How To Make Yourself Physically & Mentally More Gritty, More Resilient, & Harder To Kill With Jeff Banman Of Brute Force.

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Body, Fitness, Fitness, Health & Wellness, Podcast, Podcast-new, Recovery

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My guest on this podcast, Jeff Banman, is a recognized leader in the area of human performance and human behavior in high-stress environments. With over thirty years of experience across multiple domains including the Fire Service, the US Army Special Operations Command, and the Central Intelligence Agency, Jeff now serves as the COO & Chief Human Performance Officer for the global fitness brand Brute Force

After conducting Counterterrorism operations in over twenty-three countries, two combat zones, and multiple high-threat/non-permissive environments, Jeff has the privilege of dissecting human behavior at a micro-level in order to enhance individual and team performance in some of the most intense moments imaginable. His study evaluated and developed algorithms for calculating minute shifts in Heart Rate Variability against variable stressors, distinct practices for managing the Central Nervous System while under significant stress, and integrative techniques to help high-level operators remain fully present in order to navigate extreme situations.

Jeff sees the world differently than most people. For three decades he has been relied upon to solve highly complex problems in extreme and often intense situations. In his time as a firefighter, airborne ranger, and CIA Counterterrorism Operator and business leader, he's learned one big lesson: extreme and intense is as uniquely relevant to a person as is a fingerprint.

When we experience something significant, stressful, or uncertain, Jeff teaches us how to respond accordingly. Through his core work developing new human performance protocols for US SOCOM and the Intelligence Community, and working with professional athletes and high-performing business leaders, he has dissected how we navigate intensity, diversity, and complexity at any level and in any situation. That insight guides us to a greater level of awareness, an improved ability to regulate our own central nervous system, and a significant advantage in the behaviors that produce the results we are out to produce.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-How his childhood dreams manifested into Jeff's calling as a high-performance specialist…07:25

  • Jeff became a fireman at sixteen
  • Health and fitness in the fire service wasn't a big thing for him at that time
  • Joined the Army and was sent to Kosovo in 1999
  • Back in the fire service September 2001
  • Post 9/11 realization: we were a “head-up force/thinking culture” dealing with a “nose-down culture (intuition/instinct)”
  • This started him down the path to discover how to develop and train people to operate in that environment

-How Jeff quantifies and manages the central nervous system in high-stress scenarios…14:40

-How Jeff disseminates what he's learned to others across the globe…27:34

-Why unstable loads are the key to Jeff's training program…36:46

  • ULOO – Unstable Load/Odd Object training
  • No matter the movement, the body is always regulating
  • Adding a level of complexity to basic movements because you are internally managing an unstable load that is constantly moving
  • What's next for functional fitness is moving towards “instinctual fitness”: full-body, brain, mind, breathwork alignment

-A rabbit trail on how to recover from Covid-induced brain fog…40:49

-A gold-standard workout using Jeff's practices…48:11

-Nutrition protocols recommended by Jeff for his workouts…57:15

  • Kion supplements
  • Jeff follows a plant-based diet
  • Kion coffee
  • In the morning, Ben has
  • In the afternoon, Ben has
  • 3 distinct qualities that separate the top 1% from the top 10%:
    1. Core set of abilities that work for them in what they want to accomplish
    2. Willingness to go out there and take it on
    3. The discipline to stay the course

-And much more…

Upcoming Events:

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources from this episode:

– Jeff Banman:

– BGF Podcasts and Articles:

– Books:

– Other Resources:

Episode sponsors:

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Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Jeff Banman or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

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5 thoughts on “How To Make Yourself Physically & Mentally More Gritty, More Resilient, & Harder To Kill With Jeff Banman Of Brute Force.

  1. Kaitlin says:

    Hi Ben. When will the transcript for this podcast be available? I am hard of hearing and cannot listen to your wonderful podcast so I rely on your transcripts as the source of my learning! Please please create a transcript for this one! I would really love to learn some take aways as resilience is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.

    Thank you!

    1. Ben Greenfield says:

      https://bengreenfieldlife.com/transcripts/transcript-jeff-banman-podcast/

  2. Jon See says:

    Hey Ben, Big fan of the show! Question: What Intra-nasal peptide specifically would you recommend to knock out post covid brain fog? Do you have a dosage recommendation?

  3. Hern says:

    Are you kidding us. Banman sure sounds like Greenfield

  4. Ben says:

    Jeff and Ben,

    First off, I loved this podcast and am a big fan of Brute Force and the training style Jeff promotes. I am wondering what either of you recommends for “in the heat of the moment” destresser techniques.

    I am a Special Operations Medical student, in the pipeline to become a Green Beret and a big part of what we do is get evaluated under stress. Being able to calmly and effectively assess and treat patients under stressful conditions is a big part of our job. Lately, I have been curious as to what ways or methods would be helpful to slow everything down, so to speak, while in those types of situations so I am better able to focus on the task at hand and not my nerves or external stressors.

    Looking forward to hearing back, thank you for your time!

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