Survival Of The Fittest

Ross Edgley’s world-first feats of endurance seem to defy logic. Yet the strongman swimmer’s unique body is a functional tool. Heed his advice to craft your own

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A FEW MONTHS AGO, we reported on British fitness adventurer Ross Edgley’s 2884km, 157-day swim around the British Isles. It was a stupendous feat of endurance made possible by a body custom-built for the task.

Astounding as it was, though, the feat was very much on-brand for Edgley, a man who’s previously completed a marathon towing a Mini and rope-climbed the height of Everest. So, what’s the secret of Edgley’s mindbending achievements? The answer lies in his attitude to his body. Is Edgley a strongman? A swimmer? A climber? The answer is none – and all – of the above. The fact is he’s a contortionist, a human Swiss-Army knife. Throw him a challenge and he’ll build a body designed to knock it off. In the process, he’s earned the label: fittest man alive. It’s a label he resists but given the scale and breadth of his achievements, one that’s hard to dispu