MEN’S HEALTH 61
Humphreys, had the navigational
and sailing experience to complement
Middleton’s skills of leadership and
survival. It was a test of the captain’s
resolve, not to mention the physical
reality of 60 days at sea, during which he
lost more than 10kg. Middleton describes
it as one of the hardest things he’s done.
The crucible was a windless 10 days that
left them bobbing listlessly in the South
Pacific heat. Humphreys wanted to start
rowing, hoping to hit a zephyr of wind to
get them going. But Middleton’s instincts
told him to preserve the crew’s energy,
despite the rumblings of discontent.
“We had 500 miles to go, people were
passing out on 400kcal and less than a
litre of water a day. Some had lost a couple
of stone. Conrad wanted to row, but how
many calories would it take – 600kcal an
hour? Where would we get in an hour? Five
or six miles? If we had 50 miles, let’s go.
But there was no way I was going to let
the men row. I’d have killed them.”
Middleton’s decision wasn’t popular,
and as the days without wind dragged on,
more began to side with Humphreys. But
the captain refused to bow to consensus.
Survival meant doing as little as possible
to conserve energy, even if it increased the
frustration. “Leadership is taking charge of
yourself before you take charge of others.
We were stuck there for 10 days and on the
11th – boom – the wind came back.”
Every beat of a conversation with
Ant Middleton is shot through with this
unflappable conviction: conviction in his
mindset, conviction in his way of working,
training and communicating. When heWHEN THINGS GET HEAVY,
MIDDLETON IRREVOCABLY
STICKS TO HIS INSTINCTS
fixes you with a piercing stare
and speaks, you are mainlined
to that will. His is not the soft
approach of a social-media
mindset guru. It’s enthralling, exhilarating
thinking, dealt in concussive blows.
“If you reckon you don’t have time
to think about yourself because of work
or your kids, just consider: what are you
doing? You are thinking about yourself,
but you’re reflecting negatively. Flip it.
Start thinking positively. That’s all it is.
Why do we hate ourselves? Why do we do
it to ourselves? No person is brought into
this world to be down on themselves.”
He leans forward a final time.
“My purpose in life is to be the best
version of myself. And it’s a fascinating
journey when you look at it like that. And
you’ll never get there. That’s the point.”
For more information about Ant
Middleton’s Mind Over Muscle day camps,
visit: mindovermuscle.com