Book review: Fit For Life, by Ranulph Feinnes

My brother recently moved house and in the process discovered quite a few books that he had “borrowed” from me.  Rather than put them straight back in the loft or bury them in the garden, he had the good grace to come clean and return them.

One of them was “Fit For Life” (affiliate link: UK) by Ranulph Feinnes, the famous English explorer.  It was interesting coming back to this book after about 10 years (!) to see how my opinion of it has changed.

Ranulph who?

Ranulph Feinnes is a British adventurer and the holder of a number of endurance race records. He started out life in the British army and lasted eight years before coming out to complete numerous expeditions.  During his expeditions, he became the first person to visit both the north and south poles by surface means and the first to completely cross Antarctica on foot.  According to the Guinness Book of World Records he is the world’s greatest living explorer.

***

So what did you think?

Well, it’s important to remember that this book was first published in 1998, so Feinnes makes a number of assumptions that aren’t necessarily valid.  In particular, much of the healthly nutrition information is predicated on the now much-discredited lipid hypothesis and the muscular strength section is based on a bodybuilding split type regime that isn’t really appropriate for beginners or general populations.

However, Feinnes is one of those unique individuals who have been “blessed by inspiration”, as Aaron Sorkin might put it.  He has a contribution to make and he has something important to say.  If you remember the sequence at the end of Series Two of The West Wing, then you’ll know what I mean.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaUPDYXQUtw

***

So what does Feinnes have to say?

Let’s pick out the key points from the main chapters:

1. The benefits of being fit – Feinnes has the benefit of understanding what it’s like not being a compulsive athlete or exerciser.  He understands what people go through who just can’t bear the idea of exercising every day.  He is also compulsively honest and completely merciless with himself.  He explains how he puts various techniques to good use to ensure that he does what he intends to do.  This is a man who utterly rejects the idea that he would ever allow himself to fail and he is not afraid to tell you how far you need to go in order to stay with him.
2. The outside factors – Feinnes continues with his brutal honesty.  He explains how your genetics are fixed and are always going to have a big impact on what you are able to achieve.  However, he doesn’t believe that the fight is not worth continuing if you are starting from a position of weakness.  The mountain you have to climb is just that bit bigger.  Your challenge that much greater.
3. General food control – although Feinnes was/is a subscriber to the lipid hypothesis, he is at pains to emphasise the dangers of sugar.  In the grand scheme of things, that’s probably all most people need to know anyway…
4. More on food control – again, Feinnes doesn’t peddle a complicated scheme of dieting.  He doesn’t waste his time writing volumes about the kinds of food that you should and shouldn’t eat, although he does cover those briefly.  At least half of his section on nutrition is about compliance and how to achieve it.  This is a man who understands how people actually tick.
5. Basic fitness - Feinnes proposes a thorough evaluation before beginning a fitness regime to establish a base point.  Things have moved on a lot in the last 10 years and many of Feinnes’ proposed evaluation methods have been superceded.  However, in principle, this material is still fundamentally good advice.
6. Warming up, stretching and cooling down – again, things have moved on a lot in the last 10 years and many of Feinnes’ proposed stretches and warm ups have been superceded by superior mobility drills and regeneration techniques.  However, in principle, this material is still fundamentally good advice.
7. Equipment and where to train – Feinnes takes a moment to consider some of the practicalities.  He doesn’t waste time with theoretical discussions but tries to second-guess what your first question is going to be.  He assumes that if you’re a runner that you might get knee pain so he suggests considering whether you pronate or not.  His solutions aren’t modern but at least he’s giving people a starting point.  He assumes that if you’re a busy person you might want to set up a home gym so he talks a bit about that.
8. Choosing your sport – Feinnes is at heart someone very familiar with the human condition.  His recommendations are not abstract and logical but fundamentally empathic, based on a knowledge of how people work.  His emphasis on picking a sport is to choose the one that you enjoy doing most.
9. Keeping it up – Feinnes now devotes a whole chapter to avoiding the pitfalls that stop people from training.  Lack of sleep, illness, injuries, a busy lifestyle, getting old and many more issues are all treated to the same scrutiny.  Feinnes gives tips to help battle all of them.
10. Strength training – as I noted above, Feinnes uses a bodybuilding type split that I don’t think is appropriate for beginners or athletes but I was encouraged to see how much he emphasises that, although he is an endurance athlete, strength training is essential for long-term health and functional movement.
11. Plyometrics – Feinnes gives a number of simple drills.
12. Supplementation – Feinnes considers all of the basic vitamins and minerals, noting where people often tend to have deficiences.  He also considers the main enemies of a healthy lifestyle and focuses on managing stress as one of the biggest enemies.
13. Ultimate fitness – by way of his own exploits, Feinnes explains the world of the ultra-endurance athlete and puts into perspective just what the human body is capable of doing.

***

Coming back to this book after 10 years, I was pleased to see that the spark of genius that I enjoyed the first time around is still there.  I thought I would be annoyed by the adherence to the lipid hypothesis and the body part split strength training.  However, these are minor items in the grand scheme of things.  The real value of the book is in Feinnes’ exceptional understanding of the human condition.