Stew Smith http://www.stewsmithfitness.com and Jeff Nichols (http://www.performancefirstus.com) discuss leave periods / holiday break training options for the high school / college student preparing for Spec Ops, the BUD/S student or other branch student preparing for selection, and the active duty operator with pre/post deployment leave periods. Some of the DO's and DON'Ts.

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.

Stew Smith and Jeff Nichols discuss goal setting for themselves as well as joint ventures in 2020. Also we discuss how to best set your training goals for 2020.

Stew Smith and Jeff Nichols discuss the show Game Changers about going Vegan / Vegetarian. http://www.stewsmithfitness.com and http://www.performancefirstus.com (Jeff)

We focus also on the question from a reader about being a Vegan and attending special ops selection programs.

NOTE:

Not eating animal products (meat / dairy / etc) is A way to eat and like many optional diets / food plans available, not necessarily THE way to eat for everyone. Whether you are vegetarian and vegan, the elimination of meat and/or dairy products and eggs requires some research in order to do it right. If you are not familiar with the Netflix documentary / movie called Game Changers, check it out and decide for yourself, but if you are thinking about actually going vegan, get some professional help from registered dietitians or nutritionists because malnutrition is not something you want.

Our comments are based solely on personal experience and opinion. But most of the movie is also based on personal experience and opinions of world class athletes who are vegan.

1 – IMPORTANT - The elimination of ANY macronutrient (protein (plant or animal), fat (plant or animal), and carbs) no matter what diet you are considering should be taken up with someone who is qualified in creating a nutritious program out of calorie restriction (less than 1500 cals a day), no carb, no fat, Intermittent Fasting, Keto, Paleo, or the Cabbage or Grapefruit Diet. Whatever diet it is – if at the end of the day you are eliminating something as big as a macronutrient or reducing calories significantly, there is a chance that you will be missing out some vitamin, mineral, amino acids, electrolyte, or other nutritious factor that is neglected by the change in the diet.

2 – Sometimes Change is Good, Sometimes Not – My advice is to give it a try and see if it works for you. If you are feeling sluggish, reduced energy, poor performance with training, or other noticeable changes in your overall health and wellness, you are likely doing it wrong or it is not right for you.

3 – It Depends – On Your Goals - If you are trying to lose weight, the reduction in calories by eliminating a food group will cause a weight loss. If you are trying to grow muscle, get stronger, faster, and stay active for long periods of time (selection programs), you need to make sure that for whatever calories you are eliminating you are making up with other food groups to get more calories and any missing nutrients. In fact, in order not to lose weight, you may have to eat up to 5,000-7,500 nutritious calories a day to have the energy for long days / nights of spec ops training. This may require multiple meals of extra protein, carbs, and fats.

4 – WHY? Performance, Ethical, Health Reasons – If you do not want to eat animals the moral decision to do that is in my opinion the strongest reason WHY to be a vegetarian or vegan. The heart disease patient also has logical reasoning behind the change in eating habits. The athletes in the game Changers Movie are going to be world class athletes no matter what they eat, and if they feel better with a vegan diet – it is great that it works for them. Is the vegan diet helping them with that missing 5% of performance a high caliber athlete is looking for in order stand on a podium, play pro sports and win? Anecdotally – sure. Is the vegan diet scientifically responsible for the increase in performance?

Currently, the military is all over the place with diet. From fast food on bases, chow hall cuisine, to researching the benefits of the Keto Diet, the military is simply a cross section of American society with it’s own share of dieting varieties, eating disorders, and obesity. Once again, find something that works for you. Get some advice from qualified people as to HOW to do it correctly so you do not miss out on any vital nutrients that could otherwise be a Game Changer in your future success.

But, to answer you(continued)

Stew Smith and Physiology and Philosophy Teacher Pat Bonis discuss failing, failure, and reframing the word as a stepping stone to success. http://www.stewsmithfitness.com

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.

Jeff Nichols and Stew Smith discuss hypertrophy and strength training for the athlete as well as the tactical athlete seeking special ops selections like BUDS. See http://www.stewsmithfitness.com and http://performancefirstus.com for Jeff's website.

