The man who puts the boot into Boot Camp

The Sun-Herald

Words: JIM O'ROURKE

Pictures: DANIELLE SMITH

"Pain is relative." These are the words of encouragement from James Brabon, the man behind the latest fitness fad to sweep the nation, the man most people just call 'Chief'.

His prophetic comments were heard as the quasi-military style training program, Original Bootcamp, was held on Sydney's Eastern Beaches last week.

Using techniques similar to those endured by Army and Marine recruits, participants sign on for a four-week, intense physical training regime, for 75 minutes three mornings a week.

Men and women aged between their late teens and early fifties are coaxed, ordered and pushed through challenging training sessions, designed to achieve maximum results, in the minimum amount of time.

Chief and his 'Drill Sergeants' (two highly experienced personal trainers who have both served in the military) ran the group through its paces on Bondi, Coogee and Clovelly Beaches.

During the Wednesday session recruits were ordered to fill their backpacks with sand from Coogee Beach (the sand was returned to the same spot at the end of the session) and, after warming up, the backpacks were hoisted onto shoulders and the group set off for a faced paced 'Forced March' to Bronte, spending a grueling five minutes on the giant staircase at Gordon's Bay.

Back at Coogee, the Recruits then belly-crawled and bunny-hopped for a final 10 minutes, making sure they were well and truly exhausted.

Through it all, one of the Drill Sergeants kept up the encouraging patter; "You know you love it, you know you want it!"

As part of the four-week program the Recruits will do sit-ups and push-ups in the water, carry sandbags and fellow Recruits, and transverse Commando-style obstacle courses.

Boot Camp pioneer, James 'Chief Brabon, has trained numerous soldiers and elite law-enforcement officers, is a former Australian Army infantry soldier, and has over 14 years experience as a personal trainer.

Software consultant Melissa Tarver described her first two sessions as Excellent. "They really kicked my butt, but I'm lazy and this really drags me out of my comfort zone," she said.

Marketing Manager Len Patane agreed. "It's great: it goes a few steps further than you would be able to go in the gym," he said.