Stew Smith Fitness News

“Recovery and Maintenance,” We hear these terms often in just about every area of our lives: from improving your fitness and athletic performance and handling stressful professions to maintaining your health with a strong immune system. Typically, most people in the military / law enforcement fitness and health genre ask about how to get stronger for Fitness Tests while working long and stressful hours. While recently, many military members and police officers ask about recovery and maintenance plans to better perform at their job in combat situations. Here is a sample email from a Marine who asks a familiar question,...

Here is a great question of how to mix in weights with the Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness. By the way, a new CGTNSF workout PLUS weights will be coming out this year!I am a 2ndLt in the Marine Corps and I'm about to start the third week of the The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness. I have been lifting less with the workout -- only 2 days a week, and I'm wondering what you would recommend in regard to lifting while doing the CGTNSF3 workouts?My second question is about pull-ups. I have been stuck at around 20...

Having a muscular – skeletal strength imbalance can cause injury and other complications in your performance athletically or on the job. Here is a question from an officer seeking to improve his performance keeping balance in mind.“Stew, I have a question on how I should be progressing with opposing muscle group exercises. The last 3 set Dip/ Pull-up workout on the “assist” machine, my Dips increased to 8-10 per set and my Pull-ups are (stuck) at 6 per set and struggling. Should I be getting “even/equal” increases in strength and development of these "opposing" muscle groups and should I worry...

Here is an email from a military man seeking to get better at his pull-ups and pushups for an upcoming PFT for Special Ops Selection.Thank you for the 14 day Pull up and the Push up routine. I did it to the letter, doing on average of a 130 pull ups and 300+ pushups per work out. I went from 19 solid pull ups to 22 solid pull ups, and 76 pushups to 86 in 2 minutes. Now that I have come this far, what else can I do to get up to 25+ solid pull ups and 100+ push...

Hardcore Obstacle Races such as the intense military spec ops based , mud, crawling, climbing, even zombies chasing you, are all the rage these days. Most of these races share a common denominator - mud, water, obstacles you climb, crawl under, jump over, and run to and through. Most also throw in a few curve ball obstacles as a surprise that are usually terrain / race event specific to include sliding down hills, dealing with fire, rope climbs and swings, swims, log carries, and many more. But much of the fun is to not have a mapped out course and...