Pete Hegseth - Athlete

[GymnJuice]

I cannot give an educated opinion about Hegseth's athletic abilities until I see his strict curl max.

[Stephano]

He's 46.

He could possibly have 32-33 years of training under his belt -

He played high school football and football. Here in the States, kids usually start lifting around 13-14. High school is 4 years.

He was an athletic guy in college, so that was another 4 years  of training probably. There are reports that he was still into basketball back then.

He was famous for training Crossfit and other liftting during his overseas deployment so that's another handful of years.

One could question whether he did a lot of lifting during his private life, but I bet he did.

So why does he look like he's never touched a weight?!?!?!  Literally zero visible muscularity.  And why does he lift like he's never touched a weight?!?!?  Total noob form.

There are cardio guys who disdain weightlifting and still have more muscle. 

Hell, there are ultra runners who look stronger than Hegseth.  Pic attached is Dean Karnazes, the "Ultramarathon Man." How much do you reckon he could bench?  He doesn't look much smaller than Hegseth, except perhaps in the gut!  (Granted, he is a couple of inches shorter.)

[BB]

Let's do a "for and against" for this lift -

Fake Plates? -

For - Fake plates are known.

Against - You'd have to fake both iron and bumper plates. Rumors that they were 10s were proven false.

Edge - Real plates, real lift.

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Doesn't look like he lifts that much -

For - He doesn't have a traditional #315 benchers physique, which is true.

Against - There are pages of contest verified lifters of similar weight putting up #315 plus. There are known cases of physically un-impressive people doing physically impressive things. Also it was a bad form, grinding rep for him.

Edge - Against. #315 is not unknown for unimpressive physiques of similar weight.

---------------------------------------------------

He has bad form -

For - He does have bad form.

Against - Nothing.

Edge - For. Pete has horrible form.

----------------------------------------------

Fake audience -

For - Audience plants are a known.

Against - Would've had to fake at least one lift in front of 50-100 mostly disinterested parties. Would be a huge embarrassing scandal if found out.

Edge - At best, inconclusive. A draw.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When you look at it like this, the odds are with it being a real lift.

[Stephano]

Let's do a "for and against" for this lift -
When you look at it like this, the odds are with it being a real lift.

lol, cherry-picked bullshit.

Fake plates would be literally the easiest thing in the world to set up, and "muh audience would inspect the plates" is foolish.

Also, just look at him, lmao.  Look at his form and at his laughable physique.  It's just not credible.

[BB]

lol, cherry-picked bullshit.

Fake plates would be literally the easiest thing in the world to set up, and "muh audience would inspect the plates" is foolish.

Also, just look at him, lmao.  Look at his form and at his laughable physique.  It's just not credible.

So find fakes, especially bumpers, that look like these down to the branding. They must be everywhere. Perhaps the the CIA had a whole team of pattern makers, tool and die makers, colorists, and workers break into a rubber molding factory to make these specialty plates. So important to fake a #315 bench.

Edit - Also, what's cherry picked? Those are the main arguements the "fake #315" crowd make, and they are mostly inconclusive or probably wrong if you play the odds.

[Grape Ape]

So why does he look like he's never touched a weight?!?!?!  Literally zero visible muscularity.  And why does he lift like he's never touched a weight?!?!?  Total noob form.

Look at "old roy's" arm in his video.

It's no different.

[Griffith]

He's 46.

He could possibly have 32-33 years of training under his belt -

He played high school football and football. Here in the States, kids usually start lifting around 13-14. High school is 4 years.

He was an athletic guy in college, so that was another 4 years  of training probably. There are reports that he was still into basketball back then.

He was famous for training Crossfit and other liftting during his overseas deployment so that's another handful of years.

One could question whether he did a lot of lifting during his private life, but I bet he did.

Muscle memory would help, but surely he would have had to train up to the event as well, specifically to bench 315.

[Stephano]

Look at "old roy's" arm in his video.

It's no different.

Who is Old Roy?

[Grape Ape]

Who is Old Roy?

It's in this thread - old guy pulling 480 or something.

No muscle in the arms.

[Stephano]

It's in this thread - old guy pulling 480 or something.

No muscle in the arms.

Ah yes.  I agree that the old guy's arm and Hegseth's are about the same. But deadlifting and bench pressing are not the same, and good old Roy probably isn't good for much more than 185.   

[Van_Bilderass]

So find fakes, especially bumpers, that look like these down to the branding. They must be everywhere. Perhaps the the CIA had a whole team of pattern makers, tool and die makers, colorists, and workers break into a rubber molding factory to make these specialty plates. So important to fake a #315 bench.

