It’s not every day that you get to train with DJ Steve Aoki. But now, members of Grand Valley State University’s Powerlifting Club can say they have.
“We were taking some of our equipment out of the weight room (after we were done working out) and waiting by the elevator,” said Mason Kaiser, the founder of the Strength Club. “(Aoki’s) green room happened to be right next to the elevator. We were being kind of loud and then he walked out and was like, ‘hey, what’s going on?’ We explained who we were and he ended up asking us if he could work out with us the next morning before he left (Grand Rapids).”
The club, which was founded last year after Spring Break, meets three times a week to work out in the ICA Weight Room. After meeting Aoki, Kaiser reserved that room for 8 a.m. the morning following Aoki’s concert. Friday morning, club members picked Aoki up from his hotel and proceeded to work out with the DJ from 8 to 9:45 a.m.
Before the experience, most club members were unaware of Aoki.
“(I knew) nothing, absolutely nothing,” said Kaiser. “I didn’t even know who he was when I saw the posters (advertising his concert). We didn’t go to the show, we working out during (it).”
Though he may keep himself busy playing up to 300 shows a year, Aoki still squeezes in time for a work out now and then. The DJ has recently started Crossfit training, posting pictures of his progress to his Twitter account.
“His cousin, who is his trainer, was there,” said Kaiser. “He (gave) us pointers too on our lifts and stuff. It was really cool; he brought a lot of energy to the work out that we usually wouldn’t have at eight in the morning.”
The group also had time to hang out with Aoki as well.
“We had some down time, we got to chat with him when we picked him up from the hotel,” said Kaiser. “(Before the work out) we went to Kirkhof and he bought a smoothie like a normal person. While the girl at the counter was making it, he ran sprints up and down Kirkhof. (She) looked like she saw a ghost, it was so funny.”
The group found that hanging out with Aoki was like hanging out with any average guy.
“I drive a really beat up pick-up truck,” said Kaiser. “When we picked him up from the hotel, he sat in the backseat of my truck while we drove. That was the funniest part to me, picking up a multimillionaire DJ and he’s driving in a college student’s pick-up.”
Though the group has not been in touch with Aoki since the incident, they received a thank you from both him and his cousin on their Facebook pages.
“He’s a funny guy and he was making fun of the fact that he’s famous,” said Kaiser. “He commented when we were leaving, ‘not many people can say they’ve had Steve Aoki in the backseat of a pick-up truck.’ Then he told us stories about how when he was growing up he was a small kid, and always had to ride in the back (seat of cars). He’s a very down-to-earth and goofy guy.”