Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness
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
Eyes Pried Open offers a fictional albeit realistic view into what would be the unimaginable to most Americans. The wheels were put into motion with The Sleepwalkers and in this sequel we’ve arrived at a destination that would seemingly be the stuff of conspiracy theories - but is it? Do you feel secure in your home? Do you assume that when you wake in the morning that the light in your bedroom will respond to the flick of the switch? Do you take for granted that hot shower and the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee permeating your kitchen? Do you see America as having an impenetrable wall around the land that is supposed to be of the free and the brave? Do you trust that your government wouldn’t allow that wall to be breached - let alone facilitate the breach?
What if suddenly the U.S. Government was no longer by, of, or for the American people? What if one morning you woke to see soldiers patrolling the streets of your home town, and they weren’t all American?
For my fellow followers of Christ I must warn you that this sequel to The Sleepwalkers is as gritty as its predecessor. The characters who trust in the world and its systems speak and act true to life, and it’s miles and generations from Walton’s Mountain or the little house on the prairie. This story not only portrays an America reeling after a catastrophic event but also a supernatural battle between agents of God and the servant workers of Satan; and is that not happening right now in reality? And at times, the aforementioned servant workers are cloaked in illusory light and tickle the ear with lies disguised as enlightenment. In this tale a faithful follower of Christ gets weak, weary, and deceived in her struggle and may succumb to past addictions like many do. Likewise, she efforts to mother an orphaned five year old girl who is advanced beyond her years and has acquired bad habits of her own. But when we struggle, stumble, and fall, there’s only one hope, and His scarred hands are the only ones mighty enough to snatch us from the jaws of death.