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

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.

A soldier assigned to the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Special Operations) (Airborne) competes in the Strongman Contest in Fort Liberty, N.C.

Core, Grip Strength and Cardio: This Farmer’s Walk Workout Covers It All

The farmer’s walk is the ultimate complementary exercise, working the arm muscles, shoulders, back and legs while focusing on...

Master Sgt. Jamion Speed, 7th Wing Staff Agencies first sergeant, exercises using ‘battle ropes’ during an Alpha Warrior course demonstration at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

How to Build the Mental Toughness Required of Special Operations Selections

Most people, even scientists studying physiology and psychology, are puzzled by the mind-body connection.

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

6 Game-Changing Workout Strategies for Beginners or Anyone Restarting Their Fitness Journey

Many people new to fitness or experiencing prolonged absences wonder how often they should work out as beginners and what...

Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Micah Malala swims during his Physical Screening Test on Naval Air Station North Island.

4 Reasons to Remove the ‘Pullout’ from Military Swim Fitness Tests

When taking military swimming tests that require the breaststroke or the side stroke (also known as the combat side stroke...

Navy divers assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 are lowered into the water on Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek during a Mk-16 underwater breathing apparatus training dive in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

How to Structure Swim Workouts for Navy Diver Training

Preparing for future military swimming and diving training requires spending several days a week in the pool.

A soldier assigned to the 1st Infantry Division performs barbell biceps curls during their morning physical training session at Leonard Fitness Center on Fort Riley, Kansas.

5 Rules for Adding Workouts to Your Military Unit's Daily PT Sessions

Adding workouts for your group at your military unit's morning PT sessions each week is one of the more difficult things to...

A U.S. Army soldier from the 25th Infantry Division performs a deadlift during the annual Tropic Lightning Week weightlifting competition on Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

How the Tactical Athlete Benefits from Cardio Exercises After Leg Workouts

For most athletes, leg days and cardio challenge the body and mind, but for tactical athletes, topping off leg days with...

Army Reserve Pfc. Akjla Webb stretches before going out onto an obstacle course on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

How to Add Stretching and Breathing Exercises into Your Daily Fitness Training

Since breathing is the first and last thing we do on this Earth, it makes sense to be good at it for all our breaths in...

(Airman Dennis Spain/U.S. Air Force photo)

5 Important Questions 50- to 60-Year-Olds Should Ask to Start Building for Longevity

As people transition into their 50s, 60s and beyond, the importance of health and wellness becomes increasingly evident.

U.S. Marines Corps Sgt. Barry Newhart conducts agility drills during the High Intensity Tactical Training (HITT) Small Unit Leaders course at Gunners’ Gym on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan.

How to Add Old-School Speed and Agility Drills to Your Military Fitness Training

The military's need for speed and agility has proven helpful for various tasks, especially among ground fighters.

Coast Guard recruits prepare to jump from a platform into the pool below and begin their swim assessment aboard Training Center Cape May, N.J.

The Most Common Military Service Fitness Training Errors

Many people are doing the wrong workouts that lack the specific requirements of military testing, basic training and special...

5 Quick and ‘Easy’ Fitness Assessments You Can Do Anywhere

After watching Jason Kelce challenge veterans to a push-up contest during ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown”, I had the idea to...

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Most Popular Military News

Weeks before his retirement, Marine Col. Aaron Cunningham, left, and his wife, Jennifer, joined their only son, Mason, this summer when he was commissioned as a Marine second lieutenant.

They Fought in Iraq’s Bloodiest Battle. Will Their Kids Be the Next Generation of Marines?

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Harriotte B. Smith Library at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

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Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division receive the Army Commendation Medal.

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Handcuffs lay on a table at Ramstein Air Base, Germany

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Latest Military Videos

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Investigations and Features

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

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A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize...

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

U.S. Army soldiers conduct a tactical movement in Northeast Syria

Pentagon Reveals 2,000 US Troops Are in Syria – More than Double What Was Previously Reported

In a surprise announcement, the Pentagon revealed that it has not been offering an accurate count of how many U.S. troops it...

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Navy News

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B takes off from the a USS Boxer

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The Navy office that oversees the military's use of the V-22 Osprey is allowing the services to resume flying the aircraft...

'Warfare,' from writer, director and Navy SEAL veteran Ray Mendoza, is in theaters in 2025. (A24)

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Air Force News

NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs

Is the NORAD Santa Tracker Safe from a Government Shutdown?

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A sign at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

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Space Force News

President-elect Trump and Elon Musk at a SpaceX Starship rocket launch

As Space Force Marks 5-Year Anniversary, Republicans and Trump Aim to Take it Higher

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Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Moore, senior enlisted leader, 138th Space Control Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Air National Guard, secures equipment aboard a C-17 Globemaster.

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Marine Corps News

U.S. Marine reenlists during a ceremony on Camp Courtney, Okinawa

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This 2023 age-progressed photo, released by the FBI Washington Field Office, shows what Austin Tice may look like in his 40s. Tice disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus, Syria, in August 2012.

Mystery Surrounding Abducted Marine Veteran Austin Tice Enters New Chapter with Syrian Manhunt

The search for missing Marine Corps veteran Austin Tice that stumped the U.S. government for 12 years has entered a new...

Coast Guard News

The SS United States is docked at Pier 82 in Philadelphia.

Coast Guard Halts Departure of Historic Ocean Liner Destined to Become a Giant Artificial Reef

The historic ocean liner the SS United States appears to be staying at a Philadelphia dock for now after the U.S. Coast Guard...

The crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s 35-foot, long-range interceptor small boat prepares to conduct a joint search-and-rescue exercise in Kagoshima Bay, Japan, with a Japan Coast Guard AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter aircrew.

US Coast Guard to Participate in First-Ever Drill in Tokyo Bay

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