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

Do This to Get Your First Pull-Up or Improve to Double Digits

Federal law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, have added pull-ups to the special agent candidate fitness test. Here is a...

Ask Stew: Athletes Are Taking Baking Soda to Boost Performance, but Is It Safe?

Each year, many health, fitness and wellness trends arrive on social media platforms, discussed by coaches, medical...

Reduce Dementia Risk by Having Fun with These Ways to Move

Just as much as the physical benefits, another reason we should keep exercising as we age is to protect our brains. Yes...

(U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Daniella Peña-Pavao)

Beginner Strength Training Workouts

Strength training throughout your 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond is completely possible and should be continued in any version you...

Dumbbells are lined up on a weight rack.

Strength Training In Your Late 50s and Early 60s

Incorporating strength training into your week has remarkable benefits. So, the question is not whether you should...

Culinary specialists from the Connecticut Army National Guard cut up cucumbers while preparing a meal inside a containerized kitchen at Fort Drum

Joint Pain While Training? This Vegetable Can Help

Cucumber extract has shown promise in studies on its efficacy in addressing joint pain.

Sailors use exercise bikes during a physical readiness test in the hangar bay of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

Workout Ideas for Those New to High-Intensity Interval Training

We all grow older. There is nothing we can do about that, but the quality of those years is within our control, as recent...

(Senior Airman Jessi Monte/U.S. Air Force photo)

How Much Weekly Running Is Advisable for Military Special Operations Training?

It's better to build your cardio so that running a 7-minute mile pace for 4-6 miles feels sustainable, rather than just...

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Dru Calloway conducts push-ups aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.

The 5 Most Effective Push-Up and Pull-Up Workouts

Simply performing more reps is a logical start, but how you structure your training volume can mean the difference between...

The Do's and Don'ts for Training Safely in Extreme Heat

Many special operations dreams have ended in the heat of rigorous physical activity during selection, just as it occurs in...

U.S. Marine Corps candidates with Officer Candidate School complete a 3-mile run during the inventory Physical Fitness Test on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

Tips to Help You Run Faster on Your Physical Fitness Test

It is wise to practice taking military fitness tests, long before the real ones count toward your record or your chances of...

U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Officer candidates prepare for the next activity during an assessment and selection process at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

How to Balance Preparing for Special Operations with Playing a Sport

If you are a competitive athlete considering adding a Special Operations prep program to your routine, it's important to...

Capt. Richard Kresser, Headquarters Company, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, runs down one of many hills in the ‘Run to Remember’ half-marathon (13.1 miles) at Forward Operating Base Masum Ghar, Afghanistan.

How to Improve Your Mobility and Running in One Workout

Whether you're preparing for a fitness test, looking to increase your running performance, or simply seeking a challenging...

Spc. Tom Hook, a religious affairs specialist attached to the 185th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Iowa Army National Guard, crosses the finish line of a 12-mile ruck march event during the 2026 Iowa National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Johnston Town Center, Johnston, Iowa.

Building the Warrior: A Holistic Approach to Peak Performance in the Military

While it is understandable for combat units to have the highest fitness standards, getting to that common goal requires...

A soldier makes a smoothie at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on March 6, 2025.

How 'Hard Gainers' in the Military Can Add Weight Healthily

The old saying is that if you want to get big, you must eat big and lift big. Science confirms this, but it is more...

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Most Popular Military News

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., left, confronts House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Federal Government Shutdown Grinds into a Second Week as Tempers Flare at the Capitol

As the federal government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) questions U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Trump Targets Blumenthal, Calling for Investigation into Senator's Vietnam Service Claims

President Donald Trump is targeting U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal again after Connecticut’s senior U.S. senator grilled U.S...

Pvt. Paul Douglas, age 50, performs a rifle inspection with his drill instructor aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot S.C., 1942. Douglas, at age 50 was the oldest recruit in the history of Parris Island, and went on to become a purple heart recipient and Chicago senator (DVIDS).

At 50, He Survived Marine Boot Camp — Then Fought at Peleliu and Okinawa

When 50-year-old Paul Douglas showed up at Marine Corps boot camp in 1942, the white-haired economics professor looked more...

Pack and transport platoon of the Russian army. Southern Military District. Ministry of Defense of Russia (Wikimedia Commons).

