A List of Life-Changing Workouts (Top 10 List For All Ages)

Workouts Can Be Life-Changing - What Are Some of Yours? 

Where it all started in 1981

At 12-13 years old, with a concrete set of weights and a bench, I started on what became a life-changing journey into lifting weights and exercising with a goal. Previously, the early years of activity were seasons of recreational sports and pick-up games with neighborhood kids, and simply playing outside. What started out as basic workouts of 3 sets of 8 reps of a mix of isolation and compound lifts laid the foundation of fitness that has evolved just about every decade of my life.  Here are some of the life-changing and best workouts of each of those eras from a new lifter, a high school athlete, a college athlete, into military training, special ops training, and my last twenty years of training:

1 - Body Building - I think the start of my training became a series of exercises with the classic 3x8 set/rep routine, largely found in Joe Weider's workouts of the time. In 1981, there were no mainstream gyms; most were high school facilities, a few neighborhood garage gyms, and maybe a musclehead gym in my area. This was the time when 10x10 set/rep and 5x20 set/rep workouts, as well as split routines, were developed. But at first, I started with a set of concrete weights purchased from the Sears & Roebuck Catalog and gifted to me as a Christmas present a month before my 13th birthday. Questions like "How much can you bench?" soon became part of my lexicon. This foundation-building also built confidence (sometimes too much), but led me to set athletic goals each year and learn that work makes these things possible. 

2 - Strength Training - In high school, I was lucky to have good coaches in both football and weight lifting. The next part of the life-changing journey had to be the 5x5 set/rep workout routine focusing on lifts like bench press, deadlift, and squats. Little did I know in 1984 that these lifts would be such an important part of my training throughout my life. Learning to progress to heavier 1-2 rep max weight lifting was also part of this strength-building phase. Topping it off with sprinting helped prepare for the first goal of becoming a member of the high school football team. Learning that to be big, you have to eat big and lift big was the mantra of these four years.

Each year, the challenge increased - From Team member to starter to team captain.

3 - Intro to Military Training - Nothing quite like the PT Pyramid to introduce you to military-style training, including pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, dips, squats, and lunges. This classic workout has been a staple since my first pyramid at the Naval Academy and is still used today.  The Pyramid, Super Set, and Max Rep Set workouts were learned in the 80's and still used today to help people train for crushing fitness tests. The PT Pyramid is a classic life-changing workout for many. 

4 - Spec Ops Training (Triathlon) - The transition from lifter to training for more endurance was the biggest challenge for me, as anything over 100yds was considered long distance running at one point in my life. My triathlon training approach was perfect for me and led to solid success and less pain during the transition. I needed to improve running and swimming, but biking offered another non-impact/leg cardio that I needed to reduce my running as I progressed into more mileage. I could get all of the cardio with one-third the impact with this method.  This year, before I was a candidate attempting the PST, the USNA BUD/S Screener and Mini-BUD/S (now SOAC) was mostly calisthenics workouts like the pyramid, super set, and max-rep sets, along with running, biking, and swimming. 
As you progress with your running, you can replace the biking portion and add rucking to improve load-bearing capacity while still building your aerobic base. We call the Run-Ruck-Swim the Spec Ops Triathlon. 

5 - Lightweight Shoulder Workout - Out of an injury (separated shoulder), I learned the lightweight shoulder routine, a staple in many of my training programs, to help build shoulder stability while focusing on the smaller rotator cuff muscles. You can do it with bands, as my physical therapist did, or with very lightweight dumbbells. Yes, it only requires 5 lb. dumbbells and works incredibly well. It has been part of my upper-body cooldown session for almost 30 years now. 

1 of 6 exercises of the LWS Workout

6 - The SandBaby Devil Murph - When people ask about how to prepare for the grinding events at special selections, I say, " Do this. " This is a mix of one-man log PT, boat carry, high reps of a Murph, plus long-distance bear crawls, fireman carry, farmer walks, and lunges. This has been one of my assessment tool workouts to see how people handle a 90-120-minute grinding event. 

7 - 50-50 Swim Workout - As a coach, I developed the 50-50 and saw incredible increases in speed and decreases in timed swims among new swimmers working on technique and conditioning. The 50m freestyle focuses on conditioning while the 50m CSS focuses on pace and technique. The combo created a workout that has seen new swimmers drop times by 2 minutes in less than a month (if done 4-5 times a week). Here is the 50-50:

8 - Mobility Day - You have heard me say how life-changing this workout has been for me personally. Here is my origin story for this workout, which has given my hips and lower back new life.  I never thought a 5-minute non-impact cardio + 5-minute stretch/foam-roll workout repeated 5 times would yield such incredible results. Definitely for the OG's in the world, but not just for the old. Young athletes see huge results too...

BBall Court Yoga - Never Quit Stretching Sequence

Mobility Helps with Treading, Streamlining, Swimming, etc. - Mobility was once just my way of avoiding injury while the group ran long distances. But after a few months of once-a-week mobility day, I was back to running. That was 12 years ago, and I am still running. But now the younger members of the training group do this to help with swimming streamlining (shoulder mobility), treading, and scissor kick (hip, knee, ankle mobility), and dealing with running aches and pains before they become overuse injuries. 

