Forget the debt crisis, unemployment rate and the biggest kill of the decade, Illinois Republican Rep. Aaron Schock knows what needs attention — his washboard stomach.
Schock, who rose to prominence as the Huffington Post’s “Hottest Congressional Freshman,” is featured on this month’s cover of Men’s Health baring his abs and spilling the details of his workout regimen.
Beneath the headline “The Ripped Representative: Fit-to-Lead Congressman Aaron Schock has a plan to change America, one set of crunches at a time” the 29-year-old Schock discusses how his body has changed over time and America’s obesity epidemic.
“I didn’t start working out until college,” Schock said, explaining his own struggles with weight.”But in college I could feel my body changing, and I knew that if I didn’t make some changes, I was going to go in the wrong direction.”
Taking a page from the Michelle Obama handbook, this month Schock is launching the “Fit for Summer, Fit for Life” challenge with Men’s Health, to motivate Americans to take control of their waistlines. And lest they fail to take the young congressman seriously, Schock is sure to invoke a Founding Father in his explanation of the importance of his initiative.
“One of my favorite quotes is from Ben Franklin, who said, ‘A good example is the best sermon,’” Schock said. “And I think if you want to start talking about healthy lifestyles and staying in shape, then you yourself should do your best to try to be a model, an example to people you’re trying to convince to do the same.”
For those who want to get the body that has made Schock a cult figure in the gay community, Men’s Health reveals the workout that has gotten Schock those signature abs.
5 to 7 days a week do any of these three workout options:
1) “a 60-to 75-minute P90X training session”
2) “a 60-to 75-minute weight routine, focusing on high-weight, low-rep exercises, and alternating upper-and lower-body days”
3) “3 sets of 30 pushups and 30 situps; plus a run (5 miles) or swim (1 mile)”
Schock urges Americans to take to the gym, especially when it is so easy to overeat in the current culture.
“Exercise is more important than diet for me because it’s a twofer. It keeps me in good physical shape, and it relieves stress” said Schock. “And when you’re a representative of the public, there’s never a shortage of things to do.”
With Schock baring all, one question remains: Just what do the good folks back in Peoria think of their congressman’s abs?