Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of Crossfit and the Primal Future of Fitness

I started CrossFit one year ago after losing a bet to a work colleague-my punishment was to attend a free beginners class at his "Box" (CrossFit gym) where he had been training for a couple of years, and he constantly raved about it. I was overweight, wasn't doing any exercise at all, and my diet was horrendous (I logged a Chicago Town Pizza for breakfast on the My Fitness Pal app, to give you a flavour of my diet at the time!) Fast-forward to January 2019, I've lost two stone in weight, exercise regularly, and I've overhauled my diet. CrossFit has completely transformed my life so as you'll appreciate, this review is very biased. It was the same work colleague who recommended this book to me, and it's the best book recommendation I have ever received. Putting CrossFit to one side for the moment, I've read hundreds of books over the years (I have four bookcases in my bedroom and regularly donate books to charity shops to make space for new ones), and this is one of the most well-written books I've ever read, and certainly won't be getting donated-it's a keeper! The author does CrossFit herself which is the "difference that makes the difference" to coin an NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) term-her passion for CrossFit oozes from the pages and I love the way she describes things-I was constantly highlighting turns of phrase and descriptions she used. To give an example: "The CrossFit rationale is that, ultimately, this is what matters in real life: the sudden dash to keep a child from running into the street, the ability to help a friend move heavy furniture into a walk-up apartment, or the lung power and stamina to enjoy a hiking vacation.....every CrossFitter secretly believes that the people in their box will be the ones to survive the zombie apocalypse." The book covers everything you could possibly want to know about CrossFit, which is a combination of weightlifting, gymnastics and metabolic conditioning (cardio). Bruce Lee revolutionised martial arts by combining the best elements of different martial arts to create his own (Jeet Kune Do), and that's exactly what Greg Glassman (CrossFit founder) did in the world of fitness. I ran a couple of full marathons and half-marathons in 2010 but nothing has ever shifted body fat from me, like CrossFit has-my body is getting back to the shape it was in when I was 16-years-old. On average I did 2-3 CrossFit classes per week in 2018 (each class is one hour long) and made some positive changes to my diet, but still ate a lot of junk food, and I lost two stone. This year I'm increasing it to 5 classes per week and I'm working with a nutritionist at the moment to completely change my diet for the better. If you're already doing CrossFit, you'll be familiar with lots of things in this book, but I guarantee you will learn something new, because it covers everything: the history of gyms, the origins of CrossFit, the CrossFit games, tales from Crossfit athletes and so much more. I loved every minute of reading it and will keep coming back to the highlighted sections for reference. I've already purchased the book for someone as a Christmas present and will be buying it for my friend's birthday. 'Ultramarathon man' by Dean Karnazes was previously the most inspirational fitness-related book I've ever read (it inspired me to run my first 26.2 mile marathon), but 'Learning to Breathe Fire' (LTBF) has blown it out of the water. (Incidentally Dean Karnazes states in the inside cover that LTBF is a must-read book). CrossFit is the most effective training programme I've ever come across-it's not just the physical benefits but the psychological and social benefits too. It's a real community, and for a Lone Wolf like me to still be turning up to classes one year later, is testament to its power. The five steps of well-being are learning something new, connecting with others, being active, taking notice, and giving, and CrossFit ticks every single one of those boxes. It prepares you for "The unknown and unknowable" as every class is constantly varied and you never know what you're going to face-just like life. In these dark times where statistics for obesity, heart disease, diabetes and mental health problems are on the rise, we all need to learn how to breathe fire. If this book doesn't inspire you, nothing will.

Such an Awesome Book, giving a honest account of the Sport of Fitness Crossfit. Crossfit has it`s followers (i`m one!) and there are many that will try and speak bad things about it, but the reality is that nobody really likes something that is honest, raw, and leaves in you in a puddle of sweat! Crossfit is growing and it will always have it`s band of followers like Jesus had his, but for me who has been working in the fitness industry for over 20 years, its my passion, and will be grateful for the new lease of Fitness, strength, Life it has provided, Long live Crossfit!

Surprised to not see more reviews for this great book. Inspirational with regards to the individual and community potentialities of Crossfit; open, thorough, and convincing in answering the most common critiques of the sport; and some surprising passages on the neurobiology of functional fitness and performance. Very well written too! If you don't already Crossfit, this book may give you an inkling yo start. If you already do, then learn something of the history and context of what you love! Plus, some great character studies of Crossfit stars!

An excellent read that covers where CrossFit originated from, how it evolved into and what it is today.

An excellent read if you are into CrossFit. Really digs deep into the beginnings and ethos, quite inspiring.

Such a good read for starting your Crossfit journey, it'll help you get it and understand the madness and succeed. It's the type of book you can read multiple times as well.

Brilliantly written as it explores the history of Crossfit and the rise of the Crossfit Games as well as explaining its efficacy for the forces and blue light brigade. One tribe, one vibe.

If you like crossfit, read this book! It's un-put-downable, really. When it turned up, it looked like some weighty historical novel and the intro, something about a pack of gazelles, nearly made me give it away. So pleased I didn't. It's a great read, good pace and fascinating.

Boa leitura para conhecer a história do crossfit, principalmente o seu início. Há relatos e curiosidades bem interessantes (como a rixa com grandes redes de academias de musculação), mas só isso. É bastante válido para quem começou a praticar recentemente e está vivenciando aquela empolgação mais exaltada. Porém, há muito do proselitismo da seita crossfit, de como é um grande vetor de mudança na vida das pessoas (não me entendam mal, sou fã do esporte, mas não me levo muito além do gostar de praticar), importância da dieta paleo, descrições meio tediosas de momentos marcantes dos primeiros games etc. Enfim, estando com tempo livre e querendo praticar o inglês, vai acrescentar algo.

I’m a martial artist and dance sport athlete and now past the half century mark. I’ve been around training communities. I haven’t done CrossFit, but watch the games and am a fan of the system. The book reminds me of those best times and great training communities. The test of a book like this is if an outsider like me will read past page 10. J.C. Herz to the rescue. She has an accessible voice in the writing and a fluid use of language, which opens the door for success. These elements mixed with a talent for telling the story, in this case the CrossFit story until about 2014, makes for an enjoyable read. If you are an athlete and enjoy books like “Born to Run”… you should enjoy this book you’ll find yourself way past page 10 and all the way to the end.

Nice, well writté history of CrossFit.

Das Buch ist sehr schön geschrieben, kurzweilig und informativ. Es ist sicher nur für Leute interessant, die den Sport betreiben oder sich dafür interessieren... aber andere würden es vermutlich ohnehin nicht bestellen.

Interesting insight into the beginning of crossfit and inspiring facts regarding the benefits of High Intensity Interval Training vs typical treadmill or resistance machine training. Great read!!