “That’s unbelievable. He’s still doing the splits and stretching his leg straight up!”
Aaron Keller: “Joshua plays football best and I play tennis best.”
Joshua Keller: “And you’re also the strongest in the gym. Aaron does a lot of strength with his own body weight and can, for example, do the flag* from calisthenics.”
*
This refers to the “Human Flag”, a demanding calisthenics exercise. To do this, you grab a vertical pole or something similar (which serves as a flagpole) with both hands and, with your arms stretched, bring your entire body into a horizontal line. This requires, above all, strong arm, shoulder and core muscles.
Read more: “Bergdoktor” star Mark Keller bans his sons from “Let’s Dance”.
Mark Keller's son: This is how many pull-ups Aaron can do
So you can probably do the most pull-ups?
Aaron Keller: “Yes. I'm already doing a few. I can do 40 pull-ups in a row.”
Joshua Keller: “But you’re also the lightest!”
Aaron Keller: “Yes, but when I train them, I do it with 20 to 30 kilos of additional weight.”
Joshua Keller: “I’m out of there. I have too much body weight or too much length for that.”
Aaron Keller: “But the nice thing about pull-ups is that you can quickly learn or improve them through targeted training. At the beginning, lat pulls on the device can help. But you still have to get to the pull-up bar quickly and learn to pull yourself up. In addition to a strong back, you need good body tension.”
Download the PDF here for free: Push-up training plan for advanced users
What does it feel like when you accomplish challenging bodyweight exercises?
Aaron Keller: “It’s definitely a lot of fun. I think it's very important to be able to pull up your own body weight at least once. This is somehow part of a healthy structure of the body. I love this feeling.”
Joshua Keller: “It's difficult to describe this feeling because we've done a lot of sport throughout our lives. We don't know it any other way. For us it is everyday life. We tend to feel bad when we haven't trained. This is our addiction.”
Joshua and Aaron Keller on the key to fitness success
What advice do you have for someone who doesn't know this feeling yet because he or she is completely new to fitness training?
Aaron Keller: “I think it's always a little difficult at the beginning until you get motivated. But if you stick with it, you'll notice that success comes pretty quickly. I think that's the beauty of fitness. If you stick with it gradually and continuously, you will see good results pretty quickly and notice how your quality of life improves.”
Joshua Keller: “Everyone who does sport realizes that with discipline you have success and you achieve goals. And of course that brings something for life. Be it in your job, no matter what - where you work on it, where you put your foot down, that's where you'll get ahead. For me, sport is the best example. No matter what discipline you do: If you keep at it, success will come. This was passed on to us from an early age. And that’s how we do it everywhere.”
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Coming back to fitness challenges, have you ever thought about running a marathon?
Joshua Keller: “I have to be honest, that’s not my thing. I used to play soccer in the youth Bundesliga, i.e. competitive sports. And I also had to walk a lot. But endurance running, even longer distances, was never such an issue in our family.”
Aaron Keller: “That’s why I play football. You run after the ball and then you run so much. You always need a goal like that.”
Joshua Keller: “That happens with running too, but for us there always has to be a challenge. But long running is very monotonous and not really my thing.”
Training with an EMS suit for more efficiency
How do you structure your training when you're on the go?
Aaron Keller: “Since I train a lot with my own body weight, all I really need is my sports gear. But the EMS suit from our partner 'Easy Motion Skin' is also practical. You don't have to plug in so many cables everywhere and you can take it with you anywhere. We travel a lot, but not every hotel has a gym. With the suit you can do an effective workout in the room or at home. The electrical stimulation during the exercise makes it like lifting weights or working with high resistance.”
Joshua Keller: “And that helped a lot, especially during Corona. When all the gyms were closed, we always went jogging with the 'Easy Motion Skin' or picked up water bottles to train at home. It feels like using 20kg dumbbells. In addition to the power mode, which puts a lot of strain on the muscles, there are also programs for regeneration or fat burning, for example.”
Aaron Keller: “And you can save additional time. With the suit, 20 minutes of training is usually enough to achieve a similar effect to an hour in the gym.”
Also interesting: Ralf Moeller (65) reveals how he stays fit and productive as he gets older - even in bed
What does a typical workout look like?
Aaron Keller: “I prefer to train effectively for an hour rather than being in the studio for an hour and a half and then taking so many breaks. I try to divide my training up: I usually train either chest, back or arms and shoulders together. Or I just concentrate on the stomach, e.g. B. Sit-ups or push-ups, or the lower body.”
Joshua Keller: “If we have a gym available, we like to combine them. So first do a few exercises with the suit and then go to the gym for half an hour or three quarters of an hour to work different muscle groups.”
This fitness equipment is a must-have for Aaron and Joshua when they travel
Which fitness equipment shouldn't be missing when traveling?
Aaron Keller: “My nutritional supplements, for example Omega 3. When we travel by car, the tennis bag is always with us.”
Joshua Keller: “Yes, that’s right. She's always there. A little challenge works everywhere!”