There’s a strong probability that when NewsNation Resolution Desk 2024 completes its seven-hour broadcast early Wednesday morning, Chris Cuomo nonetheless gained’t be sure who our subsequent president will likely be. In that case, whereas many states will nonetheless be counting ballots the following day, information media’s most powerfully constructed energy participant will likely be again to counting his reps and steps.
Even when the outcomes stay unsettled, Cuomo has no plans to skip his exercise—even when train consists of a brisk, mind-clearing stroll by means of Washington, D.C. The truth is, for the match 54-year-old information veteran, strolling has lately turn out to be considered one of his most essential low-impact coaching instruments. It not solely helps him steadiness out his notorious high-intensity coaching routine, but it surely retains him mentally in tune—particularly throughout even probably the most chaotic of reports cycles.
Cuomo continues to be jacked, maybe extra at present in his 50s than at any level of three-plus-decade profession. And whereas weight coaching continues to dominate the 6’2, 230-pound TV host’s coaching schedule, in the case of health priorities, self-importance now shares equal billing with longevity. Strolling and different new mindset methods have performed a task in redefining Cuomo as a extra well-rounded wellness skilled.
“At my age, health is about doing much less extra usually,” he says. “And likewise you must undertake boring modalities. It’s important to stroll, and you must discover a motive to love strolling, and strolling quick.
A deal with each bodily and psychological health comes simply as Cuomo has discovered a brand new profession resurgence. Since 2022, he’s been internet hosting NewsNation’s Cuomo—described as a “a no-nonsense present that includes the day’s most essential information from all views.” And whereas nonetheless in its infancy, the information veteran’s addition to the startup’s lineup—which will be seen this Tuesday evening when he cohosts NewsNation Resolution DeskC 2024—has given the community a constant increase in scores. On Tuesday evening, he’ll be cohosting the community’s election protection.
Though election evening will be the exception, Cuomo isn’t seen lately carrying a tie, which supplies off a extra relaxed vibe as he comfortably settles into his new solo spot on NewsNation. Nonetheless, Cuomo attributes the casual look as extra of a necessity—it’s vital to keep away from the discomfort of getting a tie tightly wrapped round his thick neck. “My boss tells me regularly that I look too massive,” he says.
However, whilst his wellness repertoire expands, Cuomo nonetheless stays the weightroom warrior who dabbles in looking, fishing, and can by no means be too shy throw all the way down to defend a member of the family. In different phrases, in Cuomo’s world, a superb pump nonetheless beats political TV protocol.
“We stay in a world of the beta male proper now in media,” Cuomo says. “You don’t see a whole lot of guys my measurement on tv, and I get it, but it surely’s not OK for me. I get pleasure from being robust, bodily competent, and with the ability to defend myself and others.”
Chris Cuomo Now Trains for the Lengthy Sport
Strolling might not be the head of Cuomo’s coaching evolution, but it surely very nicely might signify a seismic shift in his muscle mindset relationship again to his teenage days. Rising up in Queens, Cuomo was no totally different than every other highschool athlete searching for the eye of school scouts. With a view to get seen, again within the ’80s, lifting heavy iron was by no means sufficient. You additionally needed to look the a part of a beefed-up jock—by any means essential.
“[In high school] I used to be strolling round with two pairs of pants on in order that my legs would look thick,” Cuomo remembers. “Now I’ve received child pores and skin from my groin to my knees as a result of my legs have been rubbing a lot again then. That’s the best way God laughs at us.”
Since shedding a number of layers, the previous Yale rugby athlete has prided himself on taking a shot at a complete wide selection of health disciplines—from bodybuilding type coaching to martial arts to finishing a triathlon. He even had a brief stint as a health author earlier than changing into a universally acknowledged investigative journalist and host. “I used to be much less polarizing then,” he says.
His lifelong relationship with staying match could possibly be the rationale why now, age 54, he’s simply as comfy doling out coaching recommendation on his social media channels as he’s giving political scorching takes.
Cuomo nonetheless works on self protection (he says he primarily focuses on Tony Blauer’s SPEAR System of tactical self protection). However Cuomo has lower out sparring and shifted in method with a view to keep away from pointless harm that would preserve him away from coaching. He additionally says the adjustment helps preserve him as ready as potential within the occasion a scenario will get uncontrolled. “It’s all about practicality,” he says. “What’s going to occur in my life? How do I do away with that danger instantly? It’s simply drill, drill, drill, so if, God forbid, one thing occurs, it’s one thing I’ve finished 1,000 occasions.”
Within the weightroom, full-body exercises have turn out to be one of many fundamental elements of Cuomo’s self-programmed coaching routine. He’ll incorporate dumbbells, kettlebells, you title it—and bang out presses, squats, after all biceps curls. His coaching principle is to attempt to hit each main muscle group in a exercise. This enables him to get the work finished in a shorter, extra environment friendly method, permitting him to recuperate faster and preserve going. “At our age, you started working at this age, nothing comes simple besides mediocrity,” he says. “I’ll do all plyometrics, leaping lunges, and EMOMs. For me, full-body HIIT coaching is essential.”
Foot points have pressured him to cut back on working. (“My soleus can’t take the pounding,” he says. Cuomo is, nevertheless, planning on including dash work to his coaching with a view to preserve explosiveness at his superior age. “You may have to have the ability to exert energy, so it’s essential dash,” he says. “In life, you typically want to have the ability to go 100%.”
