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
Set in the late 70s in the fictional town of Toke City, two small hoodlums and wannabe gangsters pull one last job.
Reviews
<p><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);">I stumbled across this interesting little book when i was looking for something to buy for Christmas and i was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the illustrations and the story itself. What i really loved about it was that for each chapter there are suggested songs to listen to while you read and with the illustrations that go with the chapters you really get a feel for the scenes that are being set. This is for me was a new experience while reading a book and i have read a lot!</span><br style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);" /><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);">As black humor goes i don't think you could beat this book, so much goes on in it that i will definitely be reading it again as it keeps you engaged with plenty of twists and turns. I finished reading it in one night, i just couldn't put it down.</span></p>
