Obama pumps iron at hotel gym in Poland
Secret Service dismisses security concerns
President Barack Obama took time out from his European tour to hit the hotel gym in Warsaw on Wednesday.
In video footage posted by the Polish tabloid Fakt, Obama is seen sporting a black tracksuit and headphones, grimacing while lifting weights and exercising on an elliptical machine as fellow gymgoers work out alongside him. One of them, Jean Ekwa, posted photos of Obama doing bicep curls to Facebook.
The Secret Service confirmed the authenticity of the photos and video.
According to the tabloid, the commander in chief "heavily sighed and groaned" during the 45-minute workout.
The footage quickly went viral, with bemused Internet users weighing in on Obama's iron-pumping routine.
Why y'all let Obama do this? He on that Kevin Durant workout... pic.twitter.com/vdSjfoyYkq
— Marion Baerry (@ItzShowtim3) June 4, 2014
Watch @BarackObama's amazing workout-routine! We might have added some music to the video... http://t.co/3pWj26nNX7 pic.twitter.com/MtFCwCmFIP
— Jakob Wais (@ich_Wais) June 4, 2014
Here's full video of Pres Obama's workout and it's even more diesel town than we thought http://t.co/DVQImgpUxW pic.twitter.com/YCplSl1hGg
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 4, 2014
What's Obama's workout gear? Full velvet jumpsuit? http://t.co/Bl2ip9cSkI pic.twitter.com/eJuKLqOfAg
— ishmael (@iD4RO) June 4, 2014
COMMANDER-IN-CHISELED: Gym-goer takes video of @BarackObama pumping iron at Polish gym — VIDEO: http://t.co/pZRGRjv3a3 via @leslielarson
— Tom Durante (@TomDurante) June 4, 2014
But not everyone was amused.
"THIS IS SO DANGEROUS!!!" Fox News' Greta Van Susteren wrote in a blog post. "How could the Secret Service possibly let this happen? If you can reach the President with a camera lens like this ... you know more sinister things can happen."
The Secret Service, though, dismissed security concerns.
"Hotel guests were not asked to leave the gym during this off-the-record movement, nor were they asked to refrain from taking pictures," Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said in a statement to the Daily News. "[It's] no different than if the President visited a restaurant off the record and other diners took pictures of him."
[Related: Breaking down President Obama's hotel workout]
Former NBA star and Obama friend Alonzo Mourning recently told Politico that while the president doesn't play much basketball anymore, he continues to be a "health nut."
“He’s an athlete. He thinks like an athlete," Mourning said. "So he’s thinking about doing what he can to take care of his body. ... If he didn’t work out in the morning, he would go crazy. He would drive his staff crazy if he didn’t get his workouts in every morning."
