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
Our minds are constantly challenged to question not only what we distinguish with our eyes and ears as sounds, colours and shapes, but to look at the world from our own inner reality. There appears to be a gap however between this inner and outer self that remains a mystery. This gap can be bridged by the imagination but the energy and emotional content that is needed to create great ‘art’ requires more than ideas and insights. If art has the ability to change the world, why does a vast majority of the audience overlook this hidden layer or even have the interest and desire to discover it.?
Reviews
<p style="margin-left:14.2pt;"><span class="style21">The
Invisible Realities book has given me insights to ‘Seeing’ the world and
getting on and having a go at <span></span>being
creative, as well as developing my view on the importance of moments. It
is often easier to do the expected and ordinary rather than have a go at the
extraordinary. It will go on my shelf with other significant<br />
books – including Thoreau and Emerson to be reread for further inspiration.</span>
<span> </span><span class="style21">Adult Educator
Toowoomba</span></p>
