It is expected that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be declared the ruling authority on national health matters in the following days. Kennedy’s portfolio of proposals on advancing public health contains a handful of less than stellar suggestions. If these were effective, he wouldn’t have reneged on them, albeit symbolically, during his confirmation hearings. Amid the sea of mediocre ideas, there lie two gems that I personally conform to – exercise nurtures a longer, healthier life and resistance training, when pursued meticulously, under sound guidance, and with correct form has the potential to tackle age-related issues such as muscle wasting, limited joint mobility, and bone frailty.
The world is abound with a flurry of exaggerated or conjectural affirmations about the hazards and rewards of exercising. However, I am of the belief that these two are fairly grounded in reality. Apart from that, it opens up a very reasonable line of thought. Does Kennedy employ, in his own life, the health tenets he is advocating? Many would be curious to know whether or not he abides by the other principles of Make America Healthy Again. Interestingly, the resolution to this query comes with several nuances!
Indeed, Kennedy indulges in weightlifting – a tidbit I was privy to due to a video of him working out at an open gym in jeans that had spread like wildfire on the internet around eighteen months ago. I couldn’t help but poke fun at him partly because of his denim-clad workout attire, and partially because his weightlifting leaves much to be desired. Analyzing his form, physique, and strength provides ample data for such evaluation.
There may be limited value in performing half- or quarter-ranged movements in certain circumstances. A person concerned about their appearance might execute them to induce a ‘pump’—that is, to flood the muscles with blood so they seem enlarged and veiny prior to a day at the beach or a leisure dip in the pool. A hardcore weightlifter once in a while incorporates partial repetitions into their training regimen to boost strength over hard-to-overcome segments of their movement range.
To put it more precisely, Coleman uses the term ‘antiaging’ to describe his workout regimen. But, typically, what this indicates is his longing for the physical attributes and capabilities that his younger self possessed. He somehow feels that the true embodiment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the version of him from his 20s, 30s, or even his mid-40s.
I haven’t gone too far past the apex of youthful vitality and vigor, just 12 years past my twenties. But even though those years feel as though they occurred only yesterday, the sensation of muscles becoming more rigid, decreasing mobility, and slower recovery are all too real. There’s nothing amiss with this phenomenon. It’s an innate part of aging, but so is the physiological longing that tags along.
While surgical aesthetics isn’t an organic process, and the societal influences fueling its demand aren’t homegrown, the pursuit to ‘reclaim the look and vitality of peak physical years’ is entirely understandable and natural. Thus, this could be a straightforward means for those over the age of 40, swayed by the influences from the ‘manosphere’ who hold Kennedy in high regard but harbor scepticsm towards ‘gender ideology’, to draw from their personal nostalgia for compassion.