Special Operations Fitness

Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUDs) students participate in Surf Passage at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. Surf Passage is one of many physically demanding evolutions that are a part of the first phase of SEAL training. Navy SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. Special Forces and are trained to conduct a variety of operations from the sea, air and land. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Russell.

Ask Stew: The Road from USMC to Navy SEAL BUD/S

Stew Smith, Navy SEAL veteran and Military.com's tactical fitness expert, answers a question from a reader about how to enter...

Navy SEALs jump from the ramp of a C-17 Globemaster III April 15, 2010, over Fort Pickett Maneuver Training Center, Va. The jump was part of a joint training exercise with 517th Airlift Squadron members from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. (U. S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)

Ask Stew: Older But Still Trying

Stew Smith, Navy SEAL and Military.com's tactical fitness expert answers a question from a servicemember recovering from an i...

Soldiers of 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the Republic of Korea 11th Special Forces Brigade, provide security for their fellow members during training near Gwangyang, South Korea, April 1, 2009. The two forces trained together during the annual springtime exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle. (Photo Credit: SFC Andrew Kosterman)

Ask Stew: Can You Make a Special Operator?

Stew Smith, Navy SEAL veteran and Military.com's tactical fitness expert answers a timeless question: Can special operators b...

Jubilant USNA graduates celebrate their successful completion of school (photo courtesy of US Naval Institute).

Ask Stew: US Naval Academy From Plebe to BUD/S

Stew Smith, Navy SEAL veteran and Military.com's tactical fitness expert answers a question in his weekly Ask Stew column fro...

How to Maximize Your SEAL Swim Score

Learn strategies for how to maximize the swim score on the Navy SEAL and other physical screening tests.

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. John Lynch, a 22-year-old Brookfield, Conn. native and motor transport operator with 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, posts security during an air interdiction force mission. The AIF mission was conducted in support of an Afghan Border Police led clearing operation in Khan-Neshin. Photo By: Alfred V. Lopez

Navy SEAL Veteran: How to Prepare For Military/Special Ops Training

Navy SEAL veteran and Military.com's tactical fitness guru Stew Smith details how to train for a career in special ops.

Marine Corps Sgt. Joshua Morris executes a Romanian deadlift during a High Intensity Tactical Training Level 1 instructor course at the gym on Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by George Melendez).

Navy SEAL and Tactical Fitness Expert's 3 Phases of Tactical Fitness

Stew Smith, Navy SEAL vet and Military.com's tactical fitness expert details what you need to know about tactical fitness to...

New York Army National Guard Sgt. Aaron Lawrence and Spc. Zach Bouley, two infantrymen assigned to Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, recon a landing site in advance of an inbound F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft during a training exercise in Buffalo, N.Y. (Photo by Alexander Rector).

Enlisting in Army National Guard Then Join Special Forces

Not many people realize there are many different ways to become a special operations soldier. Of course, the active duty rout...

Border patrol air and marine operations conduct joint fast rope training with Tucson Police Department SWAT team (Photo by: Dan Barrios).

Ask Stew: Selection Programs Preparation - Special Ops, SWAT, BORTAC

Ask Stew answers questions from readers and gives his expert advice. Check out this email question and answer on the topic of...

Special Forces Qualification Course graduates stand at attention while wearing their green berets for the first time at their graduation ceremony (Photo Credit: Dave Chace, SWCS Public Affairs Office)

An Overview of Special Ops Prep Courses and Pre-Selection Programs

Navy SEAL veteran Stew Smith, Military.com's tactical fitness expert, gives an overview of special-ops preparation courses fo...

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Most Recent Fitness Articles

Sgt. Ayrin Hamner-Ripperger, the administration and supply non-commissioned officer for the 831st Engineer Company, Iowa Army National Guard (IANG), runs on the physical training track at Camp Dodge Joint Maneuver Training Center on May 13, 2019. In September 2018, (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Tawny Schmit)

5 Ways to Better Your PT Test Run Time -- and Like It

’m proud to say that after years in the military, I’ve learned a few things to help me not only bear the brunt of preparing f...

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Randy Oczkowski, 19th Operation Support Squadron Air Traffic Controller, gets his face painted by Lily (left), Henry (bottom middle), and Patrick Griego (right), during a camouflage face painting activity as part of a mock deployment line (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Grace Nichols)

Parental Advice for Teens Who Want to Join the Military

Stew Smith, Navy SEAL veteran and Military.com's tactical fitness expert, doles out sound advice to parents who have children...

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brandon, a member of the 118th Wing, Tennessee Air National Guard, performs an overhead squat during a high-intensity workout (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Mark Thompson)

What Is the Most Important Virtue and Element of Fitness?

Stew Smith, Navy SEAL and Military.com's tactical fitness expert, delves into what virtue is most valuable for achieving fitn...

Col. Kenneth Moss, 374th Airlift Wing commander, runs up a flight of stairs during the Sept. 11 Tower Run at Yokota Air Base (U.S. Air Force photo by Machiko Arita).

Travel and Workouts: Tips to Avoid Getting Out of the Habit of Training

Stew Smith, Navy SEAL veteran and Military.com's tactical fitness expert, details how to get your workout in while traveling.

The Army released a graphic showing its new Expert Soldier Badge. Courtesy of the Army

Army's New Expert Soldier Badge Will Demand Mastery of Warrior Skills

The new skill badge is designed to recognize soldiers who demonstrate a mastery of fitness, marksmanship and critical skills.