Stew Smith Fitness News

This week an Army Officer emailed me with a goal of dropping two minutes off his mile run pace. This is not a tough goal to achieve IF you are presently running a 10:00 mile and have a goal of 8:00 mile pace. However, as you can imagine, it gets much tougher going from 8:00 mile pace to 6:00 mile pace or faster. But the 10:00 to 8:00 pace can actually be done in less than a few months as long as you are not new to running. If you are a beginner, you should always ramp up distance, pace,...

Exercising your legs is very often overlooked by even the most avid weight lifters and exercisers. Many people simply cannot and should not perform some of the more basic leg exercises like squats and lunges due to knee and lower back injuries. But, that does not mean you have to neglect the pillars of our bodies' foundation. Doing leg workouts not only make your legs stronger and able to support your body better, but you will actually burn more calories in your workouts by incorporating a leg routine. Since your lower body has the biggest muscles in your body, by...

Every year, after a few months of decreased running due to winter weather, I receive emails from people who are starting to ache after only a few days of running. Typically, if you take off for more than 2-3 months from a regular running routine, chances are when you start again you will start "where you left off," and actually over-train. Basically, you are running too far, too soon. It takes time to build up to a rigorous amount of running (4-6 miles day -- 4-5 times a week), even if you used to run this far in the fall...

There are several military swimming related tests most military members must be able to pass. Usually, these tests are either performed at the various military indoctrination training programs throughout the branches or in advanced training such as special forces.However, in the Navy and Coast Guard the swim test is part of the physical testing members receive bi-annually usually 500m or 12:00 swim test. First of all – when swimming – no matter who you are – you should never swim without a lifeguard or swim partner when training in the pool. If you are having a tough time being comfortable...

Have you ever started off on a run and had aching knees or hips, but soon after a short warm-up jog and light stretch all felt better? Typically this is how most people start off on a run. Unfortunately, tendonitis can flare up quickly if running several times a week for several miles. Myofascial Release (MFR) technique is a great way to relieve the post-exercise soreness as well as help with pre-exercise warm-up as well. Today we will discuss two ways to do MFR: Check out Youtube video of Stew doing these exercises:1 – The Foam Roller – Maybe you...