Stew Smith Fitness News

The definition of "grinder' is the concrete-asphalt area at BUD/S where the students do their calisthenics workouts. It is surrounded by pullup bars, dip bars and the instructors, training officer, and commanding officer's offices. You have the constant feeling of always being watched while you are on the "grinder". So, put out hard, count loud, and cheer your class through the workout or you will wind up doing the workout "wet and sandy" or spend an hour in the leaning rest! The Grinder PT Workout has been developed out of a concern for those future BUD/S candidates who may not...

We all need some help finding gifts for those who like to workout in an above average fashion! Here are a few options and places to shop if in search for a fitness gift or New Year's resolution starter kit!The TRX - Fitness in a Bag! Former SEAL Randy Hetrick has created a device that is easy to carry and so versatile I still cannot name all the exercises you can do with this thing. My latest count is over 200 exercises. In an article, I compared his TRX to a Universal Weight Machine and for a 1/10 of the...

Here is an email I receive quite often from young teenagers (as well as from concerned parents) who want to serve their country, but are curious how to start preparing themselves for the military training - especially SEAL and other Special Ops programs. With SEALs in the media doing spectacular operations, movies, TV, books, and video games, the number of kids wanting to do this has sky-rocketed. Here is a typical email I get from teens these days:Hi Stew, If I wanted to become a Navy SEAL when should I start training? I am 15 years old and have wanted...

I often receive emails concerning guys who are “too lean”, “too short”, “too tall”, “too big” to attend SEAL training. This is one of the first “doubts” you will have about yourself on whether or not you are tough enough to make it through SEAL training. There is not much you can do about what God gave you physically - BUT the good news is the SEALs need men of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and colors. Here is a sampling of emails I receive on a near weekly basis and this will hopefully help you clear the self-doubt you are...

After reviewing my article archives, and more specifically my Navy SEAL related articles, I realized I have written about how to get to BUDS and what workouts will help you make it through BUDS, but I never wrote about Hell Week. I received an email this week asking about my Hell Week. It reads, "Stew, do you think SEAL training Hell Week is still as hard as when you were going through BUD/S." Of course, any old frogman will tell you his Hell Week was the toughest ever, but I have to say, I have seen several Hell Weeks since...