FORT BENNING, Ga., (Aug. 19, 2015) -- "It's leadership by example in its purest form," said Lt. Col. Bart Hensley, commander of 6th Ranger Training Battalion in Florida.

Physical training, a running session on Cardiac Hill and through the Downing Mile, kicked off the quarterly Azimuth Check, where leaders gather to determine the pulse of the Maneuver Center of Excellence.

"It gives you that credibility when you come out here and you've done it with your fellow senior leaders, you can say ... 'if I can do it, you can do it,' so let's get out there and get after it," said Sgt. Maj. Michael Aimes, commandant of the NCO Academy.

The session included battalion and brigade command teams, small group instructors from the Maneuver Captains Career Course, Airborne instructors, staff and leaders, said Maj. Heather Gunther, executive officer to the commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, who also participated in the PT session.

"I thought it was a great event, not only to get out here and really experience a full, engaging PT event, but to get out here with fellow leaders of the MCoE and Fort Benning," Aimes said.

The Aug. 13 PT session began with a breakdown of the participants into three groups of about 30. They ran down and up Cardiac Hill twice, did 49 pushups, cut through to begin the Downing Mile where they completed each obstacle on the track.

The individuals made their way up the final hill on the Downing Mile, then began box jumps, push presses and deadlifts. As instructed by Miller, every individual did the Downing Mile and sets with the Mobile Murph three times.

The "cash out" portion had each participant run down and up Cardiac Hill and complete 10 pull-ups before tuning in to MCoE Commanding General Maj. Gen. Scott Miller's closing remarks to end the session.

Aimes said he was neck-and-neck with Miller through the event, which was his goal of the morning.

"I was trying to keep up with the (commanding general)," Aimes said with a smile. "He and I were about 50 meters back and forth from each other."

Lt. Col. Dan Vogel, commander of 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, said physical dominance is absolutely critical in the Infantry.

"This (event) is getting out there with a group of leaders and getting after it, (which is) no different than any Soldier or leader should be doing every single day of the week," he said.

The event, while focused on physical dominance, brought together a team of teams, which is what the Army is built on, said Col. William Thigpen, commander of 316th Cavalry Brigade.

"In order to demonstrate teambuilding, it is about leaders doing what they are asking their Soldiers to do," Thigpen said. "The Army really emphasizes it: optimizing human performance."