Stew Smith Fitness News

Prepare for the Service Academy CFA Every week, there are several young people seeking advice about how to prepare for the country’s Service Academies fitness assessments. The CFA – or Candidate Fitness Assessment is a test that not only evaluates strength and endurance, but a measures potential for athleticism. The history behind the CFA is decades old, it but used to be called the PAE – which stands for Physical Aptitude Exam. The major difference between this fitness test and other PRTs in the military is the use of the shuttle run and the kneeling basketball throw. This article will...

Here is a common misconception concerning military as well as law enforcement training programs. Often people show up to day one of the basic training or academy not in any kind of shape to start off on a group run. Many are overweight with de-conditioned muscles and joints to handle any physical activity for long periods of time. Here is an email I recently received:Hi Stew, I am in the process of applying to the military and was wondering how much should I workout before attending boot camp? I mean, don’t they get you in shape?Ouch!!! It is this type...

This week, I received an e-mail from a young lady who aspires to join the military in the next year. Knowing she has a lot of physical fitness tests in her future, she wants some advice on improving her performance of push-ups. She says she has never practiced push-ups the "traditional way," which is what I call the regular push-up as opposed to the knee push-up. First of all, there is no reason why women cannot do the regular push-up. All it takes is practice. I have several men and women clients who started out doing push-ups on their knees...

Ever since I wrote The Grinder PT – Key to Mental Toughness eBook, I have noticed that the majority of people who attempt one of my toughest workouts I have ever created do quite well on pushups tests upon finishing. This eBook is modeled after the first month of SEAL training, where pushups are done five days a week in the magnitude of several hundred a day. Improving surprised me – I assumed the workout would border on over-training (and it does) but with proper rest / recovery you can increase pullups and pushups significantly in as little as two...

I often receive questions from people who are trying to substitute pull-ups with other similar exercises that work the same muscle groups. This gentleman asks:I am always trying to add muscle and do not have access to a pull up bar or lat pull down machine. I work out at home and have dumbbells. What is an alternative exercise to pull-ups in your opinion.First of all, one thing I always do no matter whether I am traveling or at home is to go for a jog near a school district and search for any playground that is open to the...