Stew Smith Fitness News

PST and Selection Training:Perfect is the Enemy of Good Enough When it comes to performing well on fitness tests that are competitive in nature like those of special ops programs, too many times I have seen great candidates sabotage themselves because they wanted to crush a particular strength they had, but they left a weakness that was quickly exposed. Underperforming in one of many events is common and you just have to gut check that weakness when enduring selection, but doing this in Phase 1 of Tactical Fitness (Getting TO the Training) can cause you to not even meet the standards...

Weight Vest Wednesday #3 Run 1 mile Warmup pace - no weight vest / stretch Put on Weight Vest Pullup and Pushup Pyramid 1-10 warmup with 50m jog in between sets (stop at 10) 1 pushup / 1 pullup - jog 50m (mix in dynamic stretches), 2/2, 3/3, 4/4...up to 10/10   Weigh Vest 20# Repeat 6 times Pullups 5-10+ TRX Pushups max (or Hand Release WV Pushups)DB Bicep/military 10 Heavy rows 5 or TRX rows 10​​​​​​Dips 10-15Plank or TRX rollouts 1 min   Lightweight Shoulder Run 1.5 mile timed (no vest) Optional later in the day:  Swim or Ruck Swim...

The 3 Week Strength / 1 Week Calisthenics / Cardio (PST related) Block Periodization Cycle Update and Lessons Learned   The start of this Winter Lift Cycle, I decided to try something new as a long term strength training cycle can get stale with performance plateaus if you are not careful and actively pursuing recovery. You have to keep everything in near perfect balance in order to fully recover from hypertrophy and strength training cycles (nutrition, sleep, smart split routines, balanced overload principle with recovery / mobility days). You have a choice: - You can do a deload week which is very...

The #1 Reason Why People Cannot Serve - Failure to Meet the Height & Weight Standards - The number one reason why people are not meeting the standards to serve our country and communities is that they do not meet the height / weight standards (over bodyfat limits) as well as the failure to meet the entry level fitness standards.  A generation ago, the main reason for not being able to join and serve was education level and criminal records. Those are still an issue as well, but failure to meet the height / weight standards has since surpassed as...

When There is No Time to Get Stronger or Faster, You Need to Get Tougher There will be a moment when you are taking part of a Special Ops selection level evolution, that you realize that "this sucks" and may have to engage your mental toughness just to get to the end of the event. This is the gut check that is all yours. Whether it is just a natural weakness or you failed to properly prepare, all you can do now is focus on your recovery each day, avoid injury, and bring your game face to that event the...