Exactly what I was thinking of when I said 'hassle.' You couldn't go to an equipment manufacturer, you'd have leaks and no brand like Rogue would accept the reputational risk, you'd literally have to break into a factory in the middle of the night - or build a whole factory just for this. The fake plates used in shoots are generic metal plates from what I've seen, I don't know if there's ever been for example cases of fake Eleiko plates and such? And as you said Hegseth would have also had to fake the lifts with the metal plates.

Russia had their intelligence agency break into a lab to switch out doping samples but even they probably wouldn't do this for Putin or Lavrov LOL.

It's in this thread - old guy pulling 480 or something.

No muscle in the arms.

I've seen a lot of what I truly believe are natural IPF lifters and looking at pics of the national junior teams, some years almost none of them have looked like they lift in a t-shirt, same for most of the older guys. Few blacks though LOL. And how could I know if they are natural? Knowing them personally, knowing the culture where they would be completely ostracized by all their friends if they were found out, knowing how thee WADA doping testing works, having 40 years of experience in seeing physiques and being drug obsessed observing even tiny signs of exogenous hormones

[Stephano]

Exactly what I was thinking of when I said 'hassle.' You couldn't go to an equipment manufacturer, you'd have leaks and no brand like Rogue would accept the reputational risk, you'd literally have to break into a factory in the middle of the night - or build a whole factory just for this. The fake plates used in shoots are generic metal plates from what I've seen, I don't know if there's ever been for example cases of fake Eleiko plates and such? And as you said Hegseth would have also had to fake the lifts with the metal plates.

You can buy fake plates on Amazon.  https://www.amazon.com/stores/FakeWeights/page/97852D12-82A2-45A9-B256-99FD83DE04AA

There are literally a million places where you can buy all sorts of fake plates with a credit card.  "Fake plates" --- or "influencer plates" 

People have also used fake Rogue plates specifically before:  https://www.reddit.com/r/crossfit/comments/nuwi3v/why_do_people_think_this_485_winner_of_the_rogue/

Pete's PR team probably set the whole thing up, and it wouldn't have taken more than a few hours of work.

[Van_Bilderass]

You can buy fake plates on Amazon.  https://www.amazon.com/stores/FakeWeights/page/97852D12-82A2-45A9-B256-99FD83DE04AA

There are literally a million places where you can buy all sorts of fake plates with a credit card.  "Fake plates" --- or "influencer plates" 

People have also used fake Rogue plates specifically before:  https://www.reddit.com/r/crossfit/comments/nuwi3v/why_do_people_think_this_485_winner_of_the_rogue/

Pete's PR team probably set the whole thing up, and it wouldn't have taken more than a few hours of work.

Thanks. I can't really see the plates there but I take your word for them being Rogue Though look at the branding on those Amazon examples. Sure, China fakes everything and I haven't looked what they do as far as brand name plates.

I don't know man LOL. It's possible I guess. There are claims many in the military actually hate Hegseth so if they do they would love to sink him LOL. "Well informed" people say the generals hate him almost universally; he did fire a ton of them, probably for not being loyal to the agenda. People I watch said they loved to show Pete up in that workout, no letting him lead LOL.

[BB]

Exactly what I was thinking of when I said 'hassle.' You couldn't go to an equipment manufacturer, you'd have leaks and no brand like Rogue would accept the reputational risk, you'd literally have to break into a factory in the middle of the night - or build a whole factory just for this. The fake plates used in shoots are generic metal plates from what I've seen, I don't know if there's ever been for example cases of fake Eleiko plates and such? And as you said Hegseth would have also had to fake the lifts with the metal plates.

Russia had their intelligence agency break into a lab to switch out doping samples but even they probably wouldn't do this for Putin or Lavrov LOL.
 

These are the fake plates I know -

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cyl0En6P1F1/?hl=en - Dikul's green 50kg/110lb plates. You can see a spotter easily lift one there. And there used to be video of some younger Russian guys playing with them, throwing them back and forth, but I can't find it now. If anyone has an Iron history.com account, the video was on there. They are flat old style Russian (nothing to mold in), said to be made of fabric.

Paul Anderson was said to have some wooden plates he used for stage shows. Hatfield mentioned these sometimes.

Ivanko has a show set they lend out that is aluminum. The plates are 1/4 or so of face value. Ironman Magazine used to borrow these a lot for magazine shoots. They used to take it to the Olympia also.

The other 2 common fake plates are the rounds based on the Cap Barbell iron plates. They have a plastic shine you can see sometimes on good video.

And the Iron Grip fakes. These look ok edge out, but lack the hand holds Iron Grips have in the larger sizes.

