Stew Smith Fitness News

Often young men and women ask me about training for the military and police officer professions, but unfortunately most of them (about 60% who email me) have to lose weight in order to meet the minimum requirements for the height and weight / body fat standards. The military refused more than 47,000 people due to not passing the height-weight / body fat standards last year.Typically, those who are overweight are also not meeting the minimum physical fitness standards for the branch of service they choose. Losing weight AND getting fit for duty can be extremely challenging and potentially injurious. I...

I just found your website and I love reading through all of the articles that you have posted. I have found them extremely helpful. I have been interested in the Navy SEALs for several years and I am now looking to join the Navy in four years, after I graduate from college. I want to spend the next four years training and preparing for BUDS and beyond. I am training hard and pushing myself like no one around me. My question is: What is the difference between mental toughness and stupidity? Ha – good question. I am actually pausing as...

After the National Geographic Channel’s Fight Science television show on Special Ops, a majority of the emails received this week discussed mental toughness, as if I had some magic solution for people to acquire it. The truth is the human body is built for survival and will adapt to better handle cold, heat, stress, pain and just about anything you can throw at it. After years of training in cold water before, during and after my seven years in the SEAL Teams, I got used to colder water as seen in the Fight Science TV show. However, if you take...

Marines are weighed, at least semi-annually (annually for Reserves) and are enrolled in the Body Composition Program - formerly known as the "Weight Control Program." If the Marine is over the weight on the chart, but meets the body-fat standard, they are considered to be within the required standards, and no further action is taken. The Marine is weighed, and the weight compared to the below chart. Only if the Marine exceeds the allowable weight on the chart, they are measured for body-fat.Body Fat Standards for Marines are:Male - Not to exceed 18 percent. Females - Not to exceed 26...

Preparing for any of the United States Marine Corps training programs is not easy and it should only be done with a solid foundation of physical activity. This could require years of athletics or workouts to have the kind of foundation required to excel in the Marine Corps. Personally, a lifetime of sports and learning to be a team player is critical to your success not only through the boot camp or OCS programs but also during your career as a Marine. People who become USMC recruits often make the mistake and think that the USMC will "get them in...