RFK Uses Calisthenics to Show Off His Strength

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. has promised sweeping changes to the nation’s approach to health following his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services by president-elect Donald Trump, but one thing remains consistent: The 70-year-old will always post his bodyweight workouts to social media to highlight his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) fitness philosophy.

The former presidential candidate recently shared a video on his Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts showing off some complicated calisthenics with Ike Catcher, a bodyweight training influencer. The shirtless Kennedy, having doffed his top and tucked it into the waistband of his blue jeans, jumps up to grab the bar as Catcher performs a handstand maneuver on the top of the rig. The HHS-nominee then pulls up, rotating himself into a near-vertical inverted position, before continuing through the motion and dismounting the bar. Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” soundtracks the footage, which is slickly edited to include graphics as Kennedy pulls his lower body up.

“Practicing moves for my confirmation hearing,” reads the post’s caption. Kennedy’s move here isn’t a traditional exercise that targets a specific muscle group. It’s also unclear how the maneuver might factor into his confirmation hearing, during which he will likely be fielding questions about his anti-vaccine stances and his plans to shake up the agencies that would come under his jurisdiction in the office—but it does show a surprising level of shoulder mobility for a man of his age.

This type of clip is far from new territory for RFK. He’s posted videos with Catcher before, and he’s made a point to center fitness in his public messaging and persona. Back in April when he was still running for president, then-candidate Kennedy shared a post that outlines his philosophy on personal fitness as a political figure. The clip shows him pumping out pullups against the backdrop of the Gold’s Gym iconic green wall, hitting 24 reps.

This messaging has been present from the start of RFK’s bid for higher office. He launched his campaign for president on June 2023; before the end of the month, he was sharing details about his fitness regimen and how it was inextricable to his political philosophy. That first clip showed Kennedy training and urged his followers to start their own habit of morning calisthenics.

Calisthenics (or bodyweight exercises) like pushups, pullups, and air squats are an essential component to a balanced training plan. They’re more than just a starting point for resistance training with weights; you can use these movements to build muscle and develop relative strength (how strong you are in relation to your bodyweight). For guys over 50 (and beyond) like Kennedy, staying active is especially important as you age. Programs like MH‘s Max Muscle at 50, which features both bodyweight moves and exercises using gym equipment, can be a helpful guide to training safely and effectively so that you can enjoy movement and health throughout your life.

There’s some real utility in showing off these types of exercises for Kennedy, too. Almost everyone understands what it’s like to attempt a pushup or a pullup, and the sight of the 70-year-old politician pulling his chin up to the bar or pumping through reps on the ground immediately communicates vitality and capacity to the viewer in ways that other, more visually complicated exercises might not. He’s also able to drop to the floor to rep through pushups anywhere (and he usually shares these clips wearing jeans and a T-shirt, not exercise clothes, burnishing his self-professed populist cred) so the whole image portrays his readiness to engage in fitness anytime he feels the call.

“I will continue to walk the walk and lead by example,” he wrote in the first workout post’s caption, aiming to convince his audience that his personal training regimen will translate into effective leadership for the general public. How that will actually play out remains to be seen.