Issue date: July 30, 2000

Also this week: Interview: George W. Bush Comparison of the candidates' exercise regimens

USA WEEKEND's fitness expert, Dr. Tedd Mitchell of the famous Cooper Clinic in Dallas, worked out recently with George W. Bush and Al Gore. His Rx for both men: Continue strength training and flexibility exercises for aging muscles

USA WEEKEND: How long have you exercising?
Vice President Gore: I've been exercising most of my life. When I was about 10 years old, my father gave me the challenge to do pushups with him every morning or every evening until I could get to the point that I could do more than he did. So I started exercising then. I have been jogging regularly for the past 20 years. It's an important part of my daily routine.

USAW: How do you find time to get exercise into your schedule? What is your daily schedule?
Gore: My daily schedule varies a substantial amount just from one day to the next. But I always try to make sure that whoever is doing the schedule for the day knows that I need the first part of the day to do my exercise.

USAW: So you don't exercise late in the afternoon or in the evening?
Gore: No, I always try to exercise in the morning even if that means that I have to get up that much earlier to do it. I found that if I wait until the afternoon or into the evening, the day takes over. Sometimes my days go on very late into the evening, so I would not get a chance to do it.

USAW: Do you like to exercise before breakfast or coffee, before you've done anything?
Gore: Yes. I just get up in the morning and do my session then.

USAW: What do you do for exercise?
Gore: My baseline of exercise is running. I like to jog and I typically do that five or even six times per week and sometimes on occasion I'll intersperse that with the Stairmaster. I also have some weight-training exercises that I do -- a series of calistenics, mainly pushups. I also carry some dumbbells with me on the airplane so that I can do some strength training. I do that about every other day.

USAW: What about stretching?
Gore: I do stretching exercises, for my back in particular, because if I have been on a plane flight for a long period of time, I'll often times end up with back strain, and I've found that I need to do some stretches every morning. I do about five or six stretching exercises for my back and in addition, I will do some stretching exercises for my legs. I don't typically do anything for my upper body and I probably should.

USAW: Have you ever had any type of injury that has prevented you from exercising?
Gore: In 1994, I ruptured my left Achilles' tendon playing basketball and I had to have surgery for it. I ended traveling to 43 states on crutches as well as to a few foreign countries.

USAW: Is that what got you into doing a some stretching exercises?
Gore: No, I have been stretching for a period of time.

USAW: What about other family members -- do they exercise as well?
Gore: Yes, all of my family members exercise. Often I'll jog with my wife Tipper. Our four children are all avid exercisers, too. All three daughters have played collegiate level athletics. Last year I hiked to the top of Mt. Rainier with my son. That was a lot harder than running. You take one step and then you breathe twice. It was a lot different than just running on a flat surface, but it was a wonderful experience.

USAW: I also understand that you have run a marathon.
Gore: That's true. I ran the Marine Corps Marathon [in Washington, D.C.] in 1988, because two of my daughters dared me to do it. So I trained for it and ran and toward the end of it, they slowed down [to match my pace] and they finished the race with me.

USAW: Are there any exercises that you don't like?
Gore: I am not really a fan of the stationary bike. I like running, I don't mind the treadmill, and I don't mind doing the Stairmaster -- all of those I enjoy. But I don't like riding a stationary bike. I suppose that someday I may end up having to ride a stationary bike if my joints give out on me. My joints feel pretty good right now. I haven't had any significant problems related to joints. But as I get older, it may be that I have to change the way I exercise.