Executive Branch Can
Flex Muscles At Home

JACK WILLIAMS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

I

t's a modest space for the first

family's fitness facility. Just a
third-floor bedroom, really,
where a few vintage dumbbells
and an outmoded treadmill once
snoozed between presidential
wake-up calls
But if its dimensions don't ex-
actly befit White House VIPs, its
upgraded array of weight and aer-
obic equipment provides ample
opportunity for Bill and Hillary
Rodham Clinton to be fit.
For that, they can thank Lynn
Allen.
A 38-year-old fitness pro from
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she has de-
signed workouts for prison guards
in Ireland, soldiers in Australia
and a 400-pound monarch, King
Taufaahau Topou IV of Tonga.
It was Allen, a consultant to the
Atlanta-based Fitness Products
Council, who designed and
equipped the Clintons' private
White House gym after his elec-
tion in 1992.
So what has Allen ordered for
two time-challenged baby
boomers, one of whom already
may be the world's most-famous
injured jogger?
"First, I met with them for 45
minutes and found out what they
liked and didn't like," Allen said
the other day. "The president felt
his legs were in shape from jog-
ging, but gravity was kicking in
above the waist. He needed to de-
vote some attention to the
weights, which he did years ear-
lier at a YMCA gym in Little
Rock, Ark.
"Mrs. Clinton was quite active,
but she has some concerns about
staying trim."
Because the private fitness cen-
ter is no larger than an average
bedroom — even if it is the White
House — Allen introduced equip-
ment to maximize the use of
space.
Some Nautilus multi-weight
machines, for starters. A univer-
sal recumbent bike. A Paramount
multi-hip machine. A ClimbMax
stair climber. Reebok step plat-
forms and slide boards. And a
Clubtrack 3.0 Plus treadmill -
complete with a "pause" option,
20 preset programs and 15-degree
elevation capacity.
Should the president pack on
the pounds during his injury-in-
duced immobilization — the result
of a torn knee tendon — not to wor-
ry. The treadmill can accommo-
date up to 320 pounds.
Allen also provided the first
couple with Polar heart-rate mon-
itors, the better to read their puls-
es during exercise.
Although the president jogged
4 miles most days before injuring

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his knee, allergies prevent him
from doing so comfortably year-
round.
That's where the treadmill, a
climate-controlled alternative,
comes in.
"A treadmill with an elevation
feature is great for just doing an
incline power walk," said Allen,
who mixes jogging and power-
walking in her own routine.
"The heart doesn't know if
you're jogging on the flat or walk-
ing up a hill, so it's a great work-
out — especially for women who
want to firm their glutes (muscles
in the buttocks) and legs.
"I'm a hard-core jogger but even
I have come around to appreciate
the benefits of power walking.
With a treadmill, you'll find the
more expensive it is, the quieter
it is — a consideration when you
are trying to listen to a TV in your
home gym."
For most of us, who have to se-
lect our own fitness options, Allen
suggests hands-on shopping.
The equipment may look great
in carefully staged infomercials,
but if you can't try it, don't buy it,
she says.
'When you shop for equipment
at a retail fitness store, go dressed
for exercise," Allen said. "Ask
questions. Get on it for a half hour.
"If they're serious about selling
the equipment, they'll be glad to
let you do it."
Despite the proliferation of ab-
dominal toners and dual-action
aerobic equipment, the trusty
treadmill remains No. 1 in popu-
larity. A good investment, too, as
the centerpiece of a home gym.
Ideally, you want one with ad-
justable elevation and good shock
absorbency. "But if it's too cush-
iony," Allen said, "it could be un-
stable, like a mini-trampoline.
"The new ones introduced this
year have an added feature: a bed
(track) that flips up for storage -
to save space."
As for the portable ab ma-
chines, look for the emergence of
a second generation: ab benches,
resting on four legs.
"They're more expensive than
the ab-roller type machines ($30
to $80), about $200 to $300," Allen
said.
While portable ab toners have
been questioned by critics because
they're no more effective than per-
forming crunches properly sans
apparatus, they have their place.
"They lock you into a position
that forces you to exercise the
(main abdominal muscle) cor-
rectly," Allen said. "If you do sev-
eral minutes on them, you're
targeting the area you want to
work.

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