Kevin Heuckeroth - Interview with one of Germany`s best personal trainers

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PERSONAL TRAINING WITH A PROFESSIONAL

When I was a guest at Brenner's Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden a few years ago, I had the fantastic opportunity to have a personal training session, followed by an evaluation of my fitness level. The results were not bad at all. I would have to train hard today to do the exercises I did back then, but as we all know, nothing comes from nothing. I recently got back in touch with Kevin Heuckeroth, my trainer at the time - thanks to social networks. The trained hotel manager was prevented from pursuing a career as a professional footballer by an injury, completed further training as a sports and fitness manager and acquired licenses as a fitness trainer and nutrition coach specializing in detoxification (to name just two). Kevin has trained international celebrities at the renowned Brenners Park Hotel - including Hollywood stars, members of royal families, politicians, Arab sheiks, and aristocrats.

KEVIN - THE IDEAL PERSONAL TRAINER 

After three years as a sports director and personal trainer at The Legend Prime Fitness Club in Baden-Baden, Kevin fulfilled his dream of becoming self-employed in February 2024. Kevin helps people detox, lose weight, build muscle, and also helps competitive athletes take the next step in their sport.

I took advantage of our renewed contact to ask Kevin a few questions.

KHL: Hi Kevin, congratulations on becoming self-employed! What does your daily routine look like now as a family man?

KH: Thank you very much, dear Karl-Heinz. Sometimes you have to realise your dream. I work six to seven days a week. As a mobile personal trainer, I travel to about 80% of my clients' homes, and with the other 20%, I train in gyms with which I have a co-operation. I usually start the first personal training sessions at 6am. There is a lot of demand at this time, especially from entrepreneurs. To ensure my family doesn't fall by the wayside, I make fixed time slots with my wife that I can't change. The family then takes centre stage. 

NATURAL BALANCE - THE PARTNER FOR FITNESS AND WELLBEING

KHL: Your company is called Natural Balance. What exactly is behind it?

KH: Finding the natural balance for body, mind, and soul. The natural balance consists of the two pillars of sport and nutrition. We should pay more attention to and appreciate our bodies and nature in every way of life. Why balance?
Extremes are never good, never long-lasting, and certainly not sustainable.'Your health is too valuable to be wasted anytime soon. You; you only have one body;; take care of it!'

KHL: You've already done so many sports in your life. Do you even get around to doing sport yourself now?

KH: It is indeed a challenge sometimes. However, I usually organize myself to get into my training sessions. 

HOW DO YOU TRAIN BEST AT AN ADVANCED AGE?

KHL: I've always been one of those guys who only builds muscle with the most significant effort. Of course, it doesn't get any easier as you get older. 

I train three times a week on machines and with weights, and once a week, I go on the stepper or rowing machine for 30 minutes. On those days, I try to eat protein after training. On all other days, I do 30 to 45 minutes of yoga at home. Do you have any special tips for me?

KH: First of all, you have set up your training well and covered all the important body areas, including strength, endurance, and flexibility. 
Three strength sessions a week are critical for people over 50 to maintain their muscles, stability, and a healthy cardiovascular system. To regenerate optimally, always take a day off until the next strength session and never train into sore muscles. Sore muscles are tiny tears in the muscles. Suppose we disrupt the healing process by stretching or training too early. In that case, we harm ourselves, promote muscle breakdown, and increase the risk of a vulnerable immune system and even significant injuries. We regenerate to maximize the physical benefits because the muscle grows during the rest phase. Regular stretching of 30-120 seconds per muscle, alternating between static and dynamic, is recommended to utilize the entire length and functionality of the muscle. Your training should always be varied. Without new stimuli, we are treading water. 

NUTRITION - THE KEY TO FITNESS AND WELLBEING

KHL: You attach great importance to nutrition. I haven't eaten meat for over 30 years, just the occasional fish (which is becoming increasingly questionable due to increasing exposure to heavy metals). Where do I get the best protein on training days? Of course, it also has to taste good!

