The O'bama arm workout
Obama's strong-arm tactics are causing consternation, admiration and calls for a cover-up. Not the man though -- it's Michelle we're talking about here.
G20 summits may come and go, the Iraq war may soon end, but as reported here a few weeks ago, it's the statuesque First Lady's biceps that are gaining most of the attention.
One weedy critic, Republican (of course) congressman David Brooks, has felt particularly threatened by 45-year-old Michelle's honed muscles.
"Washington is sensually avoidant," railed Brooks (no kidding, these are his quotes). "She should not be known for her physical presence ... for one body part."
Even some women are incensed: "Someone should tell Michelle to cover up from time to time," ranted Washington-based columnist Sandra McElwaine.
And so, in honour of Michelle, two of our strongmen, Dublin trainers David Mulqueen and James Swan, are rising to the challenge to produce our own killer arm exercise routine.
The pair recently opened their own fitness centre, The Edge, in Clontarf on Dublin's northside, a brave move that's paying off, despite the recession.
Here is their Michelle arm workout, called the O'Bama, which is designed to be done every five days.
The routine is in two circuits, with three exercises in each.
A1: Close-grip bench press, six repetitions, then 10 second rest.
Lie on a bench, keep your hands close and push a barbell up from just below the nipple line, lower slowly.
A2: Decline dumbbell triceps extensions, 12 reps, 10 seconds rest.
Lie down, arms raised up and parallel, lower weight to just past your shoulder, holding it vertical, not horizontal. Don't wobble.
A3: Push-ups, 25 reps, two minutes rest.
You can do this onto a bench, or on your knees.
B1: Scott reverse curls, six reps, 10 seconds rest.
Sitting at a Scott bench, lower weight slowly instead of raising it slowly.
B2: Standing bar curls, 12 reps, 10 seconds rest.
Drop your arms, lock elbows out, raise the bar, then lower slowly.
B3: Low-incline hammer curls, 25 reps, two minutes rest.
Lie on an incline, with both arms simultaneously curl weight up slowly and release.
Do A1, rest 10 seconds; A2, rest 10 seconds; A3, rest two minutes. Repeat four times. Then do the same for the B exercises.
"It's tough but it works," says Mulqueen. He says that men such as Congressman Brooks feel threatened by a fit-looking woman. "This guy sounds like a typical geek intimidated by a woman who looks after herself -- my five-year-old godson has bigger arms than him."
Mulqueen is a fan of the US First Lady. "Michelle should be an icon, considering the obesity levels in America."
The routine works for men and women, the trainers say. If you manage to maintain it for six weeks, you're guaranteed to be armed and dangerous.
And if you're a woman, you might get the verdict Michelle Obama inspired when she appeared in a V-neck, sleeveless number at her husband's address to Congress.
"Babe," one Republican congressman muttered to another.
