Stew Smith, CSCS®

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are interested in starting a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle, check out his Fitness eBook store and the Stew Smith article archive on Military.com. Contact Stew with your comments and questions at stew@stewsmith.com.

Latest Articles

(U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Dennis Sloan)

The Health and Fitness Benefits of Consistency: Why Just Showing Up Matters More Than Anything

Consistency cannot be emphasized enough for building good habits, better health and the best performance.

A U.S. Army Reserve paralegal specialist participates in a 100-meter swim during the 200th Military Police Command's Best Warrior Competition at Fort Hunter Liggett, California.

How This Cardio Fitness Triathlon Builds Leg Speed and Endurance

For typical military fitness tests, 1.5-3 miles, these workouts can be placed into the training week once to work on leg...

An officer candidate conducts the ammo can lift portion while another officer candidate counts the repetitions during the combat fitness test (CFT) at Marine Corps Officer Candidates School aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

Struggling with a Military Fitness Test? Here’s What You Should Do

If you are preparing for a fitness test and feeling overwhelmed, don't worry: You are not alone.

Sleep, Nutrition and Breathing: The 3 Most Important Natural Things to Improve Job Performance and Longevity

Physical activity is more than performing your job; it is also about being healthy and setting yourself up well for longevity...

U.S. Marine Corps recruit Laurence Meeusen (right) and recruit Tylan Kanady (left), recruits with Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, carry a log during log drills at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Julian Elliott-Drouin)

How to Ramp Up Your Training for Spec Ops

I have been using your programs for over a year. Will my body be ready if I continue the plan, or should I be easing off...

A high school student tries to do a pull-up during a Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge.

What You Should Know if You Want to Become a SEAL

Getting accepted into these groups requires a motivated person -- not only physically fit, but also mentally tough and a...

A Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) student wades ashore on San Clemente Island during an over-the-beach exercise.

Top 10 Things to Know Before BUD/S

Every week, most of my emails are from young sailors and civilians who wish to become SEALs one day.

A seaman apprentice uses his uniform as a floatation device during a training exercise in the combat training tank at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.

What You Should Know About Navy SWCC Fitness Training

Future Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman operators go through an intensive course of instruction that is similar to...

Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALs students swim 100 meters with bound hands and feet as part of their first-phase swimming test.

How Best to Approach the Navy SEAL Grinder PT Workout

The definition of "grinder" is the concrete-asphalt area at BUD/S where the students do their calisthenics workouts.

Athletes battle through two minutes of push-ups during the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge.

How to Prepare for the Navy SEAL Fitness Test

The problem with many Americans is that the current fitness and health conditions they maintain are not good enough for a...

BUD/S candidates participate in strength and conditioning training with logs.

Ask Stew: How Should I Prepare for BUD/S?

I received similar emails from two young men who aspire to become SEALs one day. They both are athletic and involved with...

All You Want to Know About BUD/S Training

This warning order is a course description of BUD/S, or Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL, training.

Blue Angels perform fly-over at Naval Academy graduation.

Ask Stew: How to Go from Your Plebe Year at the US Naval Academy to BUD/S

Former Navy SEAL Stew Smith answers a question from a newly accepted high school graduate on how to prepare to enter the...

Staff Sgt. Bruce Corbett breathes a sigh of relief after finishing the 2-mile run during a diagnostic Army Combat Fitness Test.

How to Improve Your Cardio and Work Your Upper Body in the Same Fitness Workout

This fast-running workout of the week, mixed with upper-body calisthenics, pushed our running to new limits.

A civil affairs candidate runs as part of his physical fitness test.

Stew Smith Article Guide

If you are looking for answers to questions about military fitness, it is probably in the article archive for Military.com's...

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Most Popular Military News

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., smiles as he speaks to supporters during an election night rally at the Elks Lodge in Murphysboro, Ill.

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A wide-ranging veterans policy bill that would bolster home caregiver programs and support for homeless veterans, among other...

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To the young students in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), the officers who run the programs on college...

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Investigations and Features

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Unsupervised: Military Child Care Centers Slow to Report Abuse with Little Oversight

A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize...

A patch in the home of retired missileer Paul Hunke

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Fort Carson Unveils Largest, First-of-Its-Kind Chemical Battery Installed on a DoD Site

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Navy News

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