Rating: 
Summary: Maximum RESULTS
Review: An EXCELLENT fitness work! REVOLUTIONARY, Must Have!!! This book is designed for ANY person of ANY athletic ability including FEMALES that want to be in the best overall shape possible. Whether you are a lifter, runner, swimmer, cyclist, PT-er, or neither you will gain valuable insight into your field and into the benefits of CROSS TRAINING. It is a scientific and fun 52-week program that will allow you to be as fit as a Navy SEAL and revolutionize your understanding of fitness. These are the same workouts that he used to train candidates who successfully completed Navy SEAL training. The workouts and techniques can be modified to your level, even if you cannot do a single pushup, pullup, or dip. However, it can also be more challenging than Mr. Smith's 12 week Navy SEAL workout. MALE or FEMALE, this will allow you to perform several pullups or complete a TRIATHLON. I definately recommend purchasing this book if you are interested in being seriously fit and looking good. I have seen dramatic results both in myself and in many other people. Good Luck!
Rating:
Summary: MAXIMUM FITNESS-NAVY SEAL
Review: For those gym rats looking for a challenging workout, there's none better than the one Stew Smith and his minions have devised! I'm a 20+year gym rat who thought he'd seen and done it all. I'm now into my 12th week of the 52-week program, and I can honestly say I've never experienced anything like this! Trust me on this one, this is the most well-rounded workout you will ever encounter. If you are suffering from burnout (as I was), then it is well worth your money to check this product out. Again, trust me on this one, you won't be sorry!
Rating:
Summary: MAXIMUM FITNESS-NAVY SEAL
Review: For those gym rats looking for a challenging workout, there's none better than the one Stew Smith and his minions have devised! I'm a 20+year gym rat who thought he'd seen and done it all. I'm now into my 12th week of the 52-week program, and I can honestly say I've never experienced anything like this! Trust me on this one, this is the most well-rounded workout you will ever encounter. If you are suffering from burnout (as I was), then it is well worth your money to check this product out. Again, trust me on this one, you won't be sorry!
Rating:
Summary: Already seeing results!
Review: I am already seeing positive effects from the workouts in this book! LT Smith's tips and info can definitely be a tremendous help to anyone with physical goals of all different kinds. In a short time, I have witnessed a dramatic increase in my energy level, stength, and muscle tone, especially in upper body. It is the perfect guide not only for beginners, but also for those who are in their best shape looking for even better results!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Pictures and instructions to begin a fitness program
Review: I am glad I purchased this book. I needed something to refresh my memory on calisthetics;free weights and some weight machine training. This book has great pictures although a few were out of sequence ( easy enough to see when you go by the written instructions) Where the book falls short is in the 52 week training program. It is very difficult to interpret what is meant...He calls some exercises by a different name than is shown on the picture. 1st day-regular crunch-nowhere to be found. There is no table of contents ( the first thing I had to make) so when he lists an exercise you have to hunt it down! He uses swimming as part of the program..not everyone has a pool; I would have liked a substitute.But the pictures have me hooked and I am well into training using this book as a guide.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment
Review: I bought Stew's 1st book & it really helped me get back into shape. Eagerly, I bought this one but was disappointed. It's a re-hash of what is in the 1st book with cycling and weights thrown in helter-skelter. The workouts were difficult to follow.
His 1st book was terrific. This one isn't.
Rating:
Summary: A new level of fitness
Review: I recieved this book shortly after it became availible. I've used numerous workout programs (including military training) and this one looks to be the best by far. LT Smith's 12 week program from his previous book put me in the best shape of my life and I can't wait to see the results once I'm done with this program. The 4 phase structure varies the workouts so you don't get bored with the program and every day is a bigger challenge than the day before. Outstanding book for those wanting to become a SEAL or just get into great shape.
Rating:
Summary: Maximum Fitness = Maximum Results!
Review: Maximum Fitness is a complete reference of well researched and time proven strategies to help anyone, regardless of fitness level, reach their maximum potential. The workouts are based on a novel crosstraining approach. This approach incorporates calisthenics, weight training, swimming, biking, running, stretching and innovative time saver workouts one can perform anywhere and still maintain peak physical condition. Mr. Smith's detailed and inspirational descriptions of the exercises, coupled with expertly photographed segments, produces a fine reference that the novice will easily comprehend. Also, the expert will be challenged like never before - try running three miles followed by swimming, abdominal, and chest exercises for thirty minutes, and then another three mile run! Maximum fitness in the only result! Maximum Fitness is like having a personal trainer next to you during your workout 52 weeks a year. I have had a private lesson with Stew Smith recently and I can attest to his depth of knowledge, and sincerity with which he wants us all to reach maximum fitness.
