He may be the president of the United States of America but he is no different from an ordinary man when it comes to lifting weights, grimacing and panting.
The US president’s brawny side was on display after a video of him pumping iron during his Poland visit has gone viral online.
The snaps of the footage taken during the President’s gym session at the Warsaw Marriott Hotel were first published by a Polish tabloid and then quickly made the rounds online.
As speculation started on whether the footage was a security breach, the Security Service insisted that it was not so and people were not asked to refrain from taking pictures. “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.
The clip is ‘no different than if the President visited a restaurant off the record and other diners took pictures of him,” Donovan added.
In the footage, Obama, in a black tracksuit with headphones in his ears, is seen doing a series of weight lifting exercises -- including lunges, side raises, step-ups and shoulder presses.
Obama 52, did not let jet lag get in the way of his fitness, finishing up his workout on an elliptical machine.
Onlookers said that Obama did not hold back during his 45-minute workout, as he “heavily sighed and groaned’ doing the exercises that was listed on a piece of paper he carried around during his routine.
A number of other people are spotted in the footage. Obama is currently on a tour to Europe, with stops in Poland, Belgium and France.
