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 the Stew Smith article archive on Military.com. Contact Stew with your comments and questions at stew@stewsmith.com.

Latest Articles

Soft-Sand Beach Running: Training Ideas Plus Alternatives

Here is a question on how to do infrequent beach workouts and prepare the legs for timed runs and load-bearing activities in...

Soldier with two trays outdoors in a breakfast line.

Oatmeal, Eggs or Skip Breakfast? The Pros and Cons of Each

After an informal poll on breakfast options, it seems most either go high-protein with eggs and meat, skip breakfast...

Soldier receives instruction in a dumbbell exercise.

5 Common Mistakes Beginners Make in the Gym

People who join a gym in order to add resistance and cardio training often start out using weight machines, dumbbells and...

Blurry silhouettes of runners on a track.

Ask Stew: What Is the Perfect Workout?

While our goals of weight loss, weight gain, better fitness or longevity may be the same, the road to get there will be...

A Marine does an overhead lift with a barbell in a gym.

Overwhelmed by Choices in the Gym? Start With the 5 Pillars of Movement

You need five types of exercises to create a healthy body that supports longevity and independent living later in life.

Warmup Ideas for Your Cardio Workouts

Here is a list of warmups you can try out before your next cardio day, along with a sample workout of the week that requires...

A soldier on a rope unhooks a sign representing a ranger tab.

Ask Stew: Teen Wants to Be an Army Ranger

My 13-year-old son wants to go to the Ranger Regiment when he is old enough. What should I focus on to help him prepare?

A soldier leads a field of soldiers on yoga mats in a seated yoga pose.

How to Reduce Burnout, Overstress and Physical Stress From Overtraining

Chronic stress is not something you can eat, sleep or work out of your system.

A Marine recruiter with a mustache and long-haired Marine recruits do planks.

Military PT Test Workout: Prepare for the Pushups, Plank, Run

Following changes in military fitness tests, along with corresponding pass/fail standards ,over the past few decades, most...

Ask Stew: How to Prepare for Dive School, Including Swim, Tread and Pool Skills

Preparing for any military diving training will involve significant time in the pool and open water as well as land-based...

These Are the Current DoD Fitness Tests for 2026

Over the past 20 years, to say that all branches of the military have changed their fitness testing and standards is an...

Ranger School candidates do pushups in the grass.

Ask Stew: Endurance Athlete Prepares for Army Ranger Selection

Endurance athletes typically need to focus more on resistance training, including both calisthenics and weight lifting, when...

Drill and Workout to Help with Diver, Rescue Swimmer and Special Ops Pool Skills

Here is a workout to help with both underwater swimming and the lifesaving, or buddy tow, test.

Ask Stew: Running Out of Gas on the Navy PST

Have you ever noticed that when you take a fitness test, your individual scores are much better than your scores when tested...

Four service members in workout clothes doing squats

Train for Life: Functional Fitness for Enduring Strength, Cardio and Mobility

Training for life means embracing a holistic approach that values longevity as much as performance.

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Most Popular Military News

Command Sgt. Maj. John Brown, senior enlisted advisor of the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, provides a rousing speech to the Soldiers of Bravo Battery before departing on a deployment to the United States Central Command area of responsibility on August 19, 2024 at Kadena Air Force Base, Japan. (U.S. Army photos by Capt. Frank Spatt)

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Marine Corps veteran Al Duran. (Facebook)

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Investigations and Features

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Air Force News

Iranian Gunboats Fire on Tanker in Strait of Hormuz as Iran Reimposes Restrictions

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Space Force News

Robbie Robertson, Sedaro CEO and co-founder, presents a live demo to USSF leadership Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at Spacepower Conference in Orlando, FL. (Photo courtesy of SFA)

National Spacepower Center: Advancing US and Allied Spacepower

The Space Force Association launched the National Spacepower Center in Dec. 2025 to connect government, academia and industry...

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Marine Corps News

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The 2026 International Sniper Competition ends with an Awards Ceremony April 10, 2026 in McGinnis-Wickam Hall on Fort Benning, Georgia. Staff. Sgt. Tyler Johnson and Sgt. Spencer Harrell, representing the United States Marine Corps, won the championship trophy. (U.S. Army photo by Daniel Marble)

Marine Corps Team Takes Army's Top Sniper Title for First Time Since 2009

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Coast Guard News

An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew offloads supplies in Saipan.

Coast Guard Searches for 6 People After Losing Contact with Boat Following Typhoon Sinlaku

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Coast Guard Seized Enough Cocaine in Eastern Pacific to Kill 1.4M Americans

The Coast Guard has seized more than 215,000 pounds of cocaine since August 2025 as part of Operation Pacific Viper.

Stew Smith, CSCS®

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