By The Hill Staff - 07/27/11 04:00 AM EDT
Age: 41
Hometown: Staten Island, N.Y.
Political party: Republican
Relationship status: Single
Fitness buff that he is, you won’t find Rep. Michael Grimm joining his colleagues in the trendy P90X training regimen.
“I still do workouts from the ‘70s,” the congressman said during an interview in his office in the Cannon House Office Building. “I’m very traditional, very old-fashioned.”
And in the bodybuilding world, traditional and old-fashioned translates to … Arnold Schwarzenegger-style weightlifting.
The former Marine may be able to execute a floor-rattling clean-and-jerk, but Grimm has yet to master the art of dog training. During the interview, his teacup Yorkshire Terrier puppy, Sebastian, yipped for attention behind a plastic gate that kept him confined to one corner of the congressman’s office.
“No barking,” he said futilely. “You’re in jail.”
Between a new job, a new dog and constant travel, Grimm said he’s still getting his “sea legs” when it comes to life in Congress. He feels he has done a good job of establishing himself in his committee and district work; he’s now on a quest to find work-life balance.
The self-professed “gym rat” hopes to get into a regular exercise and eating schedule and find time to enjoy his hobbies: action movies, nice dinners, shopping for custom clothes at Boyd’s in Philadelphia and boxing.
“If I can get back into a good routine and eating well, that’s going to reflect [on my] doing better at my professional goals,” he said. “Because when I’m at the top of the game, and I hit my stride, I’m consistent with everything — professionally, personally and so on.”
—Kris Kitto
