This is step training, Kemoeatu style.
Not just to play football but to excel in the sport.
In high school. In college. In the NFL.
Reaching the same goals, four years apart in age but always together. More like twins.
Ma’ake, 35, and Chris Kemoeatu, 31, shared the DNA and dreams growing up in Kahuku. When moving from Tonga to Hawaii in 1986, parents Manako Melino and Ahea Kolovetekina Kemoeatu brought more than their children; they brought the idea that work ethic and big dreams can co-exist successfully.
Ma’ake and Chris are the living proof. From high school (Kahuku) to college (Utah) to the NFL, the journey included the Super Bowl, Ma’ake winning two rings during his seven years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chris one last year during his second stint with the Baltimore Ravens.
And now? The next step has been realized with their Pacific Elite Sports fitness center in Kaneohe.
It’s 6,000 square feet filled with state-of-the-art equipment, a rehab-physical therapy area and personalized programs from partner and nationally recognized fitness leader Power Train. The Kemoeatu name more than gives it credibility, as evidenced by the number of Pro Bowlers at last Friday’s autograph session, which doubled as the gym’s grand opening.
"I’ve been thinking about doing something like this for five, six years, even when I was in the league," said Chris Kemoeatu, who retired after being released by the Steelers in early 2012. "I finally had some time to put it together.
"We talked about where we’d do this and I fell in love with this location (in Kaneohe). It’s convenient, easy to get to from town on H-3 or Likelike, and close to the (Windward) mall.
"Everything that’s happening to us we dreamt together. We told each other one day we’d play in college, one day we’ll play in the NFL, one day we’ll win the Super Bowl. And one day we’d have this. This is the dream after."
Done. Done. Done. And doing.
There is serendipity thrown into the mix as well. During his time in Pittsburgh, Chris Kemoeatu worked out at a Power Train facility.
"Chris has been a client since he played for the Steelers," said Power Train president Steve Saunders, who was in Hawaii to help Pacific Elite Sports get off and running. "We were getting ready to sell franchises when Chris approached me. I thought, ‘What a great partnership.’
"We have 13 other locations, primarily in the northeast, and I wanted to be on the West Coast. I didn’t know we’d be this far west. But Chris and Ma’ake are a perfect fit for our program. (Hawaii) isn’t a market I’d try to come into on my own, but they have a great local base, a great network and a strong sense of community.
"It was a no-brainer."
The philosophy is small groups — one trainer for no more than three clients — but individualized programs.
"Even if you’re working out in a small group, you aren’t doing the same program as someone next to you," Saunders said. "It’s your individual program for your needs, whether a youth baseball player or a senior citizen working on his golf swing.
"It’s for youth, college and pro athletes, for moms, pops and seniors for their individual goals: lose weight, get fit, get their golf game better. One thing is we don’t babysit them. People who come in are those who want to be pushed and have real results. The equipment is nice, but that’s secondary. We want people to come in and be changed, make a lasting difference in their lives."
It’s the Kemoeatu philosophy as well. Ask what it would have meant to have a facility such as theirs when growing up, they shake their heads.
"This is about giving back," Ma’ake Kemoeatu said. "My dad said he’d take us as far as he could and then it was up to me as the oldest to take it past my dad. Then, if I’m a good example, my brothers and sisters would take it past me. Luckily enough, my brothers have followed."
"Growing up, we were naturally big and strong, and we used that to our advantage," Chris Kemoeatu said. "With our own facility, we can train the next generation, give them our experiences and help them train a smarter way.
"Back then, it was putting on weights to see how much you could lift or how far you could run. Now we know the right way, the safe way, what prevents you from getting hurt.
"We also want to be role models for whatever they do. Always do it to the best of your ability — whatever it is, always give 100 percent. We are living proof."
There is a larger-than-life poster of each Kemoeatu hanging on the main wall from their NFL days. Their framed, autographed jerseys greet prospective clients from the wall behind the check-in desk: Steeler on the left, Raven on the right. Historical NFL rivals for some 60 years.
"That’s been fun," Ma’ake said. "We never knew we’d be involved in that rivalry."
There’s a little bit of one for this Sunday’s Super Bowl. Ma’ake is picking the Denver Broncos, Chris the Seattle Seahawks.
"Defense does win games," said Ma’ake, a defensive lineman. "Hopefully, Denver’s defense shows up. No matter how much Peyton Manning scores, Denver has to stop Seattle from scoring more."
"I’m going for the underdogs, Seattle," said Chris, an O-lineman. "The weather is going to be crazy. But that’s the mental part of the game. You have to be mentally prepared for the weather, whether it’s hot or cold.
"Do I miss playing? I don’t miss the practices, the two-a-days, the travel. But I miss Sundays."
The brothers have a couple of common goals for the future. They want to expand elsewhere in Hawaii as well as branch out to the mainland, including California and Utah.
Another is to get younger brother Benji, who finished his career at Utah in 2012, in shape to have a chance to play in the NFL.
Pacific Elite Sports offers a free trial workout and assessment.
"We’re excited," Ma’ake said. "It seems like yesterday that we were kids running around and watching football on TV. Now we can share our dreams with kids.
"We have those big pictures on the wall, not to show off our accomplishments or prove anything. It’s to show kids the possibilities for their dreams, that with hard work they can make their dreams come true."
