A hulking Special Forces trainer has become the face of Donald Trump‘s renewed fitness-focused military. And as he backed the White House‘s ‘no fatties’ crackdown, he said out-of-shape troops should get the boot.
Military fitness trainer Scott Dalrymple told the Daily Mail the introduction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth‘s new fitness standards is a ‘positive start’ – but he would take it even further.
Dalrymple was referencing a headline-grabbing speech Hegseth gave in September, where he hauled the military’s top brass into a meeting to declare that he was ‘tired of seeing fat troops.’
‘The military is creating that culture of fitness,’ Dalrymple told the Daily Mail, adding he felt the level of overall fitness among combat forces had declined in recent years.
The competitive strongman and drill sergeant said the issues began with a test that was first introduced to the military in 2020. He claimed it took to years for the test to be fully implemented as troops were given a grace period and didn’t have to pass during that time.
‘It brought in a lack of standards,’ he said.
Dalrymple made headlines in February when he starred in a military recruitment advertisement that went live shortly after Trump’s inauguration. In the ad, he performed feats of strength and said, ‘Stronger people are harder to kill.’
The commercial was quickly compared to woke recruitment drives under the Biden administration.
Hulking Special Forces officer Scott Dalrymple, who starred in a high-octane recruitment advert, has been praised as the new face of the no-nonsense US military under Trump
Dalrymple told the Daily Mail that the introduction of Pete Hegseth’s new fitness standards is a ‘positive start’ – but he would take it further after standards lapsed in recent years
Dalrymple claimed the fitness objectives of the new test were shockingly easy.
It is based on five exercises: a three repetition maximum deadlift, pushups, a sprint-drag-carry event with a 90lb sled across 25 meters, a plank hold and a two-mile run.
Troops in combat roles would only need to perform ten pushups and hold a maximum three rep deadlift of 150lbs – which drops to 120lbs for females, according to the military’s website.
For the sprint-drag-carry event, troops must sprint 25 meters down and back, drag a 90lb sled the same distance, perform a lateral shuffle down and back, carry two 40lb kettlebells the same distance, and sprint down and back one last time.
Combat-facing recruits have two minutes and 28 seconds to complete the course.
Troops between the ages of 17 and 21 must hold a plank for one minute and 30 seconds, a standard that is reduced to just one minute and ten seconds for troops over 36.
The standard time for the two-mile run section is set at 19 minutes and 57 seconds for 17 to 21-year-old males, and gets bumped up to 22 minutes and 55 seconds for women.
Dalrymple said US military recruits should have a far higher level of fitness than that test, ‘especially for combat troops.’
‘Anybody should be able to do ten pushups,’ he said.
Dalrymple spoke days after Hegseth stepped in to replace overweight National Guard troops in Chicago after a viral photo showed the Guardsmen, from Texas, spilling out of their uniforms
Hegseth’s speech divided opinions as he said higher standards may exclude women from certain roles: ‘If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it.’
While some criticized Hegseth for the approach, Dalrymple said raising fitness standards has been a long time coming for the military, regardless of gender.
‘Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you can’t meet the standards then that’s how it is,’ he said. ‘There will still be plenty of women that can pass.’
The Army also has weight-for-height standards – for example, a male soldier aged 17 to 20 who is 5ft 10in can weigh no more than 178lbs.
If a soldier fails to meet this standard, a body fat percentage calculation – which also takes into account their abdominal circumference – will decide whether they are still eligible to enlist.
Dalrymple spoke days after Hegseth stepped in to replace overweight National Guard troops in Chicago after a viral photo showed the Guardsmen, who were from Texas, spilling out of their uniforms.
Hegseth deemed the troops unfit and sent them back to Texas. He shared the move in an X post which read: ‘Standards are back.’
Dalrymple had been lauded by conservatives earlier this year for his strongman advertisement, which made him the face of the military’s new, no-nonsense era.
On his social media, the Special Forces officer regularly shares videos of himself powerlifting and performing strongman training routines
Dalrymple joined the Army in 2008 and enlisted into the 82nd Airborne Division, where he went on two tours of Afghanistan as a squad automatic weapons gunner
A father-of-two, Dalrymple went on to fill a number of roles following his tours of Afghanistan, including as a drill sergeant, jumpmaster and fitness instructor
On his social media, Dalrymple regularly shares videos of himself powerlifting and performing strongman training routines, including competing in competitions where athletes perform a variety of strength tests and exercises including stone lifting, deadlifts, yoke walks and overhead pressing with unwieldy objects.
One of his recent posts showed his celebration after winning the 2025 Rocky Mountain Strength Games, during which he won an event with a 430lb bench press.
A father-of-two, Dalrymple joined the Army in 2008 and enlisted into the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where he went on two tours of Afghanistan as a squad automatic weapons gunner.
After completing his combat deployments, Dalrymple took on a variety of roles in the military, including as a drill sergeant, jumpmaster, infantry platoon sergeant and fitness instructor.
Soon after his advertisement aired, Hegseth announced that the US Army hit its highest recruitment figures in more than a decade.
