'This Is Cringe': Pete Hegseth Mocked Over 'Embarrassing' Workout Video as RFK Jr. Raises Eyebrows Exercising in Jeans
Pete Hegseth and Robert F.Kennedy Jr. aren't exactly being praised for their workout videos.
July 22 2026, Published 1:20 p.m. ET
From day one of President Trump's second term, Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made it clear they are all about helping Americans get fit, but RadarOnline.com can reveal that despite the duo's best efforts, they have yet to avoid being mercilessly mocked on social media.
Hegseth and RFK Jr. put together the "Pete and Bobby Challenge," urging cabinet members to work out; however, their mission took a backseat as fitness experts called out their apparent lack of workout skills.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Mocked Over Workout Jeans
Hegseth and RFK Jr. recently put on the 'Pete and Bobby Challenge' to urge others to workout.
Clips of the challenge, which included doing at least 50 pull-ups and 100 push-ups in under ten minutes, went viral, as the Health Secretary, 72, raised eyebrows by exercising in tight jeans.
"Why are you wearing jeans at the gym?" one person said at the time, as a user added, "This is cringe."
A commentator noted, "You look dumb in those jeans." Meanwhile, Hegseth, who earlier this year had a meltdown about his disgust with "fat" soldiers, has also shared several videos showing off his fitness routine.
Back in June, the Defense Secretary partook in training exercises with military members while in Guantanamo Bay. In one clip, Hegseth runs alongside a group of "warriors," as he's seen lifting, grunting, and struggling to wrap up a bench press.
Pete Hegseth's Workout Videos Torn Apart
RFK Jr. was mocked for wearing jeans during his gym workout.
But while Hegseth flexed his workouts, according to a report by The Atlantic's Tom Bartlett, numerous military fitness experts have declared that the former Fox News personality "fails on form." Bartlett claimed that with every workout video Hegseth reveals, "critics skewer his form and mock his endurance," as well as describing him as "all flex and no fundamentals."
In the video from Guantanamo Bay, Hegseth's department tweeted, "CRUSHED 44 reps on the bench after a morning run with the troops yesterday in GTMO."
However, Bartlett noted that Hegseth "doesn't fully extend his arms, making the exercise far easier and inflating his total," and claimed, "A few seconds into the clip, you can hear someone yell, 'All the way down, all the way up!' Hegseth fails to heed that helpful cue."
Bartlett then claimed he researched the "hundreds of pages" in military exercise training manuals, including "charts, bullet points, and illustrations," and explained how these are "directives rather than suggestions."
'Pete Hegseth's Push-ups Are More Like Half-ups'
The Secrectary of Defense has also been called out for his incorrect form while working out.
"Hegseth's push-ups wouldn't pass muster in any branch," the journalist claimed, before calling out the 46-year-old's push-ups and pull-ups skills.
He noted, "Hegseth's push-ups are more like half-ups: In the ones captured on video, he doesn't go through the full range of motion. His substandard technique is ironic because he's on record ridiculing others for their lack of push-up prowess."
Even former Navy SEAL Stew Smith told Bartlett that he "stresses to his students the importance of going all the way up and all the way down, whether it's a pull-up, push-up, or bench press."
However, retired brigadier General Maureen LeBoeuf was harsher in her criticism of Hegseth.
Pete Hegseth Rages During a Bench Press
Hegseth previously went off about 'fat' soldiers.
"His pull-ups or chin-ups and the kicking that he does – you would never allow that," LeBoeuf went off. "You'd stop somebody; you'd say, 'Okay, you're done.' He just keeps kicking, and it's not a good look."
The brutal backlash has not kept Hegseth away from working out, as he has even included his 15-year-old son, Gunner. Earlier this year, Hegseth asked Gunner to spot him while he tried to bench press 315 pounds.
"Three plates. Gunner on the spot. Long time coming. Let's go," Hegseth announced as the teen stood behind him.
"Gotta keep the butt down. Gotta keep the butt down, if I can," Hegseth told himself while benching, before adding, "Now, don't lift – I got it... One, two, three!"
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At one point, however, the controversial Defense Secretary appeared to struggle, prompting Gunner to attempt to assist his father.
"Don't touch it!" Hegseth yelled before finally lifting the weight.
