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

The Strength Builder Puts You in the Right Position to Improve at Push-ups

Many people saw 25%-50% increases, with their scores going from 50 to 75 push-ups in many cases.

How to Prepare Physically for a Second Career

My expertise in this career change begins here with preparing physically for the different physical fitness tests for a law...

Here Are Some Alternative Exercises for the Pull-up

When discussing alternative exercises for a challenging calisthenics exercise such as pull-ups, simply break down the pull-up...

Athletes battle through two minutes of push-ups during the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge.

Ask Stew: A Former Marine Wonders How He Can Continue Pushing His Limits

A former Marine asks Stew Smith, Military.com's tactical fitness expert, how he can continue to push himself physically.

A National Guardsman displays his form in the squat.

Here Are Some Quick Exercises You Can Do in the Morning

Here are some ideas for those of you who only have a few minutes a day to exercise.

Why Crunches Are a Perfect Exercise While 'Resting'

If you think of the position you are in during a crunch, it really is just a little tougher than sleeping.

Taylor Mungie and Ashli Arrisola stretch before the Trails of Hope 5K run.

3 Suggestions to Help You Make Fitness a Priority Again

If you have fallen out of a fitness routine, these three suggestions can help you get back in the groove after a long break.

Woman drinks water after workout to stay hydrated.

How You Can Make Fitness Part of Your Routine

Starting a fitness plan eventually has to become a habit that you enjoy or even moderately enjoy in order to maintain with...

Puerto Rico National Guardsmen participate in the Mountain Bicycle Ride.

How You Can Start a Fitness Program for Life

If you are a true beginner to exercise or have not exercised in decades, starting a health and fitness program is a daunting...

Master sergeant participates in push-up contest.

Some At-Home Workout Options When You Can't Make it to the Gym

March is the month that most people who were hell-bent on starting a fitness routine at the start of the year typically fall...

A Marine conducts the 1,400-meter swim event during a squad competition in Okinawa, Japan.

Ask Stew: Can You Recommend Some Summer Swimming Workouts?

During the hottest months of the year, it is difficult to find the time to run or walk outside unless you exercise as the sun...

Gunnery sergeant performs a biceps curl.

If You Are Getting Bored, Here Are Ways to Switch Up Your Workout Routine

Is your workout program getting old? Tired of the same weight training cycle, circuit routine or cardio exercise?

Officer Training School trainees perform sit-ups.

Tactical Fitness with Stew Smith: Peaking in the PT Pyramid

The PT pyramid is a great way to get in shape, but if you can reach a peak of 10, you should consider varying your routine.

4 Tips to Help Protect Your Shoulders from Injury

Oh yes, the shoulder dislocation. That is quite an injury to occur on such a young guy doing something as common as closing a...

How to Keep Your Fitness Evolving While You Do

Regardless of your athletic and fitness history, the need to treat fitness training as a journey cannot be stressed enough.

Military News

Get the Military Insider Newsletter

Get the latest on pay updates, benefit changes and award-winning military content. Right in your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice.

Thank you for subscribing!

View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page.

One last step.

Verify your free subscription by following the instructions in the email sent to:

Most Popular Military News

Donald Trump before the launch of a test flight of the SpaceX Starship

Trump Reportedly Weighs Immediate Discharge of All Transgender Troops. Here's What That Would Mean.

The proposed plan, as first reported by the Times of London, would entail signing an order within days of Trump taking office...

Leatherman multitools, Garmin watches, and Cold Steel knives are on deep discount during Amazon's Black Friday Week 2024 sale.

The Best Amazon Black Friday Week 2024 Deals for Service Members, Veterans and Their Families

America’s favorite shopping holiday isn’t just a single day, or even a weekend, anymore. Here’s how U.S. service members...

Soldiers were recently served toast and lima beans for dinner at Fort Carson

For Soldiers at Fort Carson, Food Is Scarce

As Americans gather for Thanksgiving feasts, soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, are contending with a far less festive...

President-elect Donald Trump speaks with Elon Musk

Musk, Ramaswamy Proposal to Slash Spending Could Include VA Medical Services

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed that they plan to target "unauthorized" federal spending, a category that includes...

The Navy Special Warfare (SEAL) trident.

