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. Army Sgt. Joshua Kirby completes the hand-release push-up during the 2023 Region III Best Warrior Competition, Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Ask Stew: 3 Tips to Help Avoid 'Losing Your Gains' When Changing Training Cycles

Changing your training cycles periodically is a common way to diversify the elements of fitness you want to improve, as well...

(U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Desire M. Mora)

Nutrition Strategies for the Literal Long Haul: Endurance Events and Spec Ops Selections

The time to practice and test out strategies is during your preparation -- not on game day.

Plebes from the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 2025 complete damage control training during Plebe Summer in Annapolis, Maryland.

How Future Military Members Can Build 'GRIT' for the Journey Ahead

For ROTC and service academy candidates to succeed on their military journey, they will have to be goal-oriented, responsible...

Students are reviewed during Pre-Ranger School.

Preparing for Army Ranger School

Ever wanted to put on the Ranger Tab on your Army uniform? To become a Ranger takes endurance, stamina, intelligence and...

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Alexandra Singer performs a TRX row exercise at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.

These Workout Circuits Are Moderate Intensity. Try Them and See Whether You Agree.

If you are looking for a few ways to add in resistance training, consider a full-body, moderate-intensity circuit complete...

More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy's only boot camp at U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois.

Ask Stew: What You Should Do if You're Worried About Deconditioning During Navy Boot Camp

Navy boot camp is not known for its overly challenging physical fitness programming, but an average recruit still needs to...

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, run during a physical training session at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

This Run and Leg Day Combo Workout Contains Just About Everything

Have you ever wondered what is a good warmup for a leg day? Well, it depends on what the leg day entails, but the following...

Future Special Forces Assessment and Selection candidates ruck at Fort Hood.

The Top 10 Reasons Why People Fail at Special Ops

There are many ways to fail out or quit any of the many special-ops programs, but the biggest reason someone fails is usually...

Choosing the right exercise routine that fits a beginner’s likes and lifestyle is crucial to building a habit of fitness.

Ask Stew: 5 Tips for Beginners Seeking to Develop a Fitness Routine

Are you just starting your fitness journey and feeling overwhelmed?

Army Reserve Spc. Austin Boussou, a wheeled-vehicle mechanic and native of Ivory Coast, walks uphill as he nears the finish of an eight-mile ruck march as part of a joint command Best Warrior competition at Camp Williams, Utah. (U.S. Army Reserve/Sgt. 1st Class Brent C. Powell)

Why Building Cardio Endurance Matters Even for Those Who Lift

When running at a steady pace for long distances, swimming for more than the length of a pool and even rucking, most strength...

Soldiers with the 461st Human Resources Company conduct the 2-mile run portion of the unit Army Physical Fitness Test.

These Workouts Can Help You Reach Your Goal Pace for Timed Runs

Are you struggling to pace yourself during timed events? Too many people start off too fast and don't get the results they...

Ask Stew: Running Workout Ideas for Timed Runs and Longer Runs

Creating a running plan enables you to do sprints, agility drills, timed runs and longer-distance runs and rucks, depending...

Social worker Christyn Mundy practices performing a mental health evaluation in San Angelo, Texas.

Tactical Professions Can Benefit from Stress-Coping Skills. Others Can, Too.

Finding useful tools to help build stress-coping skills will continue to be in great demand as those needing mental health...

Team Minot airmen participate in physical training at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.

These Challenges Will Enhance Your Upper-Body Workouts

If you are looking for a solid physical and mental challenge to add to your upper-body day, look no further.

Lt. Col. Kyle Shoop, commanding officer, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron-211, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Cpl. Garrett Ross (left), plane captain, VMFA-211, 13th MEU, compete in a race during a unit competition.

Ask Stew: Why Mastering Your Recovery Is Key to Avoid Overtraining

When it comes to adding difficult physical training to a busy day or work, school and life in general, you may start to show...

Military News

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Most Popular Military News

Members of the Supreme Court sit for a group portrait at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. Bottom row, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Supreme Court Upholds VA Court Decision Not to Review 'Benefit-of-the-Doubt' Evidence in Veterans' Claims

In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court said last week that, while the Department of Veterans Affairs should favor veterans...

A fraudulent Medal of Honor was seized by the FBI in 1996 and is pictured on the right, next to a legitimate Medal of Honor.

The Medal of Honor Fraud Case that Took Stolen Valor to the Extreme

H.L.I. Lordship Industries of Long Island, New York, admitted to selling unauthorized versions of the Medal of Honor, the...

U.S. Army trainees assigned to Foxtrot 1st Battalion 34th Infantry Regiment conduct push-ups for corrective training in the barracks on the first day of basic combat training at Fort Jackson, S.C.

