Shirtless pictures taken of future President Barack Obama prove that he hasn’t let his busy schedule interrupt his daily workout regimen.  He hasn’t taken office yet, but it is already clear that his days in office will most likely include a daily workout.

While in his hometown of  Chicago, Obama works out at the members only gym in the luxury apartment complex Regents Park with a friend most mornings at 7:30 a.m.  During his time in Washington, DC as a Senator,  Obama used to exercise at a Washington Sports Club branch in Washington’s Dupont Circle.  Come January though, he’ll have to find somewhere in the White House to get his workouts in.

With rumors swirling about a new basketball court in the White House, that shouldn’t be a problem.  The former high school basketball star never turns down a chance to play the game.  He told Barbara Walters that the half court that’s currently in the White House is in unusable condition and hinted at plans to build a new full size court.  “The bowling alley, I understand, offers us some potential for expansion,” Obama told Men’s Health.
Just how good is his game these days?  According to Obama, he can “drive left but gets pushed around in the paint.”

The 47 year old president-elect has been working out consistently since his early 20’s and hopes to continue his  workouts six days a week while in office. In an interview with Men’s Health Magazine he said that as much as he enjoys playing hoops, he’ll do whatever he has time for in the morning before his busy day starts.

It seems the busier Obama’s life gets, the more he relies on his morning workout to keep him grounded.  The gym is where he releases stress, maintains a routine and thinks without interruption. He listens to his iPod or reads the newspaper while on the treadmill or Stairmaster.  “He does it every day like clockwork,” said Marty Nesbitt, one of Obama’s closest friends from Chicago. “He doesn’t think of it as something he has to do — it’s his time for himself, a chance for him to reflect. It’s his break. He feels better and more revved up after he gets in his workout.”

Just what does he do during his workouts?  Obama says he aims for 90 minutes a day, and alternates two days of cardio with four days of weight training.  This includes a stationary bicycle, elliptical machine and treadmill. Between his warm-up and cool down, he sometimes moves through a dozen different exercises in an hour to keep it interesting.

Will his determination prevail once he takes office?  Sounds like he is determined to be a role model for an increasingly overweight American population.

http://www.menshealth.com