Stew Smith Fitness News

People who exercise and those who do not, often neglect the upper back and rear shoulder muscles. Life has a way of bowing your upper back and rolling your shoulders forward. In technical terms, we are basically “internally rotated” within the shoulder girdle. Many things in life "internally rotate” us such as driving, sitting at a computer, playing video games, texting, carrying backpacks, bench pressing, pushups, situps and many more exercises and daily life events. So posture is critical to performance and our confidence. Perfect Posture is possible by adding in a few daily exercises for only a few minutes.Basically,...

I recently wrote an article on Adding Balance to Your Life, but it was aimed more at beginners and for those who are losing their balance as they age. People fall everyday due to loss of balance muscles that accompanies a sedentary lifestyle. Spending your 40s, 50s, and 60s not exercising regularly can lead to a variety of broken bones and even death. So by simply standing on one leg everyday for a few minutes can help you build the lower leg muscles which will help with your reaction time to catch yourself if you stumble. This article is inspired...

When to eat and what to eat are constant questions that affect your fitness performance, weight loss / gain goals, as well as overall health. I was recently challenged with a question by email that asked, “What should I eat/drink before, during, and after my workout? My goal is to perform better in my running, swimming, PT test and following spec ops training.” The answer will vary depending on your goal, but understanding After, Before, During (ABD’s) of Workout Nutrition will better help all groups reach their fitness goals. I saw the” ABD’s of Recovery Nutrition” at a recent Mid-Atlantic...

8 Count Body Builder Pushup / Pullup Pyramid The Obstacle Course Simulator Workout This workout is one we developed when we were thinking how to simulate an obstacle course without one to train with. So we figured there was a 20-30 yard run in between most obstacles. Most obstacles had either a pulling exercise or a pushing exercise or a combo of both. So we added an 8 count bodybuilder (or burpees) to the exercise and a pullup and set the workout to a pyramid cycle. So it looks like this: Preparation for Obstacle Courses: Use the 8 Count Body...

I often get emails from people young and old about getting prepared for military training, and also from veterans who want to be in the shape they used to be when they served in the military. Here is a list of just a few of the many former military officers and enlisted who train civilians to not only lose weight and get healthy, but prepare for military training too. If you are a veteran in the fitness business, send me a paragraph and link of what you do and I will add to this page.Military Fitness programs are popular. In...