Duntroon is Australia’s Army Officer training college and is where our GET commander, David Brumley started his career in leadership and in fitness.
Dave is renowned amongst the GET community for his military efficacy, his “in the trenches, never say die” attitude and his elite performance mindset when it comes to getting results both in and out of the gym.
In order to tap into some of his incredible qualities, we asked for Dave’s insight into how he believes his army training has positively impacted the way he approaches fitness, business and life in general. Here are his top 5 lessons…
When planning field operations, we had to anticipate every possible scenario and devise “actions on” – i.e. orders that would take effect if that particular scenario were to eventuate. We spent endless strategising sessions breaking down the mission and its goals and pre-designing all of our decision making. This has taught me the importance of not leaving things to the whim of the moment when decision making may be impacted by external stressors & hurdles. You make the best decisions ahead of time and then all you have to do in the moment is follow your own orders. When you’re trying to stick to a healthy diet or exercise routine, eliminating that exhausting decision making process is key, which is why we have a weekly goal setting system.
Simply put, training and executing your goals as a team brings out the best in you. Understanding your part to play is important – understanding what you give to the group as well as understanding and making the most of what you can draw from others. Pushing yourself and surrounding yourself with others who have similar goals but diverse skills helps you lift yourself to places you didn’t know you could go. This is what attracted me to group fitness when I left the Army and I firmly believe it is the best way to not only achieve your health and fitness goals, but surpass them. And when you feel like giving up, it’s usually that group that gets you over the line.
I remember being in some pretty crazy scenarios – horrendous conditions where you are under stress, pack marching (which is essentially running if you’re a shorty like me!) for hours on end with 20kgs, deliriously cold, soaked to the bone, sleep deprived and physically exhausted to the point of tears. Just when you think you can not possibly go further, you can always take just one more step. And then another. And then another. It’s only ever one more step that you have to think about and find the strength for. And when you really need it, when it counts, you can always find that extra level you never knew you had. Once you’re at the point of giving up, you usually have at least another 50% to give.
Every moment of my training at Duntroon (officer college) revolved around the significance of being a platoon commander with 30 men’s lives in your hands. In order to keep them alive, you had to set the standard that would flow down through the platoon. With huge stakes at hand, attention to detail was the biggest thing we were relentlessly smashed on – maintaining an officer standard of meticulous organisation (to the point where your mattress was thrown out the window if your hospital corner wasn’t exactly 45 degrees, to give you one example).
Whether it was servicing your weapons, keeping your kit in order, looking after your uniform, these things at first seemed stupid and pointless. However I soon came to appreciate that maintaining meticulous discipline with the little things isn’t just about having spotless boots – it’s a mindset of the highest performance for yourself and your team which means you stay consistent for longer.
Attention to detail in the Army is the difference between life and death, but as a civilian, I still see it as the difference between a mediocre performance versus the best that I can be. It taught me that if you’re going to achieve anything well and maintain high results for the long term, you simply can’t do things half-arsed. Even in the fitness game, whether it’s keeping your food diary or refining your weight lifting technique, the little things are what makes the difference between good and great results
A large percentage of the work we did was always really early. During war time you’d usually be attacking at first light so our Reveille (the first military formation for the day) was always at sunrise. Or depending on the mission, we could be out pack marching by 5am. For us, it was crucial to set a strict morning routine that provided consistency and allowed your body clock to get into a very good rhythm. It’s a routine that you come to trust and your body and mind gets used to – priming you mentally and physically for whatever challenges are to come.
Consistency is key with absolutely everything in life but when you see how much importance the military places on that morning routine in particular, you can understand what a huge impact it has on quality of function for the human body. I still to this day have a morning routine that starts at 4:30am and consists of a specific routine to get me firing. For me, the days where I do this vs the days I don’t are like living in two completely different bodies. One is focussed, energised, ahead of the game and resilient while the other feels like its operating in a fog, undisciplined, underwhelmed and always in defensive mode. For me the first hand experience of those two states couldn’t be stronger evidence of the power of that morning routine. This is why we advocate getting up for the 6am classes for all our clients.
Personal change is hard. Getting lean is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard.
This is a little reminder on why we all train – the reason why we all pay a trainer to push us out of our comfort zones every week.
Its because we have other (deeper) core principles.
It’s because we want to be better than what we were yesterday, last week, last year. Bikini bodies and “six packs” are not made over night – especially if youth & hormones are not on your side!
But IT TAKES PERSISTENCE!
It takes courage to take the FIRST step.
It takes courage to take the NEXT step.
If your current method is not working, it takes just as much courage to CHANGE the direction of your steps!
BUT JUST TAKE A STEP! Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is INSANE.
Your days are numbered. Make them count. Don’t quit. Push on.
