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Stew Smith Fitness News — army ranger

What is a Ruck? Forced March? Hump?

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What is a Ruck? Forced March?  Hump?

      RUCK: A Challenging Adventure in Backpacking If you've never embarked on a hike with a backpack weighing 50+ lbs for many miles, the term "ruck" may be unfamiliar. The definition of ruck can be as simple as strolling with a backpack on a hike or as demanding as swiftly navigating rugged terrain with all your military gear. However, the key concept behind ruck, hump, or forced march is the act of carrying your gear from point A to point B in a backpack.You may be wondering, what exactly constitutes a ruck? How should you incorporate it into...

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It Depends: An Answer Often Given When More Info is Needed

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It Depends:  An Answer Often Given When More Info is Needed

What Your Question About How to Prepare Actually Depends Upon...    You may have read or heard my reply to others (or yourself) when you ask a question such as, "How should I start training for ___________?" My answer really depends on SO MANY factors that answering this question by email, text, or even in person does not give it justice. There are a few things you need to realize when you start the journey to prepare for any job that requires elevated levels of fitness such as any of the Special Ops programs in our military as well as...

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Four Steps to Get Prepared for Spec Ops Profession

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Four Steps to Get Prepared for Spec Ops Profession

Four Steps To Preparing Fully for Any Spec Ops Profession Often people will waste time during the preparation process and fail to work on weaknesses and maintain strengths they need to endure selection. Some won't even realize they have a weakness - the reason why is they did not understand the standards or their own abilities. That is why the first step before you join the military unprepared is to ASSESS YOURSELF or you can use the Funny or Die line of Check Yourself Before you Wreck Yourself: Jeff Nichols and I did a podcast on these four steps and...

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TO, THROUGH, and AFTER Podcasts with Stew Smith and Others!

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TO, THROUGH, and AFTER Podcasts with Stew Smith and Others!

To, Through, and After Podcast Series The To, Through, and After Podcasts have been growing in popularity over the past year.  These are interviews that Stew Smith does with various people who have a story to tell about their journey before they decided to serve their country or communities in one of the tactical professions (military, special ops, police, fire / rescue).  See the videos below for the shows or go to iTunes / GooglePlay podcasts and search To, Through, After with Stew Smith within the Tactical Fitness Podcast with Stew Smith programs. Enjoy To, Through and After with former...

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Teamwork Skills in U.S. Special Ops Programs

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Teamwork Skills in U.S. Special Ops Programs

When asked recently about the most important "non-physical" trait someone who is about to attend BUD/S or any other Special Ops selection program should have, it took a minute to decide on the "most important." Sure, you need mental toughness, a never quit attitude, and must be hard physically, but I think the most important non-physical trait is being a TEAM PLAYER. Of course, there are individual challenges and tests that you alone must conquer, but no one makes it through any selection program by themselves. You must be a team player and help each other get through training TOGETHER....

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