- Fitness experts criticize Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s workout videos for sacrificing form for speed.
- Hegseth’s push-ups and pull-ups in the videos do not meet military standards, according to experts.
- Kipping, a technique forbidden in the Marine Corps, is observed in Hegseth’s pull-ups, and his kettlebell swings are criticized for improper form.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s posting of workout videos has backfired. Fitness experts who reviewed his workout videos have given a reality check. The clips show Hegseth powering through push-ups, pull-ups, and kettlebell swings alongside troops. But after consulting military guidebooks and several fitness experts, Hegseth is reported to be “flouting the rules” and “sacrificing form for speed.”
Fitness experts criticize Pete Hegseth’s workout videos
The criticism focuses on fundamentals. In a “Pete & Bobby Challenge” video with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Hegseth attempts 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in under ten minutes. Experts say his push-ups don’t meet any branch’s standards
“Hegseth’s push-ups are more like half-ups,” The Atlantic reported. “In the ones captured on video, he doesn’t go through the full range of motion.” Army standards require hand-release push-ups. The Marines specify that upper arms must reach parallel to the deck. The Air Force demands a rigid head-to-heel form. According to the analysis, Hegseth satisfies none of these
Advertisement
Maureen LeBoeuf, a retired brigadier general who headed physical education at West Point, watched the video and said nothing would have counted had she been the grader. “His pull-ups or chin-ups and the kicking that he does—you would never allow that,” LeBoeuf said. “You’d stop somebody; you’d say, ‘Okay, you’re done.'”
That kicking motion is known as kipping, a technique explicitly forbidden in the Marine Corps’ eight-page pull-up guide. The publication noted that Pete Hegseth’s pull-ups in the workout video were “more or less textbook” at times, but consistency remained a problem. In one clip, his knees drift forward to generate extra momentum
Joel Del Rosario, a Marine veteran and kettlebell coach, criticized another video of Hegseth swinging a kettlebell with recruits at UCLA. He brings the weight “far too close to the ground, putting strain on his shoulders and back,” the outlet noted. “This is wrong,” Del Rosario said, though he added he would be honored to teach the secretary proper technique
The analysis comes as Pete Hegseth pushes stricter fitness standards across the force
The post Pete Hegseth’s Tough-Guy Workout Gets a Reality Check appeared first on Mandatory
