Stew Smith Fitness

09/14/2026

Good luck through Hell Week—you are going to need it. But here are things that are in your control that you should focus on, especially the first half of the week:

Here is the first piece of advice: You can’t get stronger or faster this week, but you can get tougher. Remember that when the suck sets in. Focus on the below three:

• The Big 3: Fuel, water, and electrolytes. You, your classmates, and your boat crew members need three vital things: fuel, water, and electrolytes. Make sure you are hydrating constantly and actively adding salt to your meals. Your body burns through resources at an incredible rate in the cold and surf.

• Meal Strategy: Make it to the next meal is the only mindset you need. Eat all you can, whenever you get the chance. You need that fuel to stay warm and keep your energy up. Do not skip a single calorie. Remind your buddy to eat, drink, add salt/ electrolytes. Every single meal matters mentally and physically.
• Teammate / Self Accountability: Watch your buddy's back, track their food/water/electrolytes (salt), and get cuts checked early to prevent severe infections. Above all else, be a good teammate. You cannot survive this alone. Look out for the guy to the left and right of you.

At the end of the day, all the tactics and tips only go so far. Everything else is up to you and how badly you want it. You will learn an important thing when you finish Hellweek: your mind and body can endure 10x what you thought they could before you started.

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09/12/2026

Welcome to another Weekend Accountability Day live stream. It is time to stop guessing and start measuring. This is not about feeling guilty over a "cheat day," but about having an honest account of how you actually performed over the last week.

How did you do this week? Drop your updates in the LIVE QA chat.

Did you hit all your workouts?
Did you stay on top of your nutrition and hydration, or did a busy schedule get in the way?
Did you gain weight, lose weight, or see a performance improvement?

Remember, this data isn't good or bad—it’s just raw feedback so you can stop guessing, look at the facts, and make better adjustments for next week.

Bring your questions on training, tactical fitness preparation, and overcoming the mental hurdles of special ops or first responder selection.

Let’s look at the numbers, take the emotion out of it, and get ready for a better week ahead.

Check out more resources, training programs, books, online coaching, and articles at:https://www.StewSmithFitness.com

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09/12/2026

Saturday morning training (SMT) amongst the midshipman. These are just regular freshmen under the boat and under the logs and bear crawling and fireman carrying. SMTs are tough.

09/11/2026

To pull out or not is a common debate we have here when kicking off the wall and transitioning into the stroke. If you’re a transition is not good it is better to not do the breaststroke pull out and do what the swimmer does on the second kickoff, coming back.

09/10/2026

Getting that upper body worked today. Run and swim after.

09/09/2026

Mobility day! Move a lot / stretch a little

09/08/2026

Fall Training Cycle is Near. With new schedules and the new season, what are your training plans? Here is ours:

Fall Training Cycle is Here!Run Faster, Lift More, and Weighted Cals Stew Smith's Seasonal Tactical Fitness Periodization adjusts the training throughout the year. For instance, we are ending our Summer (Cals/Cardio) Cycle and transitioning into the Fall Training Cycle. The Fall training is a 12-wee...

09/08/2026

Stew Smith's fall training is a 12-week transition phase that shifts from high-mileage running and high-repetition calisthenics to weight training, reduced running volume, and load-bearing exercises. See https://www.stewsmithfitness.com for more.

Key Goals of Fall Training
• Joint Recovery: Gives the body a break after the high-mileage and high-repetition overload of the summer peak.
• Weight Integration: Gradually introduces weights and weight vests while lowering calisthenics repetition counts.
• Cardio Shift: Reduces overall running mileage while slightly increasing running speed, and mixes in non-impact cardio, rucking, and fin-swimming.
• Durability Prep: Prepares the body for the heavier winter lifting cycle by building baseline strength and power.

Typical Fall Routine Structure
• Assessment & Deload: Starts in September with a recovery and testing week to gauge endurance and muscle stamina.
• Blended Workouts: Combines calisthenics ladders (like push-ups, pull-ups, and dips) with foundational strength exercises (like bench press, rows, and deadlifts).
• Weighted Calisthenics: Uses weight vests, sandbags, and medicine balls to bridge the gap between pure bodyweight movements and external loads.
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You can find the official program guide and related materials through the Stew Smith Fitness Store: https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/products/ebook-seasonal-tactical-fitness-periodization-fall-transition

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09/08/2026

Leg day: squats, hinge, lunge, carry and short fast runs. Last week of summer. Taking a running / calisthenics Deload of volume, but adding a little bit of weight and shorter faster runs.

09/07/2026

Life is filled with ups and downs, smooth times, and challenging times. This is a story about the hard work and focus required to dig out of the hole I created for myself, and about the most exciting peaks of my teenage years into my early 20s. Finding new focal points and mission changes across the multiple hills and valleys of life that now make up what I call my formative years was the key.

Long, long ago, back in the 1900's...

I wanted to share something I like to share with 2nd-year students at the Naval Academy whenever possible. It is often a weird time for many, as you lose that freshman focus on being on the alert for typical challenges given on a daily / often hourly basis. In fact, I recently told this story to first-semester sophomores in a guest-speaking role I filled in a Leadership class, and I thought I would share it with you, too.; Here is my story:

https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/when-things-arent-working-find-a-new-focus-or-mission

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