little muscular strength. >> reporter: a former marine corps officer commanded trips in afghanistan. could you do three pullups? >> i was able to do five pullups. >> reporter: women have to learn how to do pullups. something many have never done. >> you sort of experiment with different techniques. you figure out what other exercises to do. >> reporter: critics say the push over pullups is part of a bigger problem. pressure from the white house to make the military gender neutral. >> something is wrong here. it's not the women's faults. it's the policy that marines are pursuing. >> reporter: still some women are clearly ready. 13 female marines have just passed the gruelling 60-day training course but this postponement is a setback for