There’s a solid chance that when NewsNation Decision Desk 2024 completes its seven-hour broadcast early Wednesday morning, Chris Cuomo still won’t be certain who our next president will be. If so, while many states will still be counting ballots the next day, news media’s most powerfully built power player will be back to counting his reps and steps.
Even if the results remain unsettled, Cuomo has no plans to skip his workout—even if exercise consists of a brisk, mind-clearing walk through Washington, D.C. In fact, for the fit 54-year-old news veteran, walking has recently become one of his most important low-impact training tools. It not only helps him balance out his infamous high-intensity training regimen, but it keeps him mentally in tune—especially during even the most chaotic of news cycles.
Cuomo is still jacked, perhaps more today in his 50s than at any point of three-plus-decade career. And while weight training continues to dominate the 6’2, 230-pound TV host’s training schedule, when it comes to fitness priorities, vanity now shares equal billing with longevity. Walking and other new mindset strategies have played a role in redefining Cuomo as a more well-rounded wellness expert.
“At my age, fitness is about doing less more often,” he says. “And also you have to adopt boring modalities. You have to walk, and you have to find a reason to like walking, and walking fast.
A focus on both physical and mental fitness comes just as Cuomo has found a new career resurgence. Since 2022, he’s been hosting NewsNation’s Cuomo—described as a “a no-nonsense show featuring the day’s most important news from all perspectives.” And while still in its infancy, the news veteran’s addition to the startup’s lineup—which can be seen this Tuesday night when he cohosts NewsNation Decision DeskC 2024—has given the network a consistent boost in ratings. On Tuesday night, he’ll be cohosting the network’s election coverage.
Although election night may be the exception, Cuomo is rarely seen these days wearing a tie, which gives off a more relaxed vibe as he comfortably settles into his new solo spot on NewsNation. However, Cuomo attributes the informal look as more of a necessity—it’s critical to avoid the discomfort of having a tie tightly wrapped around his thick neck. “My boss tells me on a regular basis that I look too big,” he says.
But, even as his wellness repertoire expands, Cuomo still remains the weightroom warrior who dabbles in hunting, fishing, and will never be too shy throw down to defend a family member. In other words, in Cuomo’s world, a good pump still beats political TV protocol.
“We live in a world of the beta male right now in media,” Cuomo says. “You don’t see a lot of guys my size on television, and I get it, but it’s not OK for me. I enjoy being strong, physically competent, and being able to protect myself and others.”
Chris Cuomo Now Trains for the Long Game
Walking may not be the pinnacle of Cuomo’s training evolution, but it very well may represent a seismic shift in his muscle mindset dating back to his teenage days. Growing up in Queens, Cuomo was no different than any other high school athlete seeking the attention of college scouts. In order to get noticed, back in the ’80s, lifting heavy iron was never enough. You also had to look the part of a beefed-up jock—by any means necessary.
“[In high school] I was walking around with two pairs of pants on so that my legs would look thick,” Cuomo recalls. “Now I’ve got baby skin from my groin to my knees because my legs were rubbing so much back then. That’s the way God laughs at us.”
Since shedding a few layers, the former Yale rugby athlete has prided himself on taking a shot at a whole wide range of fitness disciplines—from bodybuilding style training to martial arts to completing a triathlon. He even had a short stint as a fitness writer before becoming a universally recognized investigative journalist and host. “I was less polarizing then,” he says.
His lifelong relationship with staying fit could be the reason why now, age 54, he’s just as comfortable doling out training advice on his social media channels as he is giving political hot takes.
Cuomo still works on self defense (he says he mainly focuses on Tony Blauer’s SPEAR System of tactical self defense). But Cuomo has cut out sparring and shifted in technique in order to avoid unnecessary damage that could keep him away from training. He also says the adjustment helps keep him as prepared as possible in the event a situation gets out of control. “It’s all about practicality,” he says. “What’s going to happen in my life? How do I get rid of that risk immediately? It’s just drill, drill, drill, so if, God forbid, something happens, it’s something I’ve done 1,000 times.”
In the weightroom, full-body workouts have become one of the main components of Cuomo’s self-programmed training regimen. He’ll incorporate dumbbells, kettlebells, you name it—and bang out presses, squats, of course biceps curls. His training theory is to try and hit every major muscle group in a workout. This allows him to get the work done in a shorter, more efficient manner, allowing him to recover quicker and keep going. “At our age, you got to work at this age, nothing comes easy except mediocrity,” he says. “I’ll do all plyometrics, jumping lunges, and EMOMs. For me, full-body HIIT training is very important.”
Foot issues have forced him to scale back on running. (“My soleus can’t take the pounding,” he says. Cuomo is, however, planning on adding sprint work to his training in order to maintain explosiveness at his advanced age. “You have to be able to exert power, so you need to sprint,” he says. “In life, you sometimes need to be able to go 100%.”