The Army Is Losing Nearly One-Quarter of Soldiers in the First 2 Years of Enlistment

The Army is grappling with a staggering attrition rate among newly enlisted troops, even as recent recruiting figures suggest...

Protesters walk outside the John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center

5 Reasons Veterans Are Especially Hard-Hit by Federal Cuts

For the past month, the Trump administration has been cutting federal spending, causing numerous hardships for government...

Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, right, appears in U.S. District Court

Court-Martial Convenes for Pentagon Leaker Already Facing Years Behind Bars

A military court-martial convened for Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, who was sentenced in federal...

Elon Musk holds a chainsaw reading "Long live freedom, damn it"

Musk Calls on US to Quit NATO, Stop Paying for Defense of Europe

Billionaire Elon Musk threw his weight behind a U.S. exit from NATO, saying on his social media platform that it “doesn’t...

Latest Military Videos

Drop 1 Minute off your 500yd CSS Swim Test

Consider skipping the double arm pullout.

Prepare for Air Force Special Warfare as a Non-Swimming Athlete

These three questions came from one of the LIVE QA sessions I do on Mon / Tues each week...

Swimmer Critique with Stew Smith

Every Monday and Tuesday 9am EAST we do a live QA on the topic of tactical Fitness and preparation...

Fix My Kick Please (Streamline and Kick Power)

There are two propulsion methods for swimming: the arm pulls and the kick.

Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

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

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...

Army News

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) examinees from Yokota High School take the test at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Hegseth Ban on Travel Forces Closures, Reduced Hours at Military Entrance Exam Sites

Locations set up across the country to give military entrance exams to potential recruits have been forced to close or reduce...

Surveillance video from Sgt. Jian Zhao's office at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

How Alleged Conspiracy to Sell US Military Secrets Involving 2 Washington Soldiers Unfolded

In November 2021, Capt. Li Tian, an officer stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, allegedly began emailing back and forth...

Navy News

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a shipyard.

North Korea Unveils Nuclear-Powered Submarine for the First Time

U.S. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said that “we’re aware of these claims and do not have additional...

The main gate at Naval Air Station Pensacola on Navy Boulevard in Pensacola, Fla., March 16, 2016. (U.S. Navy photo/Patrick Nichols)

Officials Say Reports of Shots Being Fired at Florida Naval Station but No Victims or Shooter Found

A Florida sheriff says there are “no signs of an active shooter” and no injuries after police responded to a report of...

Air Force News

A contractor uses a toner receiver and transmitter to locate wires in preparation of a soil excavation at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex on the island of Maui, Hawaii.

Space Force Says It May Take 7 Years to Clean Up a Fuel Spill Atop a Sacred Hawaii Volcano

The Space Force says environmental remediation efforts that include returning sacred soil back to a volcano in Hawaii after...

An F16-D Fighting Falcon pilot from the 40th Flight Test Squadron demonstrates proper flare technique during a training mission near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

Aviation Expert Calls Uptick of Recent Aircraft Intercepts Near Mar-a-Lago 'Unusual'

Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets were scrambled over President Donald Trump's residence in Palm Beach, Florida...

Space Force News

Space Force Says It May Take 7 Years to Clean Up a Fuel Spill Atop a Sacred Hawaii Volcano

The Space Force says environmental remediation efforts that include returning sacred soil back to a volcano in Hawaii after...

'Warheads on Foreheads': Top Leaders for Air Force, Space Force Leaning into Defense Secretary's Rhetoric

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin wanted to make it clear: The troops that he oversees will do whatever President...

Marine Corps News

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Peter Eltringham gives remarks during the designation ceremony of 12th Littoral Combat Team on Camp Hansen Okinawa, Japan.

Marine Corps Adds First Anti-Ship Missile Battery to Okinawa as Part of Recent Littoral Plan

The Marine Corps stood up a unit meant to sow "chaos and uncertainty" for its adversaries in the Pacific on Tuesday...

A Marine Corps captain is awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.

During Deadly Osprey Crash, Marine's Heroism Helped Crew Escape Fiery Wreckage

The pilots and crew chief were "calm, cool and collected," Capt. Joshua Watson said, even as the two Ospreys nearly collided...

Coast Guard News

Law enforcement crew members from USCGC Valiant (WMEC 621) stand in front of interdicted narcotics and engine covers

Coast Guard Offloads More than 6 Tons of Cocaine — Worth $140M — at Miami Beach Port

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter crew offloaded more than 12,000 pounds of narcotics at a Miami Beach port that the agency says is...

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter sits on the flight line, flanked by an HC-130, at Coast Guard Base Elizabeth City in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, May 16, 2024. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan L. Noel/U.S. Coast Guard Photo)

$7 Billion Coast Guard Maintenance Backlog Looms as Lawmakers Decry 'Unacceptable' Conditions

The Government Accountability Office said the service is responding only to immediate needs and does not have the funding or...