Stew Smith Fitness News

I am not sure if the StewSmith.com or the Military.com readers read the most recent article written by the Associated Press describing the overweight soldiers in our military titled “Are U.S. Troops Too Fat to Fight?” The story not only discusses the overweight trends of the active duty and reserve military, but also the recruits who are too heavy to enter into the military. The military community has always been a cross section of society – good or bad. These days, as our country increases in size, it is only a matter of time before the military shares the traits...

Every year, I have the honor of working out with more than 2000 high school students seeking acceptance into the Naval Academy during the Summer Seminar program. Hundreds of emails each year concerning all of the Service Academy programs have prompted me to write the most frequently asked questions I receive. These emails are from many of the young men and women seeking to serve their country as an officer in any of the services.Here they are: 1 - Do all of the services have their own academy? If so how do you get into them? This is a monster...

When on a Navy war ship (or submarine), you have two issues to deal with: lack of time and lack of space (unless you are on a huge ship, then you will have access to moderate scaled weight rooms -- but you still have the issue of time).This week a Navy Sailor emailed me and got me thinking back to the underway deployments I was on, and what we did to stay fit -- or to at least maintain an advanced level of fitness. He wrote:I'm currently in a deployable billet. I know some people come back a few pounds...

I often get emails from soldiers and civilians who are training for Ranger or Special Forces courses on how to prepare for the Ruck Marches. Many civilians training to join the Army ask more specific questions concerning how the Ruck Marches are performed. For example here is a Ranger / SF hopeful:I'm currently a civilian and about to join the Army and go Ranger, then HOPEFULLY to SF. So, for beginner/first timer's, do I start with about 25 lbs. in my backpack? Is that at a "normal marching" speed or borderline jogging or should I just be walking "briskly"? Finally,...

I had several emails this week that require short and sweet answers, so I have compiled a list of the top five questions that were most commonly asked. They are the following:Are pulls ups and dips considered resistance training? Yes any weight - even your body weight - is considered resistance training. If you are a person who the doctor or trainer recommends adding resistance training into your program, chances are you are probably ONLY doing cardio workouts or a beginner to exercise.Resistance training is moving various joints of your body through a full range of motion with applied force...