After analyzing clips of Hegseth powering through push-ups, pull-ups, kettlebell swings and more, and consulting military guidebooks and fitness experts<\/a>, The Atlantic <\/a>concluded that he is \u201cflouting the rules\u201d and \u201csacrificing form for speed.\u201d<\/p>\n Ordinarily, the outlet noted, this kind of \u201cnitpicking\u201d might feel gratuitous. But these aren\u2019t gym videos from influencers; they\u2019re polished highlights pushed out by the Pentagon itself, implicitly offered as a model. And Hegseth, a former Fox News host, hasn\u2019t exactly been shy about critiquing others. In one of his books<\/a>, he mocked female soldiers<\/a> who can manage only \u201cten push-ups at a pop\u201d and described a transgender woman as a \u201cten-push-up kind of guy.\u201d<\/p>\n During his tenure, Hegseth has elevated fitness into something closer to an ideological project, casting out-of-shape troops and leaders as fundamentally at odds with a disciplined fighting force.<\/p>\n He has moved to enforce stricter grooming and fitness standards<\/a>, declaring last year that it was \u201ccompletely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.\u201d Under his latest initiative, he\u2019s forcing young officers to undergo testosterone screenings<\/a> to ensure \u201cyou have the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, Hegseth and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took part in the so-called \u201cPete & Bobby Challenge<\/a>,\u201d in which participants attempt 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in under 10 minutes. Kennedy was seen working out in jeans.<\/p>\n The Atlantic was unimpressed with the defense secretary\u2019s own form. \u201cHegseth\u2019s push-ups are more like half-ups: In the ones captured on video, he doesn\u2019t go through the full range of motion,\u201d the magazine wrote, adding that his push-ups \u201cwouldn\u2019t pass muster in any branch.\u201d<\/p>\n His pull-ups, by contrast, were described as \u201cmore or less textbook.\u201d But consistency, it seems, is another matter. In one Pentagon video, his knees drift forward as he pulls himself up.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is known as \u2018kipping\u2019 and is forbidden in an eight-page pull-up guide published by the Marines,\u201d the outlet noted.<\/p>\n Several fitness experts consulted by the magazine also offered unflattering assessments of the 46-year-old Pentagon chief, who is currently engaged in the monthslong war against Iran<\/a>, which shows few signs of abating.<\/p>\n Joel Del Rosario, a Marine veteran and kettlebell coach, criticized Hegseth\u2019s form in a January video showing him swinging a kettlebell with recruits at UCLA<\/a> .<\/p>\n In the clip, Hegseth brings the weight \u201cfar too close to the ground, putting strain on his shoulders and back,\u201d the outlet notes. \u201cThis is wrong,” according to Del Rosario.<\/p>\n \u201cDel Rosario told me he\u2019s glad to see Hegseth encouraging better fitness in the military, and he noted that, in his experience, pretty much everyone who gives the kettlebell a whirl fails at first,\u201d The Atlantic\u2019s Tom Bartlett wrote.<\/p>\n Maureen LeBoeuf, a retired brigadier general and head of physical education at the U.S. Military Academy<\/a>, also weighed in.<\/p>\n \u201cHis pull-ups or chin-ups and the kicking that he does\u2014you would never allow that. You\u2019d stop somebody; you\u2019d say, \u2018Okay, you\u2019re done,\u2019\u200a\u201d LeBoeuf said. \u201cHe just keeps kicking, and it\u2019s not a good look.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that it is difficult to ignore such lapses from someone who is \u201creal big on standards.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Fitness](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-7-57-51-AM.png\")
Fitness experts roasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s workout videos, with one saying: ‘His pull-ups or chin-ups and the kicking that he does\u2014you would never allow that’ (Department of War)![\"Hegseth](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-7-43-43-AM.png\")
Hegseth hasn\u2019t exactly been shy about critiquing others. In one of his books, he mocked female soldiers who can manage only \u2018ten push-ups at a pop\u2019 (Department of War)<\/p>\n![\"Last](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-7-47-45-AM.png\")
Last year, Hegseth and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took part in the so-called \u201cPete & Bobby Challenge,\u201d in which participants attempt 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in under 10 minutes (Pete Hegseth)<\/p>\n![\"\u2018Hegseth\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-7-50-37-AM.png\")
\u2018Hegseth\u2019s push-ups are more like half-ups: In the ones captured on video, he doesn\u2019t go through the full range of motion,\u2019 one publication noted (Pete Hegseth)![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-7-51-01-AM.png\")
In the \u2018Pete & Bobby Challenge\u2019 video, Kennedy was seen working out in jeans (Pete Hegseth)<\/p>\n