This is a big shout out to all of those who know someone who is struggling with a mental illness. The stigma is gone – we’re in 2015 where 1 in 5 people suffer.
We’re calling out to you guys because chances are the ones we want to help won’t be any where near social media as they try and hide from the world and suffer in silence.
We’re going to start up a group exercise session specifically for those who are struggling with this black dog. It will be an environment they can come to and take small steps – but have incredibly big victories. Just to MOVE and break free from the shackles of their daily existence is the first (and hardest) step. But they desperately need YOUR HELP!
EXERCISE is the single best drug for those who suffer with depression / Anxiety. We live in a society where we are too easily lead to believe that a pill will fix things. We’re not saying that there isn’t a place for medical intervention but exercise is often so overlooked because it’s so much harder mentally to achieve – a pill is a much less painful process than taking that vulnerable step out of the door and moving your body.
In light of the recent issues on our TV screens with AFL footballers and today being a special day, we urge you to pass this message on to anyone you think may benefit. This may be the single best thing you do for someone this year. It will only cost $15 – if money is an issue then they can just pay when they can. Please contact me directly on dave@groupexercisetherapy.com.au if you would like to help someone in need.
GROUP EXERCISE is often the best THERAPY
We are pleased to welcome on board our first SYDNEY client! Pictured here with our awesome Sydney trainer, Lap.
Congratulations to Amy and her team at Probuild for taking on this awesome initiative with us! We look forward to being an integral part of your office culture moving forward!
#corporatefitness #officefit #elitecompanyculture #geteverybodymoving #sydney #milestone #groupexercisetherapy #GET
12 months went like that!! It’s been just over a year since Tom & I took over GET and we couldn’t be more proud.
We walked into this gig knowing there was huge potential to re-ignite this brand which had proudly been in operation since 2004. The name itself “GET“ had us hooked! 12 months later and we have more than doubled the client port folio and have firmly established ourselves as the market leaders in corporate fitness training.
SPECIAL THANK YOU’S
To our Trainers – You guys are such a joy to work with and we’re so proud of the “A-team” we’ve put together in this short space. Thank you for your unwavering energy, professionalism and honesty. You’re just a great bunch of people who truly love what you do.
To our loyal clients – Thank you for giving us the opportunity to train you every week. It really is a privilege and we are truly grateful for your ongoing support. Special mention goes to Joe Gianfriddo, the crew at Landers and the guys at CSC.
To our new clients – Thank you for choosing us! We hope you enjoy our training and we look forward to working closely with you in the months/years ahead!
To our site champs – Thank you for your passion and like minded approach towards getting your staff out of the office and looking after their health. These programs simply wouldn’t work without your energy and drive. Thank you for working with us and inviting us into your offices.
Here’s to a cracking Spring / Summer period!
HIP HIP!!!
Dave & Tom
It’s moments like these we need to step back and look at where the ship is heading in our life.
We get so caught up in fixing leaks & dealing with crew members that we too often forget to keep the ship steady & on course. Before too long we inevitably smash into a rock and find ourselves “reacting” to life.
The office environment is so demanding. The technological age we live in makes it this way. We wake up, have a quick coffee and hit the grind from 730am-630pm – throw in kids, instagram, non stop emails, facebook, meetings, family budget and your body has aged another day.
But one thing stays constant – your principles. Staying true to the things that matter most takes discipline and appreciation. I call these “Private Victories”. Behind every great CEO or leader of people there is a common thread that gives these successful people the edge. It’s their unwavering commitment to their deepest core values. Its no surprise that most healthy successful people are generally all just “great people”. Have you noticed this? Think of all the truly successful and inspirational people in your life and I bet they show all of the following four qualities:
So the takeaway message is to just “be a better person”. Wipe the slate clean this spring and work on some more courageous personal goals – some private goals. Let go of the insecurities and fears that are tying you down and ask yourself a better question. If something is getting you down, just ask yourself, does it really matter and focus your energy on things you can control. Pick a time over the weekend to sit down and re-assess where the ship is heading and make some courageous life changing decisions. It may simply be to mediate more, to do a Yoga class, to do some more exercise, to take up a sport, to sleep more, to create more downtime or even plan a holiday.
#livelife #privatevictoriescomebeforepublicvictories
We aim to burn 1000 calories in 100 minutes in this session. Sounds a bit crazy, right? But trust us, you can do this!
This once-a-month bootcamp is held in the beautiful surrounds of the Melbourne Botanical Gardens.
We initially started up this session as a means to network and meet the partners & friends of our regular Mon-Fri clients but it has since turned into an awesome outdoor experience that we put a lot of time into preparing.
We haven’t had anyone not make it so far! The session is designed so each participant can literally go as easy or as hard as they like. The feel and vibe of the session is playful and relaxed. A lot of people bring down a mate/partner and go out for breakfast afterwards! If you want to be pushed, we will be push you! If you want to cruise and enjoy being outdoors with some quality training and awesome music – totally fine!
