Tactical Fitness Report with Stew Smith Podcast Stew Smith

What is the best way to grip the pullup bar? It depends. I think a wide variety of grips can make your pullup workouts more enjoyable and diversify the strain on wrists, elbows, shoulders, joints, and muscles. But what is the best way to grab the bar? That also depends.Grabbing the BarDepending on the grip you select and how many pull-ups you plan to do in a workout, you may want to consider how you grab the bar. One of the ongoing debates in the fitness world is where the thumbs go when the bar is grabbed. I call these grips the barbell grip and the mountain climber grip. A classic workout incorporating all the grips is the half pyramid repeated five times, one for each grip. This workout totals 150 pullups in a single workout, but you can adjust to 100 total repetitions by not doing the 10-rep set below:Regular Pullup – 2,4,6,8,10Reverse Pullup - 2,4,6,8,10Close Pullup - 2,4,6,8,10Wide Pullup – 2,4,6,8,10Commando Pullup - 2,4,6,8,10Discussions on pull-ups are popular mainly because they are so difficult. The percentages of men and women able to perform one unassisted pullup are low, as this exercise is the “heavy weightlifting” of the calisthenics world.  As a nation that is increasingly getting heavier and heavier every decade, the statistics will likely continue in the negative direction until we get stronger and lose weight (generically speaking).

Jeff Nichols (https://www.performancefirstus.com) and Stew Smith https://www.stewsmithfitness.com created a fun podcast with this topic and share many of there keepsakes from the Teams, Boot Camp, and the Naval Academy. Check out other videos of combat swimmer stroke, workouts, and other spec ops related training.  See http://www.stewsmithfitness.com for more information about military, law enforcement, special ops, fire fighting training programs.

See latest article on the introduction topic of the day: https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/you-failed-or-quit-how-hard-is-it-to-get-back-to-bud-s-spec-ops-programs-other-goalsUnfortunately, humans fail, get injured, and simply quit when things get difficult. Sometimes, it is an accident, but more often than not, it is a lack of preparation and failure to deal with inherent weaknesses we all have (physical, mental, emotional, and maturity). This article is going to explain the process of trying to get back after you fail, quit, or get sick/injured specifically as it pertains to Navy SEAL training (BUD/S). However, many of these same pieces of advice will help you with your awareness to allow yourself to be human, forgive yourself, quit living in the past, and focus on getting stronger and better for the next challenge - whatever that may be for your personal journey in life. See more at https://www.stewsmithfitness.comWant to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/6164612443013120

Have you been told that static stretching is bad, and it does not doesn't prevent injuries? See - https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/dont-skip-moblity-dayMost of us have been coached to avoid stretching altogether, don’t stretch before a workout, or use dynamic stretches instead. For me personally, stretching more has been life-changing, with increased joint mobility, reduced pain, and even injury prevention. Despite what you may have been told, a well-balanced mix of cardio warmups, dynamic stretching, and static stretching can make a real difference in your physical health. Finding the right warmup routine for your body and your specific physical activities is a process that will take some trial and error, but the benefits are well worth the effort.The Benefits of Daily StretchingDaily stretching can be spread throughout the day with short walks mixed with any stretch for just minutes a day. But it is recommended to add a stretching session after exercise or stressful days or as a cooldown to cardio activity. Helps Decompress – Both physically and mentally, stretching allows you to relax, brings stress levels down, and puts you in a better mindset. Stress in the body makes muscles tight and stiff, leading to tension headaches and lower back pains. Stretching helps to relieve aches from common soreness and tension. Stretching increases blood flow throughout the body and the brain. Increasing feel-good hormones like serotonin stretching reduces stress, anxiety, and general fatigue—stretch/stress study. See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23764394/Increased Flexibility and Joint Range of Motion – This major benefit also allows you to be more balanced with your posture and will help you prevent injuries. From avoiding common daily aches and pains to being more durable during workouts and athletic activity, stretching reduces pain and injury through soft tissue flexibility and joint mobility. Helps with Treading Water and Swimming – For many non-swimming athletes, swimming and treading are more difficult, mainly due to the lack of shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle mobility and tight leg, back, and shoulder muscles.  See related article and recent coaching tips. see article - https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/treading-might-be-a-mobility-issue-try-these-stretches-movementsCooling Down After Workout – Most people who stretch will stretch on the back end of a workout, but often, this section is skipped due to busy lives and lack of time. But stretching helps us move better. When you bend over to pick up a heavy box or even a pen on the floor, you can throw your back out just by bending over at the hips if your back, hips, and legs are tight (lacking flexibility and mobility). Sitting is the New Smoking – Getting up every 30-40 minutes for a quick walk and stretching session of the legs, hips, and shoulders can reduce stress and back pain and help you with your productivity and mood. Sitting too much is one of the biggest reasons why we need to pursue a daily stretching habit actively. See more great training ideas at https://www.stewsmithfitness.com in the form of free articles, free APP, and books, ebooks, and online coaching too.Find more about our programs at our social media:Facebook    Instagram  TikTok  Youtubehttp://www.facebook.com/stewsmith182http://www.instagram.com/stewsmith50https://www.tiktok.com/@stewsmith50https://www.youtube.com/stew50smithGo to https://www.stewsmithfitness.com and use LIVE15 and save 15% on the store purchases

