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

A Leg Day Challenge for Longevity: Working Your Heart and Lungs With Your Legs

When developing longevity is your priority over one-rep maxes and timed-run events, consider the three most important “organs...

Sailors swim for the Navy Physical Screening Test held by Naval Special Warfare Assessment Command at Naval Air Station Sigonella.

How to Select the Best Swim Stroke for the Navy Physical Screening Test

When taking the Navy Physical Screening Test -- the common fitness test for jobs in the Navy that require swimming and diving...

Senior Airman Kelly Berger, 36th Civil Engineer Squadron, performs a lat pulldown at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Joshua Smoot)

Plan Goals for Your Workout: 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Time in the Gym

Having a plan to do everything you want is critical to finding that efficient sweet spot between your efforts and your time.

U.S. Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Edward Underwood executes a shoulder press during the human health and performance initiative on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

What a Great 'Chest Day' Fitness Workout Looks Like

Who doesn't like a good push day for workouts?

Spc. Eduardo Medina-Mendoza, with 48th Ordnance Group, performs a bench press during a tactical athlete assessment at Camp Navajo in Bellemont, Ariz.

How to Deal with Burnout During Your Military Fitness Training

Even with a solid recovery plan, if your workouts are the same routine each week, you may want to mix it up.

5 Metabolic Health Factors that Can Determine Your Future

A 2018 study found that only one in eight Americans are considered metabolically healthy, with more recent studies showing...

A soldier from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) conducts a pull-up during the unit’s ‘TOG Week’ on Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

The Best Circuit Workout to Help You Do More Pull-Ups

Of any calisthenics exercise, pull-ups are the most difficult to perform and see improvements without significant time and...

Members of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research participated in a lunchtime Zumba class in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Why Experimenting with Your Fitness Routine Could Be the Key to Success in 2025

As 2025 rolls in, we all get the urge to start the new year on a better footing.

Should You Snack During Your Fitness Workout?

Some workout programs require an above-average time investment. Usually, these will include longer distances of running...

Airmen from the 607th Air Support Operations Group work out together at the fitness center on Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea.

5 Tips to Stick to Your Fitness Commitment in the New Year

Imagine looking back after one year and witnessing the profound changes consistently working toward a simple goal can unleash...

A woman participates in a ‘Boot Camp Cycle’ class at Mitchell Stout Physical Fitness Center at Fort Bliss, Texas.

7 Ways to Maintain Your Fitness Level as You Age

Most people focus on fitness to begin a new habit or seek improvements in health and wellness. This largely requires...

Maj. Bart Brimhall, the deputy product manager for missile field development, executes a weighted deadlift at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama.

How to Decide the Order of Exercises in Your Fitness Workout

When designing a workout plan that involves three or four sections on the days you exercise, their order matters and depends...

Combined Special Operations Joint Task Force-Levant (CSOJTF-L) service members perform lunges during group physical training.

The Best Leg Exercise to Improve at Running and Rucking

Incorporating lunges into your leg day routine has numerous benefits, setting the stage for increased performance in military...

Lance Cpl. Amber Martinez executes a ‘side stroke’ during the testing portion of the Advanced Swim Qualification Course at Ramer Hall, Quantico, Virginia.

How to Improve Your Combat Side Stroke for Military Fitness Tests

The swimming test in the Navy Physical Screening Test (PST) can require an underwater recovery stroke using the side stroke...

(Airman 1st Class Dillon J. Audit/U.S. Air Force photo)

The Best Way to Become Motivated to Stick to a Fitness Routine

At some point in the beginning, there must be a straightforward evolutionary process from motivation to discipline.

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Most Popular Military News

Troop Pardons Set to Complicate Military's Muddled Response to Jan. 6

As Trump prepares to take office Monday, he has vowed to move quickly on a key campaign promise to pardon many, if not all...

Before January 10, 2025 this display of pregame patriotism was actually against Defense Department policy. (U.S. Marine Corps/ Sgt. Lillian Stephens)

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Army Secretary Christine Wormuth at Fort Jackson

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Sen. Joni Ernst speaks at the SASC confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth

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Latest Military Videos

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President-elect Donald Trump, who has alternated among praising, criticizing and even mocking Jimmy Carter, came Wednesday to the Capitol...

Ukraine President Says Deadly Russian Strike On Zaporizhzhia ‘Absolutely Deliberate'

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Investigations and Features

Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

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A patch in the home of retired missileer Paul Hunke

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For years, it was an open secret among missileers that the Cold War-era missile alert facilities and launch control centers...

Army News

Veterans Affairs signage. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Veteran’s Ex-Wife Tried Hiding Divorce After He Died to Steal His VA Benefits, Feds Say

A U.S. Army veteran’s ex-wife insisted she was his surviving spouse after he died so she could steal his military benefits...

Bob Uecker greets the crowd at Miller Park stadium in Milwaukee before a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks in October 2011. (Department of Defense/Courtesy of Steve Paluch)

Bob Uecker, Army Veteran and Longtime Baseball Announcer, Dies at 90

Before becoming a Baseball Hall of Famer, Uecker played the sport in high school and in the Army before landing a gig in the...

Navy News

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa.

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Signage is seen at the CNN Center in Atlanta

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The jury awarded Zachary Young $5 million in damages and is now being asked to determine whether CNN must pay additional...

Air Force News

Dr. Troy E. Meink, principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office

Trump Names Former KC-135 Navigator, Spy Agency Official to Be Next Air Force Secretary

Trump said on social media that Troy Meink, currently the principal director of the National Reconnaissance Office, was his...

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The Quadrenial Review of Military Compensation was unveiled and reported that "the department's compensation package is...

Space Force News

Trump Names Former KC-135 Navigator, Spy Agency Official to Be Next Air Force Secretary

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Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall presents the keynote address

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Marine Corps News

Gen. Eric M. Smith departs an UH-Y at Marine Corps Base Camp Schwab on Okinawa

'Going the Wrong Way:' Booting Marines from Okinawa Could Embolden China, Commandant Says

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