NEW BOOK IN PROGRESS. THE ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL SKILLS NEEDED TO SURVIVE ANYTHING!

I remember watching an episode of "Doomsday Preppers" on National geographic. One of the characters was showing off his bunker and confidently boasting about his ability to survive a disaster thanks to his ability to "bug out" and stow himself away with his survival kit which included every provision you care to think of.

The type of disaster our protagonist was surviving I can't remember, what I do vividly remember however, was the severe doubt cast on our friends ability to survive anything due to the fact that his physique would have rendered him completely useless in any real disaster. Combine the strength of Mr Burns and the obesity levels of the stay puffed marshmallow man and you're in the right neck of the woods.

I asked myself the following questions. Could this guy climb over a 6ft wall?

Could he run at full speed for a minimum of 200 yards or maintain a steady pace for 800m? Could he balance whilst walking along a beam? Could he physically defend himself if attacked or stand up from the floor quickly if pushed over? Could he jump across a 6ft void? I judged him unable to do any.

Further to this I though about my family, friends and long list of past clients and estimated that only a handful would be able to complete the above list of questions successfully. Grim.

Physical ability is the one thing that seems to be neglected when it comes to survival; and when I say survival I don't necessarily mean the apocalypse. I mean surviving and flourishing in the real, everyday world. I mean surviving life. Building and maintaining a strong and health body. A body for any situation.

This is what the book is about, developing a skill-set that makes your physically proficient in all but the most extreme situations. Being the go to person when it comes to helping someone lift something. Having the ability, if needed, to drag someone to safety or the speed and strength to take yourself out of a dangerous situation by running, jumping or climbing.

During my research for the book, an based on my own personal experiences, I have identified 12 essential skills that I feel must be practiced and maintained.

Some of the abilities require finesse while some require more strength or cardiovascular fitness. Some are an equal combination of all the skills. Each chapter of the book will feature a series of tests or challenges for you practice the skills and each chapter will finish with a "Gold Standard" challenge which provides you with a score. Upon completion of each chapter you can add all the scores together to give you a total "readiness" score.

I see this book as the culmination of all the important things I've so far learned during my 27 plus year fitness education. Mainly that most of the things you see and hear in the mainstream media aren't really that important. Big biceps and washboard abs might be great for the beach but in the real world, in a situation when you must rely on your physical skill, such as in an emergency, regular gym training, although providing an edge, just doesn't cut the mustard.

Don't get me wrong, it's also going to be full of the regular stuff we usually do in the gym but it will have an added edge and maybe offer some new insights and training methods.

Whist I'm writing this book I will periodically post challenges on the blog for you to try. These challenges will feature in the book so please give them a go and help me gauge their effectiveness and difficulty.

Stay tuned for updates.