Get good at both - learn about Seasonal Tactical Fitness Periodization - https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/seasonal-tactical-fitness-periodization-what-is-it-why-is-it-importantFor the best athletes in either the endurance or strength world, you will find both athlete types excel in one and perform rather miserably in the other.  While this may be true for the elite athletes who need to master their competition events, it does not matter for the tactical athlete in the military, who needs to have a solid foundation in both but does not need to be great in either strength or endurance. Just being good at both is the goal of the tactical athlete in the military, police, and firefighting professions. A recent study was published ( https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35971745/ ) discussing that after a cycle of endurance training, athletes who did a resistance training cycle immediately following saw an increased rate of muscle growth. This is news as, for as long as I can remember, those who like to lift for both strength and mass gains avoid cardio as if it were a disease that could negatively affect their performance and/or aesthetics. Granted, this study was done in untrained teens, who typically see quick increases in gains when exposed to any new stimulus. See more great training ideas at https://www.stewsmithfitness.com in the form of free articles, free APP, and books, ebooks, and online coaching too.Find more about our programs at our social media:Facebook    Instagram  TikTok  Youtubehttp://www.facebook.com/stewsmith182http://www.instagram.com/stewsmith50https://www.tiktok.com/@stewsmith50https://www.youtube.com/stew50smithGo to https://www.stewsmithfitness.com and use LIVE15 and save 15% on the store purchasesWant to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/6164612443013120

National Diet Cheat Day is was here this week. Many Americans are thankful for this day of feasting as it can bring together family, friends, and lots of food with no excuses. If you are considering making Thanksgiving Day your “cheat day” and combining eating a masterfully prepared meal by someone prideful in their cooking with sitting around watching football, parades, and dog shows, try some of these ideas to help with some activity. Get the Physical Activity Done BEFORE Eating – There are many tradition-making ideas to get you moving on Thanksgiving morning. The low-hanging fruit for physical activity can start with home and yard cleanup if you are hosting a dinner. Local Turkey-Trots for a good cause are also available in most areas, OR you can make your own family/friend-oriented Turkey Trot. If you have a big family or group of friends, maybe create your own Turkey-Bowl Flag Football game. These are all great ideas for morning activity.Start a Tradition - My own Thanksgiving Day workout consists of current students and prior students who are back home on leave for a traditional run and calisthenics / some lifting workouts. While they have varied in detail throughout the 25 years of workout tradition, having a mini-reunion with old friends is a fun hour or so. It has been more reunion than a typical difficult workout, but remembering where you came from is also a nice touch. Long before this tradition, when I would go home, my high school buddies and I would meet old coaches in the morning at the high school and have the gym to ourselves.  I am sure this is where I got the idea to continue creating a moment for former students to join in a homecoming workout.  If you are a coach, consider building a new tradition if it fits your abilities and facilities. See more great training ideas at https://www.stewsmithfitness.com in the form of free articles, free APP, and books, ebooks, and online coaching too.Find more about our programs at our social media:Facebook    Instagram  TikTok  Youtubehttp://www.facebook.com/stewsmith182http://www.instagram.com/stewsmith50https://www.tiktok.com/@stewsmith50https://www.youtube.com/stew50smithGo to https://www.stewsmithfitness.com and use LIVE15 and save 15% on the store purchases