A Mindset Made for Taking Care of Your ‘Mentals’
Why has the world turn out to be so divisive and polarizing in 2024? Based on Cuomo, it’s not as a lot about political philosophy as folks might imagine. As an alternative, it could be the insane quantity of technological immersion that’s been pushed in entrance of us.
“It’s publicity,” he says. “I didn’t develop up 24/7 on a tool that was continuously immersing us in all of this stuff we don’t management. The era earlier than us had us pondering our brains have been fried on two to a few hours of tv a day. I’ve by no means binged a single day in my life as a lot media as my children soak up each day.”
Cuomo is nicely conscious of being a polarizing media determine. He reads the net beatdown he usually receives from either side of the aisle. He can shrug it off at occasions. Nonetheless at occasions the trash speak does seep into his feelings. For that, he’s now engaged on battling the stress that comes with the job. “You bought to discover a motive to find it irresistible all,” he says. “The ache prepare is coming. Persons are going to speak s***. Issues aren’t going to go my method. There are going to be struggles and challenges that go public. Plenty of it’ll be exaggerated. So it’s essential for me to search out a possibility [to grow] by means of all of it.”
To assist fight this, Cuomo has taken a deep dive into sustaining and maximizing his psychological well being. His each day walks are only one ingredient in serving to him restore optimum cognitive power ranges. He additionally begins his mornings by learning philosophy from all spectrums. Cuomo is cool with reciting something from historic stoicism to quoting beast mode soccer icons.
“Marshawn Lynch gave us an incredible phrase—your ‘mentals,’” he says. “You bought to deal with your mentals. And that’s about strolling, exercising the mind, studying philosophy. It’s about fascinated by why you proceed to f**ok up in the identical conditions, or why you repeat errors.”
He’s swapped out alcohol—principally as a result of it doesn’t go nicely along with his prescribed long-COVID drugs. As a replacement he’s added a milder, extra mellow mix of hemp-derived THC. “Though the legalities are largely going away, I occur to have a medical marijuana use card for New York,” he says. “It’s much less controversial. It’s extra delicate, and I actually find it irresistible.”
Serving to him in his journey has been his spouse, Cristina. As a wellness skilled and writer of wellness journal The Purist, Cristina’s helped him make incremental modifications along with his routine. He’s added respiration strategies, together with field respiration to his routines in addition to numerous types of meditation.
Nonetheless, crucial way of life change, has been the addition of remedy to his schedule.
“There’s no shut second,” he says. “Psychological coaching is as essential as bodily coaching to me within the sense of how I work on my head and my coronary heart, and the way I cope with disappointment, failure, scrutiny disgrace and frustration.”
With Chaos and Controversy Comes Gratitude
Chris Cuomo’s profession has taken him from ABC to Fox Information to CNN prior to now having the chance to rebuild his model at NewsNation. The community has seen a close to 25% enhance in scores since his arrival two years in the past. He additionally has a YouTube collection, the Chris Cuomo Undertaking, during which he’ll talk about, along with politics, well being, wellness, diet, even self-motivation ideas.
At NewsNation, which manufacturers itself as an outlet for unbiased voters, his present often function a various vary of political commentary. His most up-to-date City Corridor together with visitor of all viewpoints together with Invoice O’Reilly, Mark Cuban, Stephen A. Smith, and even Dana White. And whereas Tuesday’s election protection stays principally unpredictable, the prolonged grind, the uncertainly and potential all-nighters are a part of the package deal newsmen like Cuomo gladly join with out reservations.
“When you make the selection, to do that, you gotta be all in,” he says. “And also you gotta be there for the length. I inform myself that getting a possibility that only a few folks do—I’m a witness to historical past. And that’s the best good thing about what I do.”
Along with his position, nevertheless, comes an unwritten assure that a minimum of half of the nation will at one level despise you. For Cuomo—who’s at occasions confronted heavy criticism for protection of COVID or his position in serving to his brother, former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, cope with a sexual harassment swimsuit, and even unbiased evaluation relating to the candidates, he’s used to it.
His bouts with public scorn is why he tries to inform younger journalists to not get too hooked up to the trolls on either side. Or to take themselves to noticeably.
“I inform folks on a regular basis, don’t get within the enterprise to be fashionable—you are usually not a celeb,” he says. “You aren’t supported by your followers. Once you’re saying what they like, they such as you. Once you’re not saying what they like, they hate you and see you as a part of the issue. That’s the job, and that’s what I inform myself now.”
Even his buff physique has been the goal of trolls. It comes with the territory of posing shirtless or speaking coaching or perhaps a self-deprecating community industrial that had Cuomo urgent a 100-pound dumbbell at his desk, being swole additionally comes with accusations of the opposite S phrase: steroids.
He maintains his steroid-free innocence: “I’m needle averse as a result of I’m a p***y,” he says. “I can’t give myself a needle in any respect. It freaks me out.”
The reason might not fulfill health purists, and Cuomo is open to trustworthy debate on the subject. Sadly, he’s caught with a neverending battle with haters.
The hate could possibly be disturbing, however for Cuomo, the haters won’t ever get in the best way of skipping a exercise.
“I don’t assume folks ought to keep away from supplementation as a result of somebody says a 54-year-old’s not natty!—who offers a s***?” he says. “It’s not a posedown. It’s about motivating your self to be your greatest self. That’s why we’re all right here.”
