Overview

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. popularized a 10‑minute routine of 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in widely shared videos.
• The New York Times piece by Calum Marsh quoted trainers who said most people should not jump into the challenge without a strength base.
• The paper noted the officials aimed for standard pull-ups, highlighted concerns about shorter range of motion, and cited a gym owner who said their form fell short of military standards.
• The report connected the strict-versus-kipping debate to CrossFit practices and referenced a 2022 NIH-cited study associating kipping pull-ups with common upper‑extremity injuries.
• Fox & Friends hosts criticized the Times for discouraging participation while acknowledging Hegseth and Kennedy “cheated a little” on their final chin-ups.