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 soldier takes an Army Combat Fitness Test at Strickler Field at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.

How Combining Calisthenics, Cardio and Strength Training Builds the Tactical Athlete

As you build your training routine, remember that each aspect of fitness plays a crucial role in your overall ability and...

Omega-3 fatty acids are commonly found in types of fish, nuts and seeds.

Why Omega-3s Should Be at the Heart of Your Wellness Plan

As you consider ways to enhance your longevity, stave off memory loss and combat feelings of depression, you might be...

U.S. Army Sgt. Melissa Schimmel, an intelligence analyst with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, performs squats at Fort Carson’s Iron Horse Sports and Fitness Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

What Is the Best Beginner Fitness Workout?

I often get asked what the best workout is to do when you are trying to add fitness back into your life again. My answer...

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Hannah F. Montegue, a scheduling officer with Officer Candidates School, Quantico, Virginia, swims during the first Training and Education Command Fittest Instructor Competition at The Basic School on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

5 Tips to Help You Return to Swimming After a Shoulder Injury

It is not uncommon to obtain shoulder injuries that require surgery. While the shoulder is the most versatile joint in our...

The Best Way to Get a Jump-Start on New Year's Fitness Goals: Start in November

Start now with a few logical goals that can help you with your discipline and stress to build a solid foundation for any New...

A Marine conducts a 500-meter underwater swim with fins and a snorkel at the Courthouse Bay Training Tank aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.

How to Improve Your Ankle Mobility to Handle Swimming with Fins

Ankle mobility is the root cause of pain when it comes to swimming with fins, which requires both practice and stretching.

U.S. Army Garrison Kwajalein Military Welfare and Recreation holds a sunrise yoga class at the Corlett Recreation Center, Kwajalein Atoll, in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

5 Tips to Recommit to a Healthier Lifestyle

Start by embracing simple beginner routines that act as steppingstones, providing guidance without the initial intimidation.

(U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean Furey)

This 2-Part Swimming Workout Will Help Anyone with Water Confidence

You must swim, tread and place your face in the water to overcome any water fears. Here is a workout that will progressively...

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Briana Quintana performs a clean and press at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea.

How Improving Your Tactical Fitness Can Make You a Better Service Member

The development of the elements of fitness, ensuring a military member is proficient in all of them, is a journey that adapts...

(U.S. Marine Corps/Sgt. A. J. Van Fredenberg)

5 Reasons Why Service Members Need Physical Training for Job Performance Beyond Fitness Tests

While the initial physical assessment is a crucial entry-point event, it hardly scratches the surface of what is necessary...

Culinary Specialist 1st Class Bennett Evans uses dumbbells for the bench press during a physical training session aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) in the East China Sea.

This Full-Body Exercise Circuit Will Take Your Fitness Training Up Another Level

If you like full-body workouts that focus on pull-push-legs-core, this circuit of these fitness components will challenge you...

A soldier from the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) participates in his semiannual physical fitness test at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

How to Determine the Source of Your Running Pain

Running for the first time requires a delicate progression to avoid typical overuse injuries such as shin splints, Achilles...

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

Everyone Has a Fitness Weakness. Here's How to Handle Yours

If we genuinely want to be well-rounded, physically active and healthy, it's important to assess the components of fitness...

Air Force Senior Airman Brandon Stout, 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, does pull-ups during a workout at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

This Military Fitness Workout Can Help Improve Your Special Operations Training

Here is a workout we use on an upper-body day that helps prepare for higher-rep calisthenics (grinder PT) and running.

Twenty-five future sailors line up before a timed 1.5-mile run as the Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Southwest Naval Special Warfare/Naval Special Operations team administers a physical screening test (PST) at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.

How to Cut a Minute Off Your Running Pace Before Timed Military Fitness Tests

Here is a way to help you with timed events and other types of running you will see in your military training journey.

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Most Popular Military News

Pete Hegseth shakes hands with Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance

'He's Going to Have to Explain It': Surprise Defense Secretary Pick's History Takes Center Stage

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's surprise pick to be the next defense secretary, has an extensive history of...

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The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance

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Trump's original decision to place Space Command -- the combatant command tasked with military operations in space that was...

Latest Military Videos

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Investigations and Features

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

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

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A patch in the home of retired missileer Paul Hunke

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Army News

Police Records Show Defense Secretary Nominee Was Involved in Alleged Sexual Assault in 2017

Hegseth's personal lawyer since 2017, told Military.com on Friday that "as confirmed by the Monterey Police Department, there...

U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor arrives at the ROTC building on a university campus

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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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Protestors upset with the Department of Defense's response to the leak of jet fuel into the water supply

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Air Force News

Pentagon Silent on Elon Musk and Starlink Risks as Military Use Expands

In the past year, U.S. news outlets have reported that Musk, who oversees the satellite internet provider, has developed a...

Who Is Doug Collins? A Look at Trump's Pick to Head the VA

The former Georgia congressman is a Southern Baptist minister and Air Force colonel.

Space Force News

Pentagon Silent on Elon Musk and Starlink Risks as Military Use Expands

In the past year, U.S. news outlets have reported that Musk, who oversees the satellite internet provider, has developed a...

Colorado Could Lose US Space Command. Trump Is Expected to Move It to Alabama.

Trump's original decision to place Space Command -- the combatant command tasked with military operations in space that was...

Marine Corps News

Daniel Penny arrives at the court in New York after break

Marine Veteran Misused a Combat Technique in Fatal Chokehold of NYC Subway Rider, Trainer Testifies

Attorneys for Daniel Penny argue their client had sought to restrain Neely by placing him in a headlock, but that he did not...

U.S. Courthouse is seen in Alexandria, Va.

Military Veteran Gets Time Served for Making Ricin Out of 'Curiosity'

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Coast Guard News

Tech. Sgt. Thesia Westmoreland, non-commissioned officer in charge of pharmacy operations

Pentagon Works to Restore Benefits After Data Transfer Boots Coast Guard, NOAA and Other Beneficiaries from Tricare

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A crew aboard a 47-foot motor lifeboat, from Station Bodega Bay await the next drill during a multi-agency training exercise in California.

Coast Guard Suspends Search for 4 Missing off California Coast

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended -- "pending the development of further information" -- Sunday's massive search effort for...

Stew Smith, CSCS®

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