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
Jack Scott became an accidental writer. When he and his partner, Liam, jumped the good ship Blighty and waded ashore to Turkey, they had planned to put their feet up and watch the pansies grow. But so much happened around them that Jack was compelled to write it all down. First came the blog, then came book, next comes the sequel.
Reviews
<p>Empathetic, respectful and pretty acute. Hugh Pope. Author and Journalist.</p>
<p>Jack Scott is something of a miracle worker in that he's persuaded a non-Turkish publisher that there's a market for a story about life abroad that's neither Tuscany nor Provence. Time Out, Istanbul.</p>
<p>An entertaining story, told with wit and insight. Paul Burston, Author.</p>
<p>A really excellent book. Funny and insightful and poignant all at once. Rainbow Book Awards.</p>
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