Also this is a topic recently asked by a reader / listener that I answered in my Military.com Ask Stew column - https://www.military.com/military-fitness/navy-fitness/navy-special-operations/ask-stew-hypertrophy-versus-strength-training

Check it out:

My Hypertrophy Programs for Spec Ops - Calisthenics and Cardio - http://store.stewsmithptclub.com/caandcawooeb.html

Navy SEAL Fitness - http://store.stewsmithptclub.com/cogutonasefi.html and other hypertrophy and strength training mixes http://store.stewsmithptclub.com/stsmpubodv.html

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.

Stew Smith (http://www.stewsmithfitness.com) and Jeff Nichols (https://www.performancefirstus.com) discuss hypoxic training in the pool, at altitude, while running, lifting and other activities.

The physiology and training options behind hypoxic workouts can be helpful if you do it correctly and safely (not by yourself). Try out some of these classics:

Hypoxic Swim Pyramid: (FREESTYLE)

100m at 2 strokes / breath

100m at 4 strokes/ breath

100m at 6 strokes / breath

100m at 8 strokes/ breath

100m at 10 strokes / breath

100m at 12 strokes/ breath....or return back down the pyramid to get about 1000m worth of swimming

Swim 50-50 free / css workout

Repeat 10 times

-Swim 50m freestyle at 6-8 strokes per breath OR underwater dolphin kick with fins

-Swim 50m CSS at goal pace OR turtleback 25m (flutterkicking on back - nose breathing)

Over / Unders:

Repeat 10 times

-Swim 25m underwater dolphin kick with fins

-Swim 25m turtleback 25m (flutterkicking on back - nose breathing)

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.

Dan Luna was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy SEAL community for 20 years with 15 years of combat deployments at the highest levels of Naval Special Warfare. Mentioned in the interview was a speech he gave at the Naval Academy Leadership Conference in 2017 and 2018 (not once was he asked but twice).

2018 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6NdE...

2017 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMpIz...

Both are excellent and are a MUST SEE for any future spec ops candidate or those just seeking some leadership knowledge.

His website is http://www..the3lw.com

Team 3LX coming soon!

Follow Dan on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dan.p.luna

For more To, Through, and After Videos - check out:

https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/blog...

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.

Stew Smith (http://www.stewsmithfitness.com) and Jeff Nichols (http://performancefirstus.com ) discus their journey to creating challenging training programs for tactical populations.

The journey they both share is years of personal experience, learning from mentorship, education, trial and error, and testing and evaluation.

Check out the 20 year periodization program Stew developed and still is using / modifying / evolving / learning to be flexible:

https://www.military.com/military-fitness/navy-special-operations/20-years-of-periodization-training

Check out Jeff's website for more information on programs and in person training seminars: http://www.performancefirstus.com

For more videos of combat swimmer stroke, workouts, and other spec ops related training see this youtube channel - http://www.youtube.com/stew50smith .

See http://www.stewsmithfitness.com for more information about military, law enforcement, special ops, fire fighting training programs.

Both Stew Smith (http://www.stewsmithfitness.com) and Patick Bonis have seen too many people sign up to become SEALs, EOD, Divers, RECON, PJ and have never swum a 500yd swim before EVER! There is no reason for this - See all the information we discuss that is out there for people to learn from (videos, official military websites, social media).

Never stop learning especially if you are attempting a challenging job where 70% or more fail each class. Your preparaiton matters.

Thanks again - StewSmith

Follow Stew Smith on:

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/stewsmithfitness

Instagram http://instagram.com/stewsmith50

Twitter http://www.twitter.com/stewsmith

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.

Stew Smith discusses the journey with Nick Hays with a new To, Through, and After Podcast. Check out the road less traveled taken by former Navy SEAL Nick Hays as he went through life being a team player, his discovery about Navy SEAL process, his preparation, recruiting process, building discipline in boot camp, stories while at BUDS, in the Teams and beyond. The beyond include teaching people about http://www.eliteteams.com and learning from successful mentors, advanced education at Harvard Business School. Check out his book ELITE that can be found at Amazon (see link)

https://www.amazon.com/Elite-Performance-Lessons-Habits-Former/dp/1119538092

Check out more of the Nick Hays Life at his social media @nickhayslife (Instagram)

https://www.instagram.com/nickhayslife/

Check out more podcasts at

https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/new-podcast-the-tactical-fitness-report-with-stew-smith

Check out the New Stew Smith Fitness Club (Member's Only Content and Services)

https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/pages/try-our-membership-club-stew-smith-fitness-club-1-best-selling-tactical-fitness-professionals

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