Pete Hegseth, You Call That a Pull-Up?
Critics and military fitness experts are questioning the physical training form of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The article contrasts his public workout videos with official military standards, suggesting a lack of proper technique.
Why it matters
It examines the intersection of political branding, military leadership standards, and public perception of fitness.
Military fitness experts say the secretary of defense fails on form.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. July 20, 2026, 7 AM ET Share Save P ete Hegseth wants us to watch him sweat. Videos of the secretary of defense in a T-shirt and shorts working out alongside military personnel have become a trademark of his tenure. He has been filmed running on Omaha Beach, swinging a kettlebell on a university campus, and doing jumping jacks on an amphibious assault ship. In one clip, Hegseth pumps iron with troops at the Guantánamo Bay naval base—or, as a Defense Department X account put it , “America’s @SECWAR CRUSHED 44 reps on the bench after a morning run.”
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