[Van_Bilderass]

These are the fake plates I know -

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cyl0En6P1F1/?hl=en -Dikul's green 50kg/110lb plates. You can see a spotter easily lift one there. And there used to be video of some younger Russian guys playing with them, throwing them back and forth, but I can't find it now. If anyone has an Iron history.com account, the video was on there. They are flat old style Russian (nothing to mold in), said to be made of fabric.

Paul Anderson was said to have some wooden plates he used for stage shows. Hatfield mentioned these sometimes.

Ivanko has a show set they lend out that is aluminum. The plates are 1/4 or so of face value. Ironman Magazine used to borrow these a lot for magazine shoots. They used to take it to the Olympia also.

The other 2 common fake plates are the rounds based on the Cap Barbell iron plates. They have a plastic shine you can see sometimes on good video.

And the Iron Grip fakes. These look ok edge out, but lack the hand holds Iron Grips have in the larger sizes.

Thanks, you are a library of Iron-game history, appreciated 

[BB]

People have also used fake Rogue plates specifically before:  https://www.reddit.com/r/crossfit/comments/nuwi3v/why_do_people_think_this_485_winner_of_the_rogue/

That's Bigfoot quality video. And maybe the the ones on the ground are Rogue, but you can't tell on the bar.  You can't even tell how much is on the bar at that angle. There is too much room on the sleeve for it to be #485 in bumpers.

End of the video is a real #485 -

.

Eleiko #485 - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DX1w4DpNY-h/ .

Eleikos are the same thickness as the better Rogues (2.5"). The better Rogues have the steel disc in the center to reduce thickness, the ones on that reddit video don't have the center disc so if anything they'd take up more room on the bar..

[Stephano]

That's Bigfoot quality video. And maybe the the ones on the ground are Rogue, but you can't tell on the bar.  You can't even tell how much is on the bar at that angle. There is too much room on the sleeve for it to be #485 in bumpers.

End of the video is a real #485 -

.

Eleiko #485 - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DX1w4DpNY-h/ .

Eleikos are the same thickness as the better Rogues (2.5"). The better Rogues have the steel disc in the center to reduce thickness, the ones on that reddit video don't have the center disc so if anything they'd take up more room on the bar..

You really can't tell anything from Hegseth's video either, though.  If the middle plate were fake -- which is how I would do it -- nobody viewing that video could possibly be the wiser.  And somebody with Hegseth's build struggling with ~230 makes perfect sense.  In some respects it is even quite a generous assumption, given his physique.

Anyway, point is, it would be absolutely trivial to get fake plates of any type if you're sufficiently motivated.  Put a decent PR firm on the case, give them a couple thousand bucks, and it's done.

[robcguns]

Yes but again I did almost 315 at 16 before any hormones and with smaller arms than Hegseth, just absolutely demented lifting for 2 years LOL. I mean my arms were as big as Hegseth's after a ton of hormones Petey boy is on HRT guaranteed and probably took an Adderall or a line of coke beforehand

I've known a lot of natural IPF lifters and at my first real gym when I first came in and he saw me benching a meet judge told me, translated something like, "your body is completely wrecked by tons of juice." Before I touched anything LOL. It was unusual but I have shit genes for anything so other kids could have done better. Lifting has been a complete obsession for 40 years so I think I have a pretty good idea about what's possible

Edit. robcguns is the bench king here and rob if you see this I'm wondering what you did natural, age and bodyweight, that sort of thing?

I noticed I lifted my butt too in that pic I posted

Later I learned to lock in my body on the bench so it never came up even trying retarded failed maxes. That's one curious thing about Hegseth's lifting, if he can bench 315 and is this old how come he hasn't learned better technique? I mean his legs were flailing all over the place with the 135, like a total noob

Why thank you sir haha.

My best benches natural are on creatine.
Age 17 405x1 at 220.
Age 36 405x7 at 255
Age 36 455x1 at 255
Age 36 225x51 at 255
Age 36 315x16 at 255
Age 36 275x30 at 255

I did do either 475 or 495 at 36 naturally but I can’t recall which it was and it wasn’t very clean. All my other benches were clean and ass on bench almost no arch and no bouncing. A bunch of these were done feet in air.


Juiced on 200mgs of EQ weekly. Body weight 260-265.
Age 26-27 315-22
Age 26-27 365-14
Age 26-27 405-11
Age 26-27 495-3
Age 26-27 515-525x1 I say 515 my buddy says 525.singles 495 every other week for a year or so.

Still routinely hit 405 just to know I can still do it. But I’m more into high rep stuff.

Hegseth to me looks exactly what he really is a Fox News host.