KH: Absolutely. Success starts in the kitchen. Nutrition is 70%, and training is only 30%. To nourish your muscles, I recommend consuming a protein source every three hours during the day. This can be a colorful mix of pulses of all kinds, nuts and seeds, fruit (berries are particularly recommended), dairy products (ideally plant-based alternatives), and long-chain carbohydrates (such as bulgur, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, rice, whole grain products, and potatoes). Eating a banana, a homemade protein-nut muesli bar, or a plant-based protein shake in the first 15 minutes after training is best. The aim is to top up the glucose stores to protect the muscles and thus clear the way for fat burning.

KHL: You have developed your own 14-day detox programme. What exactly is behind it?

KH: I already specialised in detoxification when I worked in one of the three top hotels for this topic. It was clear to me that I wanted to start my own detox programme when I became self-employed. My 14-day detox programme consists of two different weeks. The first week is all about relieving the bowel, initiating detoxification, and removing waste products. The second week is, of course, still about detoxing, but we change our diet a little.

The program includes the relevant nutritional supplements, recipes for the detox period and afterward, a precise diet and schedule,, and knowledge about nutritional basics. To stay healthy in the long term and avoid many unnecessary medications, I recommend a detox programme 1-2 times a year. The detox effects are impressive. We improve our sleep, cleanse our gut, and build intestinal flora. Allergies are alleviated, the complexion becomes smoother, inflammation levels in the body are significantly reduced, performance and mood swings are positively influenced, water retention is reduced, and the sense of taste is sensitized again. These are just a few of the favorable properties of detox power.

GETTING CELEBRITIES IN SHAPE

KHL: You have worked in two of the best hotels in Germany (in addition to Brenner's at Schloss Elmau) and trained numerous celebrities. I'm curious—can you reveal a few names?

KH: First of all, it has been a great honour to work in two such great hotels and get to know so many wonderful people. It's terrific to be entrusted with other people's health daily and help them move forward. I can't tell you quite so much from the sewing box, but I will reveal something :).I had particularly great meetings and training sessions with Orlando Bloom, among others, where I only realised who he was on day 5. I hadn't seen his films before, and he appreciated the privacy. Gerard Wertheimer, owner and proprietor of Chanel, regularly came to train with me. He asked me to postpone my holiday; otherwise, he would no longer be in Baden-Baden. Hayden Panettiere, US actress & ex-wife of Wladimir Klitschko, had a wonderful sense of humour. The training session with members of the British royal family (who exactly remains a secret) was a charming and almost amicable encounter at eye level; there was even singing during training.

Speaking of singing - a singer of the Spice Girls came regularly, and here, too, there was plenty of training and laughter. At a G20 summit of finance ministers in Baden-Baden, I went jogging for several days early in the morning before all your meetings with the finance ministers. Some of them took part.

KHL: It's a shame that you're a bit far away. On the other hand, your area of activity in the Heidelberg-Karlsruhe-Mannheim triangle is not out of the world either. We could manage to train together again some time - age-appropriate, of course; –).

KH: I would be delighted to see you again at any time. Whether it's just a green smoothie or a workout, it would be a pleasure!

Here's the recipe for Kevin's healthy dessert without any sugar:

PROTEIN-OAT BISCUIT CASSEROLE

1. Line the base of a casserole dish completely with oat biscuits. 
2. Smooth the apple puree (no added sugar) over the oat biscuit layer.
3. Mix the low-fat curd with the skyr and a teaspoon of cinnamon and pour the fine mixture over the apple puree.
4. Spread this evenly and cover the curd and skyr layer with thin apple slices.
5. Now add a second layer of low-fat curd with skyr over the apple slices.
6 Top with a bit of cinnamon and crumbled oat biscuits.  
7. Refrigerate for four hours and enjoy.

If you want to learn more about Kevin or get in touch with him, look at his (German) website. 

Are you interested in fitness—even at an advanced age? Then, please read my article about the so-called super-agers.