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Summary: What this book can do for you...
Review: Maximum Fitness: The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Crosstraining is the latest offering by Stewart Smith, a former US Navy Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) officer. Previously, Stewart wrote “The Complete Guide toNavy SEAL Fitness.” (Hatherleigh:1998). Maximum Fitness picks up where this last book leaves off. While the last book featured the 12-weeks to BUD/S (Navy SEAL initiation) workout, this book gives you more than just the preparation training to enter the Navy SEALs! Stewart Smith, a Naval Academy graduate, has been at it for more than a decade. Many would-be SEALs successfully negotiated the SEAL Training program (considered the toughest military training in the world) by using Stew Smith’s methods and training philosophy. In fact, Stew wrote theBUD/S Warning Order (a paper outlining a bare-bones workout and gives aprospective SEAL a heads-up) which is prominently featured on Navy recruiting pamphlets and the official Navy SEAL recruiting website. Therefore, it was no surprise that the Navy tapped Stew to be on the Naval Academy’s Physical Education department so he could train and mentor the prospective midshipmen who wished to become SEALs. Stew is no armchair commando or an empty academician – he knows what works and doesn’t! Stewart Smith brings all of his knowledge and experience in Maximum Fitness. This unique publication is a compendium of physical fitness. Lavishly illustrated with picture demonstrations, tips and ideas, it is a must-have for those who want to be in the BEST possible shape of their life. What does Maximum Fitness offer that others do not? It is a richly detailed 52-week (one calendar year) progressive program that uses cross-training and periodization as the core of its philosophy. Four 13-week cycles build you into peak physical condition that will spill into other areas of your life giving you confidence, power and attitude to deal with the give and take of modern life. You could use it to train for a hitch with the Navy SEALs, or you could use it just to be in the best shape of your life! The first 13-week cycle is a calisthenics ( body-weight only) base workout that prepares you for the second thirteen weeks. The second cycle is truly hardcore; it combines high-repetition calisthenics (body-weight only) exercises with running, biking(stationary or non-) along with swimming. This cycle alone will get you into dynamite shape, but the program doesn’t end there. Just so you don’t get bored and lose interest, Stewart now insists on adding weight-lifting to the mix of calisthenics, running, swimming and biking. This is centerpiece of the third cycle. The capstone cycle is the fourth and final evolution: strength training.This cycle uses low reps with heavier weight. You are now doing minimal cardio-training. The beauty of this comprehensive program is such that you could start at anytime and go through the four cycles. Or, you could time the cycles with the seasons. For example, you could save the strength program for the winter when the motivation to run outside is minimal. There is even a chapter on diet and nutrition that analyzes the popular diets. Stewart even gives you time-saver workouts (when time is short) and he shows service men and women how best to ace the military/government Physical Fitness Tests. No matter who you are, Maximum Fitness has something to offer you on the journey toward optimal physical conditioning through a combination of ingeniously paired routines embracing calisthenics, free weights, running, swimming and biking. Thanks,Stew Smith, for serving our country and for writing this book!
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Summary: Maximize - totally BS-free!
Review: Not a lot of books of this topic dare to start off by giving you the bottom-line facts: if you decide you want to be as fit as you can be, you will work for it. The book is deprived of any sales-talk or hype/false promises. Rather it gives an insight in what it takes to complete the loop to maximize your work outs, and become fit beyond your belief. This no-BS approach works, and is a hell of a lot more credible than some of the other publications out there (like "Body for Life"). The exercises are basic, but with some good variations. Some small programs especially for when traveling, or when low on time to do a full work out. The nutricion chapter has an interesting section on vitamins and minerals, though an improvement may be to explain how some combinations need to be made to counter some effects. Like fiber takes out calcium, so when eating fiber it is best to do so with calcium enriched milk; info like this can help the athlete to better compose their meals.
My introduction to Stewart Smith was his 12 week program for BUDS, which I completed. During which I found out more about my body and mind and their capacities, then during the 15 years of sports and training I've done prior. Stew simply changed my life. His book can help you build up to this 12-week program, and/or help you sustain the stamina level acheived by it. Okay: it will not make you bulky and buff, and truth granted: in my gym there are guys with a more impressive frame than mine. But can they do 5 sets of 100 push ups, followed 5 sets of 50 pull ups, with a 1 minute pause in between, and then run 10 miles in an hour? I never get them to take up the challenge...
If you are ready to take up the challenge of dedication and focus, within a year of your time, you will not recognize yourself anymore, and everyday you will be amazed on how much stamina, strength and determination you have! Change your life, let Stew be the guide.
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