The Frog Pose Series

This combo alone opened up many hips, knees, and ankles to doing egg-beater better

Learn HOW to do the EGG-BEATER

If you are not pushing down with the insides of your feet and shins, you are not generating downward force to keep you above the water during treading.

9- Coaching Pool Skills - Learning how to coach pool skills and water confidence has been a decades-long process. But I came up with this weekly drownproofing simulation training workout. Many have tried this weekly workout and, at first, were completely overwhelmed, but in 3-4 weeks, it became easy. Go from near-panicky about pool skills to "easy day" in a month with this weekly pool workout: See the link for the full workout.

10 - Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness (12 Weeks to BUD/S) - This workout was my first attempt at preparing people for BUD/S. I did this routine dozens of times with hundreds of candidates before it became a book. Originally, it was a 12-page handout given to BUD/S candidates. Now, it is what many former Special Operators say they used to prepare for BUDS, SF training, RECON, EOD/Diver, and other hardcore training. The special thing about this workout is you do not need lots of equipment: a place to run, swim, and do pullups/dips - everything else can be done anywhere. 

Link to purchase on Amazon

Since then, I have written over 40 training programs focused on specific tests and selections/boot camps/Academies. Here is a list of what we do at StewSmithFitness.com

Core Mission

• Tactical Fitness Training For the Candidate / Recruit: Specializing in preparing individuals for military, special ops, law enforcement, and firefighter selection programs (getting you "TO and THROUGH" training). 
  
  
• Functional Training for Both Active Duty / Recruits: Utilizing a seasonal tactical fitness periodization system that balances longer workouts of running/rucking, swimming, and calisthenics during the Spring/Summer when days are longer. Then, the focus shifts in the Fall/Winter to lifting (Cals/cardio maintenance) when the days are shorter/colder. This process has 25 years of proven success building tactical athletes who improve in all areas of fitness: strength, power, speed, agility, endurance, muscle stamina, mobility, flexibility, and grip.
  
  Becoming an Asset for All Types: Even non-tactical athletes want to be of use in situations that require some level of fitness to get through the day. Be an asset, not a liability, in potentially dangerous situations, whether natural or man-made. Fitness can be a common denominator in successfully enduring life-or-death scenarios. 

Specific Programs & Courses

• The Ageless Athlete (Fitness Over 50): A 22-week program designed for beginners to advanced trainees looking to regain fitness, flexibility, and energy.
  
  
• Tactical Fitness Over 40: After training people for over 25 years now, many who started with me in the early 2000s are now in their 40s and beyond. Learning how to shift training to remain an asset while also offering longevity, flexibility, and mobility is central to this 52-week program. (4-part series)
  
  
• Tactical Fitness Course: An 80-minute course on preparing for Spec Ops selection, getting TO and THROUGH the toughest military special ops’ programs using this two-phase system.
  
  
  Seasonal Tactical Fitness Periodization - A 25 Year proven system to become a tactical athlete. 
  
  
• The Never Quit Mindset Book and Course: The "Never Quit Mindset" book and course is a deep dive into building constructive habits that incrementally improve discipline, build mental toughness, and foster a Never Quit Mindset in anything you want to do.
  
  
• Specialized Workout Plans: Specific, tailored programs for Navy SEAL (Phases 1-4), SWCC, Army (SF/Ranger/Airborne), USMC MarSOC / (RECON), Air Force (PJ/CCT), Coast Guard, Law Enforcement (FBI/DEA/FLETC), Fire Fighter, and general fitness too for beginners and advanced athletes alike.
  
  
  

Resources and Content

• • Extensive Content Library: Over 1,000 free articles, 200+ podcasts, and social media content (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram) featuring Spec Ops swim critiques and LIVE QA sessions.
    
    
  • FREE Local Training for those preparing to serve! Check out HeroesofTomorrow.org for our location and schedule.
    
    
    
  • NEW SKOOL.com Tactical Fitness Community
    
    
  • Educational Materials: Over 40 options for eBooks, videos, printed books, podcasts (200+), and online video courses.
    
    
  • Apps: Pushup Push, Pullup Push, FBI workout, and Navy SEAL exercise apps (iPhone/Android).
    
    
  • LIVE QA Sessions Each Week: Monday and Tuesday, 9 am EST on social media platforms (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook) and Skool.com Tactical Fitness community.
    
    
  • Online Coaching: Personalized programming based on specific goals, equipment, and your time availability.
    
    
  • Membership Site: Access to hundreds of weeks of training, unpublished workouts, and exclusive content, weekly newsletter sent to subscribers with the week's latest articles, videos, and workouts (beginner/intermediate, and advanced special ops prep workouts).

Training is What We Do:  

Need Programming for Fitness Tests and Beyond?  We are all about getting you TO and THROUGH your future training program.  See how that works.