The training plan varies from session to session. If there is weight training on the menu, there will be varied weights for beginners – advanced. The music is fun and the class flow is smooth. You may find yourself doing some exercises you’ve never done before, boxing / ropes / Metafit / yoga / weight training / running to name a few! You may also find yourself networking with some awesome like-minded people!
We meet at 8am at the Melbourne Botanical Garden. Register below and we will email you the meeting point and session specifics.
Apart from that all you need is a water bottle and a smile! All valuables/bags will be stored safely in the Trainer’s car prior to the session commencing.
I had perhaps one of the most moving moments in my 16 year career this weekend. My client (who we’ll call John) who is pushing 55 years of age, has really hit a flat spot in his life. Work “is just work”and with the passing of his father this year, he has taken on a lot of the family responsibilities that come with dealing with a loss. As a result of all the stress and emotional heartache, his health has seriously deteriorated. The guy is but a shadow of his physique when we started training some years ago. Throw in the fact that John is a single guy with no emotional support & having no one to soundboard / talk about their day with and you could probably appreciate why our session this weekend nearly had both of us in tears as it all came to a head.
The session had gone only 10 minutes and all that kept coming out of John’s mouth were comments like “I’ve got to get back into it”. “I’ve being doing some research on some diets that I think may work”. “I need to start before the end of this year or it’s going to be too late”. “I’ve just been so tired lately I can’t get out of bed”. I had to stop the session. In my mind there was no point in continuing. He would just leave the session feeling good for the short term before inevitably falling back into a spiral. I felt we had to address the core of the problem and hit some home truths there and then.
Without going into all of the details and the tears that followed in that next 10 minutes, I would like to share with you the underlying message I gave to him. To put it simply – Dont think, just do.
Don’t let emotions pull you away from your goal. Don’t think too much about which diet will work and which one won’t. Thoughts are just questions your emotions will ask you – even when you don’t ask for their opinion! Thoughts like, “Will I be able to do his long term? What if I don’t like eggs? What if my friends see me eat like this? Surely there’s a better alternative? What if it doesn’t work? I’m going to have to go to the supermarket this afternoon and start planning. It’s going to take up too much time- I don’t have enough time as it is! I just want to live my life without the stress, without the restrictions. What’s the blood type diet all about? Should I try Paleo? Training every day will be too hard on my body? I NEED at least 7hrs of sleep a night. Work is so stressful at the moment.” STOP THINKING AND START ACTING. Just pick one avenue and commit to it. Don’t listen to the voices and questions in your head. Your emotions and thoughts are ALWAYS trying to push you off course and USE YOU. Don’t be fooled by the dogma and voices of other people’s thinking. Who said it’s too late to start again? Is that a rule? As a wise man once said;
Sow a feeling, reap a thought.
Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a destiny.
Control your mind. Keep your eyes on the prize. Your time is right now John.
Recently I’ve had lot of clients ask me questions like:
Unlike the usual steady state training that requires you to do one activity for an extended period of time, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is composed of doing various vigorous and all-out effort activities at a time.
You will do one highly intense activity for a short period, immediately followed by a period of rest. The whole training should not exceed twenty minutes, and can be integrated with use of unconventional materials like ropes, sleds, and barbells.
Doing 20-minute exercise may seem easy, but with high-intensity training, you are required to put all your effort and push your strength limit to the core to reap its benefits.
Because of the effort and strength needed, high-intensity training is not advisable for beginners and can only be done 2 to 3 days a week maximum.
There are a lot of reasons why many fitness professionals think that high-intensity training is a much better choice for a fitness program. First off, it is done in less than 20 minutes. Not only does it translate to lesser gym time, but it also saves the muscles and joints from being stressed out.
This means that you are lesser prone to injuries,
and your muscles/tissues are less likely to breakdown. I’ve found as I’ve gotten older that HIIT training is in fact better for my body from a longevity point of view. Aside from that, you actually burn more calories as high-intensity training elevates the metabolism for up to 48hrs after the session has finished.
This means you are still burning calories long after the workout has finished. In addition, people also have noticed an increase in their energy levels since this type of training stimulates the energy factories. This means your body becomes more capable of using fat as a source of energy.
With all these reasons, it is no wonder why HIIT is such a great addition to your total fitness regime. Expect to see this style of training a lot in our weekly boot camp sessions in 2016!
Group Exercise Therapy has been transforming workplaces since 2004 and under the leadership of co-directors David Brumley & Caitlin Henry, continues to inject a dynamism, energy & expertise unmatched elsewhere in the corporate wellness industry.
THE MAGIC, THE SPICE & THE SCIENCE
Select your desired option below to share a direct link to this page.
Your friends or family will thank you later.