Art of Manliness Podcast #83: The Rise of Crossfit with JC Herz| The Art of Manliness

Originally published September 2014. In this episode I talk to writer J. C. Herz about her book, Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about CrossFit. I’ll admit that before I read Learning to Breathe Fire, I had just a vague idea of how CrossFit worked, and was honestly pretty skeptical of it. My only interaction with the program has been giving the CrossFitters (or “fire breathers” as they sometimes call themselves) at my gym the stink eye for taking all the barbells from the squat racks so they could do their hang cleans. So it was interesting to read a book that goes into the history, philosophy, and even anthropology of CrossFit, and why it has become so popular so quickly. While the book didn’t turn me into a full-on convert, it did really broaden my perspective of the program, and I even tried my first CrossFit workout after reading it. Show Highlights: What a typical CrossFit workout consists of The health benefits of CrossFit How and where CrossFit got started The libertarian ethos that runs throughout CrossFit and how that shaped its unique business model The role military and law enforcement officers played in popularizing CrossFit How CrossFit is in many ways a response to modernity’s luxurious landscape and social disconnection The connection between ancient ritualistic sacrifice and CrossFit (this part is particularly interesting — anthropology, Greek history, and modern sport rolled up into one) And much more! Show notes: https://ift.tt/2JSF4qg Follow us! https://ift.tt/1FOPIX2 http://twitter.com/artofmanliness https://ift.tt/YAd15k https://ift.tt/1DUJeqE