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Andrew R Welsh

Andrew R Welsh

About

Author, Science teacher and educational consultant.

Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness

Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness

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Description

<p><b>The absorbing, definitive account of CrossFit's origins, its explosive grassroots growth, and its emergence as a global phenomenon.</b><br /> <br />One of the most illuminating books ever on a sports subculture, <i>Learning to Breathe Fire </i>combines vivid sports writing with a thoughtful meditation on what it means to be human. In the book, veteran journalist J.C. Herz explains the science of maximum effort, why the modern gym fails an obese society, and the psychic rewards of ending up on the floor feeling as though you're about to die. <br /> <br />The story traces CrossFit’s rise, from a single underground gym in Santa Cruz to its adoption as the workout of choice for elite special forces, firefighters and cops, to its popularity as the go-to fitness routine for regular Joes and Janes. Especially riveting is Herz’s description of The CrossFit Games, which begin as an informal throw-down on a California ranch and evolve into a televised global proving ground for the fittest men and women on Earth, as well as hundreds of thousands of lesser mortals. <br /> <br />In her portrayal of the sport's star athletes, its passionate coaches and its “chief armorer,” Rogue Fitness, Herz powerfully evokes the uniqueness of a fitness culture that  cultivates primal fierceness in average people. And in the shared ordeal of an all-consuming workout, she unearths the ritual intensity that's been with us since humans invented sports, showing us how, on a deep level, we're all tribal hunters and first responders, waiting for the signal to go all-out. </p>

Story Behind The Book

York 1990. It was at a St. Johns’ College Rowing Club meal at The Merchant Venturers’ Hall, that my imagination was fired. What was the Company of Merchant Venturers? They were merchants who went on voyages around northern Europe to buy and sell cargoes, bringing back to York these exotic goods – such as furs. A venture was a risk. They were taking risks. It’s where we get the term venture capital today. Someone puts this money at risk by investing in a new idea. Their coat of arms carries the motto “Dieu nous donne bonne aventure,” which I have since thought of as something one can live by, “God, give us good fortune”, or as I mistranslated it, “God, give us a good adventure!” The idea of placing one’s savings and wealth into a voyage and setting off at the mercy of the elements seemed to be incredibly brave. Anyone going off to sea is very brave in my opinion. I wanted to write a story that reflected the unpredictability of the sea.

Media Links

Rosetta Press

🔗 http://rosettapress.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/check-out-our-second-prize-winner.html

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Reviews

<p>Check out our second prize winner!<br /> As you all know, the second prize winner of the Rosetta Literary Contest was Mr. Andrew Welsh. He is the author of many titles such as:<br /> White Sands, Green Trees<br /> Teaching Overseas - A Short Guide<br /> and Any Means to an End<br /> Any means to an End is the prequel to Protective Craft, the book we proofread and designed the cover for.<br /> We enjoyed deeply working with Mr. Welsh throughout the whole process and were very proud of our final product! His writing was delightful to proofread and we believe we managed to maintain the continuity with the series in the book cover we designed for him.<br /> If you would like to find out more about his work check out: http://anymeanstoanend.blogspot.com/<br /> and you can also check out his Facebook page to find out more about himself: https://www.facebook.com/AnyMeansToAnEnd<br /> All his books can be found in both Pinterest and Amazon.<br />  </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>