Stew Smith Fitness News

Why Mental Resilience and Physical Preparation Are Both Essential to Success 10-minute plank is more mental than physical Rethinking the '10% Physical / 90% Mental' Statement If you've ever prepared for a challenging military or law enforcement training program, you've probably heard the phrase, "It's 10% physical, 90% mental." It's echoed in boot camps, selection courses, and locker rooms across the country. At first glance, this statement might seem to diminish the importance of physical fitness or suggest that success depends mostly on book smarts. However, the reality is far more nuanced and empowering for anyone aiming to excel under...

Have you wondered what the elements are that work together to create mental toughness? After writing about Mental Toughness in articles (& doing podcasts) and creating the Never Quit Mindset program, a friend of mine asked me what I thought the top ten traits for mental toughness would be.  After some thought and discussions with some successful, mentally tough people, we came up with this: Lifting / Running Outside (year-round) Mental Toughness – How Do We Get it / Develop It?  Make it stronger?  Many young people ask me these questions each day, and I wish there were a simple answer.  I wish...

Are You Ready for the Changes to the FBI Special Agent Candidates' Physical Fitness Test - Effective Nov 2025?  In 2025, the FBI will implement major changes to its Physical Fitness Test (PFT) for all special agent candidates. These updates aim to better assess upper-body strength and stamina, cardiovascular endurance, and speed. The key changes include replacing sit-ups with pull-ups and lowering the overall passing score of the entire FBI Test (4 events) from 12 to 10. The reason the total test score dropped from 12 to 10 is that the pull-up test is much more difficult than the sit-ups. ...

Going Into Special Operations Programs as a Candidate is Very Similar to this Ominous Picture: It is dark. You can see the beginning of the path, but the unknown around the corner appears to be going up a steep hill and into a cold and dark winter storm. Welcome to the Spec Ops Journey! Prepare Smart or This Journey Can End Before it Even Starts When you're preparing to join a military special operations program, you need to make sure you're as fully prepared by doing the hard work…not just interested in joining. You're embarking on a journey that will...

Order the New Fitness Program / Book here! The Army Combat Fitness Test is now the ARMY FITNESS TEST (AFT).  The changes are minimal, so you still have to run 2 miles, deadlift, hand-release pushups, sprint-drag-carry, but the power throw and the leg tuck are taken out, and the plank pose is in! Whether you are a new recruit or a current Army soldier, this change applies to you.  If so, you need to get into the weight room to build not only your muscle stamina and cardio endurance but also strength, power, speed, agility, and grip strength.  You still...