Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has opened himself up for mockery repeatedly since taking office. He accidentally shared classified information about U.S. plans to bomb Yemen in a group chat that included an Atlantic report and gave military missions names that sound like cheesy gay porno titles,. And now, even his attempts to show off his muscles have made him the target of widespread ridicule.
A workout video featuring Hegseth lifting weights alongside U.S. troops has been spreading like wildfire on social media, where the same man who banned transgender service members because they couldn't "satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service" is drawing criticism for his poor form.
This is not the first time a video of Hegseth working out with the troops has been posted. Clips of him participating in running drills, pushups, and other exercises during visits to military installations have also gone viral, but this latest one seemed to really strike a chord on social media.
Ahead, see online reactions to Hegseth's workout as well as form and technique evaluations from fitness experts.
What is the viral Pete Hegseth workout video?
The video was originally shared by the U.S. Defense Department's Rapid Response official account on X (formerly Twitter) and went viral on June 11, racking up 4.7 million views at the time of publication.
"America’s @SECWAR CRUSHED 44 reps on the bench after a morning run with the troops yesterday in GTMO," the post bragged.
The footage shows Hegseth attempting to do a bench-press workout at Guantanamo Bay with military personnel spotting him and standing nearby. A longer version of the video also shows him struggling to lift two dumbbells over his head, despite the post claiming he “crushed” the workout.
How did social media react to the video?
Although some social media users praised Hegseth — as conservatives do any time a Republican does almost anything — the majority of responses mocked his form and accused him of poor technique.
What are fitness experts saying?
Fitness experts largely agree that Hegseth’s workout video comes off as performative and is a terrible example for those hoping to learn how to do these exercises correctly.
“Unfortunately for people with eyeballs and a WiFi connection, Pete Hegseth has shown us way too many times (with seemingly unending video footage?) that his general movement quality sucks ass,” gay Nike trainer Cole Francum tells Out. “Typically, I would never shame a human for their lack of mobility or moving their body. However, Hegseth loves to make a sticking point about LGBTQIA+ people being ‘unfit’ for the military…. Look inward, mama.”
Francum, who is also a coach at Session Training in New York City, says that although Hegseth is “decent” at the bench press, he still manages to get it wrong and shows signs of “true inexperience” by not using his legs at all. Hegseth also fails to do a full squat while holding dumbbells or perform a full press with his elbows locked and above his shoulders.
“Don’t even get me started on his shitty kettlebell swing. Any coach with eyes can see his arms are clearly in a different world from his hips…which is unfortunate for his wife,” Francum says. "It’s all very synonymous with his haphazard and unconcerned attitude to protecting American citizens. Talk, screaming, name-calling to redirect attention away from himself with absolutely no substance to back it up besides a washed-up Fox News career. Performance art has a new level, and it’s unfortunate the brave soldiers were just background actors when they’re the ones doing the actual work. Hopefully, he’ll get some higher standards in his workout to match those of our troops.”
Joe Ghafari, the cofounder and head coach at the LGBTQ+ fitness retreat Visiting Wrld, says that anyone who is attempting workouts like this deserves some praise, but Hegseth is using poor form in every exercise he shows off in the video.
Ghafari doesn’t believe Hegseth has been “properly trained on technique,” explaining that he could have improved his form by “utilizing leg drive, keeping that arch in his back, and driving momentum back toward the top of the bench.”
Hegseth was also using improper form during the overhead press exercise, which could result in injury and joint pain, Ghafari warns. “If you guys look closely, his wrists are significantly bent in an abnormal direction,” he says. “That tells me his wrist strength and forearm strength are weak, and his core and chest positioning are off. What he needs to be doing is keeping a much more neutral wrist.”
Marwa Ahmed, a fitness expert who specializes in strength and conditioning for amateur and pro athletes and is the CEO of The BodyMind Coach, says Hegesth has some strength or he wouldn’t be able to lift 135 pounds, but the whole set was about showing off and not showing proper form. “There's a difference between lifting weights for the sake of ego — which usually looks like high reps with compromised form, like in the video — and weightlifting for the sake of moving better and getting stronger,” she says.
Hegseth’s lower back was in hyperextension, his hips were lifting off the bench, his glutes didn’t stay in contact with the bench, and he “even ended up kicking his legs into the air to push weight up,” when they should be flat on the ground, says Ahmed, who also explains that Hegseth “cheated” when he was doing an overhead press by resting the dumbbells on his chest.
"Fast, bounced reps may look impressive in rep count but they're not the same as controlled reps because the muscle isn't doing the actual work, it’s just mainly the bar bouncing and momentum that’s driving the movement," she says.
Sources cited:
Cole Francum is a fitness trainer for Nike and a coach at Session Training in New York City.
Joe Ghafari is the cofounder and head coach at the LGBTQ+ fitness retreat Visiting Wrld.
Marwa Ahmed is a fitness expert who specializes in strength and conditioning for amateur and pro athletes, and is the CEO of The BodyMind Coach.
