Blueprint - Build a Bulletproof Body for Extreme Adventure in 365 Days

Summary

For anyone unfamiliar with Ross Edgley, bluntly putting it; he’s a beast! He has several books out now which in my opinion are all worth a read however Blueprint was the latest one that I’ve listened to. Ross is both as student of the body as well as a practitioner in pushing it to it’s limits. From running a marathon with a tree on his back to swimming around the UK he’s at this point seasoned in taking on and completing physical challenges that will sound and are mind boggling to most people. In this book though he turns his lens more towards what it takes to rebuild and craft the body to ready it for taking on physical challenges and adventure.

Throughout the book Ross interweaves references to previous completed challenges where appropriate such as swimming with a tree on his back (yes, he’s both swam and ran a marathon with a tree on his back) as well as working with a group of UK based celebrities to train them for taking on a swim across the channel tunnel.

The primary focus of the book is looking at how to prepare the body for adventure and hard physical challenges through tailoring your training routine throughout a 365-day calendar year. He breaks down the various phases including mention of how you may need to tailor the specific seasons to fit the timing of whatever race or event you’re training for. He also highlights that the human body is a complex system therefore the book can provide guidance but ultimately you may need to tailor to fit your specific body and challenge type.

He includes practical tips and exercises throughout that will assist in developing specific areas of the body in readiness for taking on endurance challenges as well as a lot of focus on open water swimming-based techniques.

I came across this at a time when I’m increasing the focus on recovery and optimisation of my body. I’m nowhere near the level that Ross operates at however after years of high-volume training I’ve had to switch towards more focus on optimisation and sustainability. You’ll leave this book with several notes for techniques to research further and a lot of immediately actionable tips relevant for those wanting to optimise their body in preparation for increasing your physical work rate as well as more seasoned athletes who need recovery ideas.

If you want to hear more about Ross’s challenges in the past then his earlier books are the ones to dig into but if you want to focus more on building resilience, strength and endurance then this is definitely worth checking out.

Who’s it for?

If you’re already a high performance or high-volume athlete, then this is for you. If you’re dipping your toe in training wise, then this is also packed for of tips especially if you’re getting into more physical activity in your mid adult years after being more sedentary in your early adult life. For anyone thinking about or preparing to take on an endurance challenge then this is definitely for you both to take some ideas and incorporate into your training regime but also for the post recovery after whatever it is you’re planning to take on.