Former Navy Officer ‘Driven by Greed’ Steals over $850,000 in Military Gear, Feds Say

Richard Allen, 53, pleaded guilty Aug. 29 to conspiracy and six counts of money laundering. Now he'll serve 18 months in...

USS Lewis B. Puller and USS Paul Hamilton patrol the Arabian Gulf

Marine Corps Worried About How to Move and Supply Troops After Navy Sidelines 17 Support Ships

The Navy will sideline 17 ships to contend with a shortage of civilian mariners, the Military Sealift commander said last...

Latest Military Videos

Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah Reach Ceasefire Deal, AP Explains

Israel has agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon that will take effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday. (Nov...

Displaced People Return to South Lebanon as Ceasefire Appears to Hold

Cars strapped with mattresses started to make their way from Beirut towards the south early on Wednesday following the...

US to Give Antipersonnel Mines to Ukraine to Help Slow the Russian Advance

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the Biden administration will allow Ukraine to use American-supplied antipersonnel land mines to...

NATO Troops Take Part in Artillery Drills in Finland for First Time Since It Joined Military Alliance

Several thousand NATO troops took part in large-scale artillery drills in Finland for the first time since the country...

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

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

They Stood Sentry over America's Nuclear Missile Arsenal. Many Worry It Gave Them Cancer.

For years, it was an open secret among missileers that the Cold War-era missile alert facilities and launch control centers...

Army News

160 Years Later, Descendants of Army's Sand Creek Massacre Still Wait for Justice

Friday, Nov. 29, marks 160 years since the Sand Creek bloodshed, and the pain of the tragedy still haunts descendants of...

For Soldiers at Fort Carson, Food Is Scarce

As Americans gather for Thanksgiving feasts, soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, are contending with a far less festive...

Navy News

Chuck Woolery hosts a special premiere of the '$250,000 Game Show Spectacular' at the Las Vegas Hilton Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007, in Las Vegas. (Ronda Churchill/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)

Navy Veteran and ‘Love Connection’ Television Host Chuck Woolery Dead at 83

Before longtime game-show host Chuck Woolery started his decades-long career on television, he served in the U.S. Navy aboard...

Lockheed Martin manufactures the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in west Fort Worth, Texas.

Elon Musk, Charged with Cutting Federal Spending, Calls the F-35 a Waste of Money

Billionaire Elon Musk, the man behind Tesla and SpaceX, said on Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter) that the U.S. should pull the...

Air Force News

Elon Musk, Charged with Cutting Federal Spending, Calls the F-35 a Waste of Money

Billionaire Elon Musk, the man behind Tesla and SpaceX, said on Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter) that the U.S. should pull the...

Does the Military Need Social Media Influencers?

New military influencers are popping up daily talking about military life -- the good, the bad and the ugly.

Space Force News

Does the Military Need Social Media Influencers?

New military influencers are popping up daily talking about military life -- the good, the bad and the ugly.

Members of the National Space Defense Center stand at attention during the Space Delta 15 activation ceremony at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado.

Colorado Springs Named Permanent Home for 250 Delta 15 Space Force Guardians, Ahead of Possible Space Command Fight

The Air Force announced last week 250 Space Force guardians with Delta 15, dedicated to protecting and defending operations...

Marine Corps News

Stored donor breast milk at Naval Hospital Jacksonville.

Marine Corps Says it Will Reimburse Nursing Mothers Up to $1,000 for Shipping Breast Milk During Moves

The Marine Corps will reimburse its troops up to $1,000 for shipping breast milk during a permanent change of station move...

Marine Corps Worried About How to Move and Supply Troops After Navy Sidelines 17 Support Ships

The Navy will sideline 17 ships to contend with a shortage of civilian mariners, the Military Sealift commander said last...

Coast Guard News

Does the Military Need Social Media Influencers?

New military influencers are popping up daily talking about military life -- the good, the bad and the ugly.

President Joe Biden serves food at a Friendsgiving event with service members and their families in the Staten Island borough of New York.

Inside President Biden's Historic New York Friendsgiving Coast Guard Visit: 'Thank You ... We Owe You'

President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden traveled to Staten Island for a "Friendsgiving Event" to break bread with...

Stew Smith, CSCS®

Latest Articles

Military News

Select Service

Get the Military Insider Newsletter

Most Popular Military News

Latest Military Videos

Investigations and Features

Army News

Navy News

Air Force News

Space Force News

Marine Corps News

Coast Guard News