A Mindset Made for Taking Care of Your ‘Mentals’
Why has the world become so divisive and polarizing in 2024? According to Cuomo, it’s not as much about political philosophy as people may think. Instead, it may be the insane amount of technological immersion that’s been pushed in front of us.
“It’s exposure,” he says. “I didn’t grow up 24/7 on a device that was constantly immersing us in all of these things we don’t control. The generation before us had us thinking our brains were fried on two to three hours of television a day. I have never binged a single day in my life as much media as my kids take in every day.”
Cuomo is well aware of being a polarizing media figure. He reads the online beatdown he normally receives from both sides of the aisle. He can shrug it off at times. However at times the trash talk does seep into his emotions. For that, he’s now working on battling the stress that comes with the job. “You got to find a reason to love it all,” he says. “The pain train is coming. People are going to talk s***. Things aren’t going to go my way. There are going to be struggles and challenges that go public. A lot of it is going to be exaggerated. So it’s important for me to find an opportunity [to grow] through all of it.”
To help combat this, Cuomo has taken a deep dive into maintaining and maximizing his mental health. His daily walks are just one ingredient in helping him restore optimal cognitive energy levels. He also begins his mornings by studying philosophy from all spectrums. Cuomo is cool with reciting anything from ancient stoicism to quoting beast mode football icons.
“Marshawn Lynch gave us a great word—your ‘mentals,’” he says. “You got to take care of your mentals. And that’s about walking, exercising the brain, reading philosophy. It’s about thinking about why you continue to f**k up in the same situations, or why you repeat mistakes.”
He’s swapped out alcohol—mostly because it doesn’t go well with his prescribed long-COVID medications. In its place he’s added a milder, more mellow blend of hemp-derived THC. “Even though the legalities are largely going away, I happen to have a medical marijuana use card for New York,” he says. “It’s less controversial. It’s more mild, and I really love it.”
Helping him in his journey has been his wife, Cristina. As a wellness expert and publisher of wellness magazine The Purist, Cristina’s helped him make incremental changes with his routine. He’s added breathing techniques, including box breathing to his routines as well as various forms of meditation.
However, the most important lifestyle change, has been the addition of therapy to his schedule.
“There’s no close second,” he says. “Mental training is as important as physical training to me in the sense of how I work on my head and my heart, and how I deal with disappointment, failure, scrutiny shame and frustration.”
With Chaos and Controversy Comes Gratitude
Chris Cuomo’s career has taken him from ABC to Fox News to CNN before now having the opportunity to rebuild his brand at NewsNation. The network has seen a near 25% increase in ratings since his arrival two years ago. He also has a YouTube series, the Chris Cuomo Project, in which he’ll discuss, in addition to politics, health, wellness, nutrition, even self-motivation tips.
At NewsNation, which brands itself as an outlet for independent voters, his show regularly feature a diverse range of political commentary. His most recent Town Hall including guest of all viewpoints including Bill O’Reilly, Mark Cuban, Stephen A. Smith, and even Dana White. And while Tuesday’s election coverage remains mostly unpredictable, the extended grind, the uncertainly and potential all-nighters are part of the package newsmen like Cuomo gladly sign up for without reservations.
“Once you make the choice, to do this, you gotta be all in,” he says. “And you gotta be there for the duration. I tell myself that getting an opportunity that very few people do—I’m a witness to history. And that’s the greatest benefit of what I do.”
With his role, however, comes an unwritten guarantee that at least half of the country will at one point despise you. For Cuomo—who’s at times faced heavy criticism for coverage of COVID or his role in helping his brother, former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, deal with a sexual harassment suit, or even independent analysis regarding the candidates, he’s used to it.
His bouts with public scorn is why he tries to tell young journalists not to get too attached to the trolls on both sides. Or to take themselves to seriously.
“I tell people all the time, do not get in the business to be popular—you are not a celebrity,” he says. “You are not supported by your fans. When you’re saying what they like, they like you. When you’re not saying what they like, they hate you and see you as part of the problem. That is the job, and that’s what I tell myself now.”
Even his buff physique has been the target of trolls. It comes with the territory of posing shirtless or talking training or even a self-deprecating network commercial that had Cuomo pressing a 100-pound dumbbell at his desk, being swole also comes with accusations of the other S word: steroids.
He maintains his steroid-free innocence: “I’m needle averse because I’m a p***y,” he says. “I can’t give myself a needle at all. It freaks me out.”
The explanation may not satisfy fitness purists, and Cuomo is open to honest debate on the topic. Unfortunately, he’s stuck with a neverending battle with haters.
The hate could be stressful, but for Cuomo, the haters will never get in the way of skipping a workout.
“I don’t think people should avoid supplementation because someone says a 54-year-old’s not natty!—who gives a s***?” he says. “It’s not a posedown. It’s about motivating yourself to be your best self. That’s why we’re all here.”