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Valerie McGilvrey

Valerie McGilvrey

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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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<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>

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<div class="gry txtsmall hlp">2 of 2 people found the following review helpful</div> <div class="mt4 ttl"><span class="swSprite s_star_4_0" title="4.0 out of 5 stars"><span>4.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R3SO1LJ0IQF4X6/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B007RQ56YK&amp;nodeID=133140011&amp;store=digital-text" class="txtlarge gl3 gr4 reviewTitle valignMiddle"><strong>Great Insight</strong></a><span class="gry valignMiddle"> <span class="inlineblock txtsmall">June 14, 2012</span> </span></div> <div class="mt4 ath"><span class="gr10"> <span class="txtsmall"><span class="gry">By</span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A6L3JZ36VJX48/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp" class="noTextDecoration">Mandy Arroyo</a></span> </span> </div> <div class="txtsmall mt4 fvavp"><span class="inlineblock formatVariation"><span class="gr3 gry formatKey">Format:</span><span class="formatValue">Kindle Edition</span></span></div> <div class="mt9 reviewText"> <div class="drkgry"> This one is a treat for me. Great insight into doing research and skip tracing with some really good lists of things to do and places to go. I appreciate that the book doesn't take up half it's pages to quote laws like some other skip trace books that I have bought before.<br /><br />It's a very helpful addition to my iPhone.<br /><br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful </div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <span style="margin-right:5px;"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span>5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> </span> <span style="vertical-align:middle;"><strong>A strong buy for anyone in collections.</strong>, June 30, 2012</span> </div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <div><div style="float:left;">By </div><div style="float:left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/ARYRJK0UBWSW3/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Jane Smith &quot;Jane Smith&quot;</span></a> (North Dakota) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/ARYRJK0UBWSW3/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&amp;sort_by=MostRecentReview">See all my reviews</a></div></div> </div> <div class="tiny" style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <span class="crVerifiedStripe"><strong class="h3color tiny" style="margin-right:.5em;">Amazon Verified Purchase</strong><span class="tiny verifyWhatsThis">(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/amazon-verified-purchase">What's this?</a>)</span></span> </div> <div class="tiny" style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <strong><span class="h3color tiny">This review is from: </span>Skip Trace Secrets - Dirty Little Tricks Skip Tracers Use (Kindle Edition)</strong> </div> Some really good research techniques that are easily laid out and understandable. She knows her stuff and communicates very well. Shows how to get information using resources I had not thought of and some good old skip trace tricks too.<br /><br />For me it was very helpful in creating a more thorough background search for our company. I recommend this book to any job that is learning how to skip trace. It's got some essential tools. At the end of the book it says she is working on volume 2. I definitely am now a fan and I definitely will get volume 2. Good work. <br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful </div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <span style="margin-right:5px;"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span>5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> </span> <span style="vertical-align:middle;"><strong>Goes way beyond the basics.</strong>, June 21, 2012</span> </div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <div><div style="float:left;">By </div><div style="float:left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AC1QBDKYI1DON/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Doug P. PHD</span></a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/AC1QBDKYI1DON/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&amp;sort_by=MostRecentReview">See all my reviews</a></div></div> </div> <div class="tiny" style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <strong><span class="h3color tiny">This review is from: </span>Skip Trace Secrets - Dirty Little Tricks Skip Tracers Use (Kindle Edition)</strong> </div> I'm really glad I bought this book. It goes way beyond the basics giving insight on creative ways to find a debtor (skipped debtor, that is) A lot of tips that save money and time. Not to mention, frustration, as tracking a skip does provide.<br /><br />The author provides a wealth of hands on how-to steps and does answer her email with any questions that you may have. It was a nice surprise to get a reply. I recommend this book to anyone in the PI or collections business. It really is a must have for the beginner and nice to have for an old timer like me that needs to keep up with the fast advances in information that the internet has access to.<br /><br />The blog the author has is really nice, it has a few links posted I think as they are discovered and is well worth a visit every so often. <br /></div> </div>