Ukrainian Drones Attack Russian Cavalry Troops in Rare 21st-Century Encounter

A short video circulating online this month appears to show a Russian mounted patrol being struck by a Ukrainian drone near...

When The Government Can Afford Everything Except The Essentials

Every shutdown forces the government to decide what counts as “essential.” Air traffic controllers and TSA agents fall into...

Troops Will Miss Paychecks Next Week Without Action on the Government Shutdown

The federal government shutdown is raising anxiety levels among service members and their families, because those in uniform...

Latest Military Videos

Trump Says He's Dropping Push for National Guard in Chicago, LA and Portland, Oregon

Trump says he's dropping push for National Guard in Chicago, LA and Portland, Oregon, for now.

2026 Marks the 250th Anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence

2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.

Maduro Says Venezuela Open to Negotiation with US to Combat Drug Trafficking

Maduro says Venezuela open to negotiation with US to combat drug trafficking.

US Fighter Jets Concentrate on a Puerto Rico Airstrip

US fighter jets concentrate on a Puerto Rico airstrip amid rising tensions with Venezuela.

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 Second Seminole War (1835–42) took place in Florida between the U.S. military and the Seminole people. (Dade Battle by Ken Hughes 1974/Miami History Center)

Seminole Warriors Fought the US Military to a Stalemate in the Florida Swamps

Fewer than 2,000 Seminole warriors held off an American force that eventually numbered more than 30,000 troops. It became the...

Army veteran Robert Hendricks talks about his Vietnam War experience. (Photo from Central Oregon Daily News)

‘I Never Want to See it Again.’ Vietnam Soldier Recalls Deadly Napalm, Tet Offensive

Robert Hendricks, a U.S. Army veteran, shares his harrowing story of surviving the Tet Offensive and the effects of napalm...

Navy News

U.S. military aircraft are parked on the tarmac at the airport in Ceiba, Puerto Rico.

How the US Captured Venezuelan Leader Nicolás Maduro

Trump said a few U.S. members of the operation were injured but he believed no one was killed.

President Donald Trump talks to the media.

With Capture of Maduro, Trump Treads Into Uncharted Territory

Trump has now twice used U.S. forces to carry out risky operations against American adversaries.

Air Force News

With Capture of Maduro, Trump Treads Into Uncharted Territory

Trump has now twice used U.S. forces to carry out risky operations against American adversaries.

Air Force officer Robert Stirm greets his family after being released from a POW camp in Vietnam on March 17, 1973 at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. (AP photo/Sal Veder)

Vietnam POW, Subject of Memorable ‘Burst of Joy’ Photo Dies at 92

After Lt. Col. Robert Stirm was released from a POW camp in Vietnam, the iconic photo of him reuniting with his family was...

Space Force News

President Donald Trump holds top a signed executive order as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth watches in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

How Trump’s 2025 'War' Agenda Rewired the Pentagon

Trump’s 2025 executive actions reshape how the current administration defines national security.

A painting of a Defense Support Program satellite from the Air Force Art collection. DSP provides a variety of national security capabilities. Its flagship mission of launch detection was made famous during the Cold War. (U.S. Air Force image)

Clearing The Orbits: Space Force Partnerships In Orbital Cleanup

The growing congestion of Earth orbit has raised risks to satellites, space stations, and long-term space sustainability. The...

Marine Corps News

NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw reports the story of Cpl. Charles McMahon Jr's death in Vietnam in 1975. (Photo from NBC News)

Ring Returns to Family of One of the Last US Soldiers Killed in Vietnam

The niece of Marine Corps soldier Charlie McMahon Jr. was recently reunited with a few prized mementos more than 50 years...

U.S. Marines with 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, hold out hand signals prior to conducting special patrol insertion and extraction training on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Dec. 18, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. John Allen)

How the US Marine Corps Reinvented Itself in 2025

The U.S. Marine Corps overhauled training and technology through emerging programs like Project Dynamis, preparing current...

Coast Guard News

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference.

Coast Guard Searches for Survivors of Boat Strikes as Odds Diminish Days Later

The Coast Guard coordinated more than 65 hours of search efforts in the area.

President Donald Trump listens during a news conference.

US Military Strikes 5 More Alleged Drug Boats, Killing 8 and Possibly Leaving Survivors

Southern Command said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate search and rescue efforts.