Pete Hegseth ripped after video shows him struggling in training
In one video, the former Fox News personality walks with a group of “warriors,” as he is seen lifting, grunting and appearing to struggle to get through the brutal training.
“Crushed 44 reps on the bench after a morning run with the troops yesterday in GTMO,” his department account tweeted on his behalf on X, as Hegseth attempted to reach a 45th rep in the clip. Although Hegseth seemed in good spirits during his workout, several fitness experts were not so thrilled.
Nike trainer Cole Francum responded“Unfortunately for those with eyeballs and a WiFi connection, Pete Hegseth has shown us far too many times (with seemingly endless video footage?) that his general movement quality is poor. Typically, I would never shame a human being for their lack of mobility or moving their body. However, Hegseth likes to make a point about LGBTQIA+ people being ‘unfit’ for the military…”
Last year, Hegseth spoke to military leaders in Quantico, Virginia, but took the opportunity to highlight the appearance of soldiers and their sexuality.
“No more ID months, DEI offices, guys in dresses. No more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusions, no more rubble,” the 46-year-old raged at the time, before pointing to the “fat” troops.
According to Francum, while he praised Hegseth’s “decent” bench press, he pointed out that most of the training exposed the defense secretary’s “inexperience.”
“Don’t even get me started on his sh-tty kettlebell swing,” the personal trainer noted. “Any coach with eyes can see that his arms are clearly in a different world than his hips… which is a shame for his wife… Performance art has reached a new level, and it’s a shame that the brave soldiers were just background actors when they are the ones doing the actual work. Hopefully he will be given some higher standards in his training to match those of our troops.”
Meanwhile, Joe Ghafari, the co-founder and head coach of LGBTQ+ fitness retreat Visiting Wrld, also called out Hegseth’s poor form in the clips, suggesting he wasn’t “properly trained on technique.”
“If you look closely, his wrists are significantly bent in an abnormal direction,” Ghafari said, pointing out Hegseth’s form during an overhead exercise. “That tells me that his wrist strength and forearm strength are weak, and his torso and chest position are not good. What he needs to do is keep a much more neutral wrist.”
Fitness expert Marwa Ahmed also claimed Hegseth “cheated” during his overhead press by resting the dumbbells on his chest.
Hegseth, who sources say will soon be fired by President Trump, is no stranger to showing his love for the gym, especially when he instructed his teenage son Gunner to spot him as he attempted to bench press 315 pounds.
