Germany-born social media sensation Julien Brown has shot to fame as one of “The Elevator Boys”—a group of buddies that are often referred to as the internet’s biggest boy band. In addition to creating online content and releasing music with the Elevator Boys, Brown has also found an audience in the fashion and fitness worlds by sharing his styling, grooming, and exercise tips.
A keen runner, the star has found that being active is a great way to stay creative, and with his goal now set on adding some further muscularity, the hardworking entertainer sat down with M&F to share his journey.
With almost 7 billion views on TikTok alone, Julien Brown, Bene Schulz, Jacob Rott, Luis Freitag, and Tim Schaecker are one of those “internet famous” groups that are making an impact offline too. Often finding themselves being snapped by the traditional press, their debut single “Runaway” was hailed as “an instant success” by Metal Magazine and despite their gigantic following, it seems like the boys are just getting started with global domination. Still, creating a constant stream of entertaining content can take its toll, as Julien Brown can attest.
”When my creativity starts to dissipate, I know it’s time to take a break to get it back,” he says “You can’t maintain creativity without allowing yourself moments of rest or ‘doing nothing.’” For Brown though, running is a form of relaxation. “I do it for myself,” he says. “This mindset started when I was 15. I wanted to create the best version of myself, stay healthy, and become an athlete in every aspect. I have always been interested in nutrition and even wrote a scientific thesis about it when I was 17, studying at college.”
A love of sports and activity is seemingly in Brown’s DNA. “I started playing field hockey when I was 4 years old and also began skiing at the same age,” he explains. “I ran in various small city running competitions since I was 10 years old including 5km, 10km, and 21km races.” The social media icon still loves to run, but is also now an avid gym goer. “For building muscle, I eat like 600 to 800 calories over, and for dieting, I do a deficit of 500 a day,” he says. “My nutrition spread is 50% carbs, 35% protein, 15% fat.”
With muscle building being his focus right now, Brown explains that for him, the most important thing is to make sure that he doesn’t undereat. To that end, he tracks his calories. Running keeps Brown lean and toned, and he intends to enter a marathon in the spring, but he says that for building mass, it’s all about lifting big weights. “I always train until muscle failure because that’s when the muscle grows,” says the star. “The last 3 reps are the most important. I mostly train with a partner, which helps me to push myself, and provides support when the last reps get heavy.”
Just like his own followers, Brown has also used social media to find his own positive influences. “One of my current favorite YouTuber’s is the hybrid athlete, Nick Bare,” shares Brown. “He’s great motivation and a person to learn from. But there are a lot of people out there who inspire me.” Through rest and reps, Brown is more than ready for the year ahead. “Together with the Elevator Boys, we will release lots of cool music next year,” promises Brown. “I am so excited to show you that.”
