Back in high school, one of my top 10 biggest accomplishments was definitely making it to 12 push-ups during the dreaded Presidential Physical Fitness Test. Suffice to say, I'm not the most athletic person out there. So when I heard what Ruth Bader Ginsburg does during her typical workout, I was left feeling equal parts jealous and grateful. Grateful because we're already dealing with one drawn out approval process for a Supreme Court justice and I can't handle another one if anything happens to RBG; jealous because this 83-year-old is apparently in better shape than I am.
Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger took one for the team (team, here, meaning less-than-fit writers) and gave RBG's twice-a-week workout a go. Ginsburg relies on personal trainer Bryant Johnson, who works closely with local jurists, so that's who Schrekinger met with. As it turns out, the fitness coach and Sergeant First Class in the Army Reserves doesn't go easy on RBG just because of her age. During their 90-minute workout, the justice and her trainer focus on staying fit and self-reliant.
"I told the justice that if you cannot do this exercise, you will need a nurse 24/7," Johnson told Schreckinger as they tossed a medicine ball back and forth while the panting journalist stood and sat in between reps.
The workout starts with five minutes of elliptical training, before going into some light stretching. Next, Ginsburg bench presses 70 pounds, does some leg curls, works her chest while doing flies and finally moves to pull downs. Once she stretches out her muscles again, RBG runs through some one-legged squats, does a rep of 10 pushups and then works on her perfect planking form. (And yes, the justice does legit pushups, unlike the knee pushups I usually end up doing because I'm weak.)
To cool down, Ginsburg runs through some arm and shoulder reps using a medicine ball. Finally, she wraps things up by lifting weights while doing some wall sits. Because, if I haven't made this clear already, RBG is a beast.
If you're looking for a new workout and you're stronger than me, I'd consider checking out the full plan. It's all laid out for you in this video, so it's basically like you're getting a free personal training session with Johnson.
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