The absorbing, definitive account of CrossFit's origins, its explosive grassroots growth, and its emergence as a global phenomenon. One of the most illuminating books ever on a sports subculture, Learning to Breathe Fire 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. 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. 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.

Unlock your athletic potential and get into the best shape of your life with Krista Stryker’s HIIT and bodyweight workouts—all of which can be done in just minutes a day! If you’ve ever thought you couldn’t get results without spending hours in the gym, that you’d never be able to do a pull-up, or that it’s too late to get in your best shape ever, The 12-Minute Athlete will change your mind, your body, and your life. Get serious results with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts that can be done in just minutes a day. Give up the excuses and learn to use your own bodyweight and a few basic pieces of portable equipment for short, incredibly effective workouts. Reset your mindset, bust through mental blocks, and set meaningful goals you’ll actually accomplish. You can finally ditch the dieting and enjoy food as fuel with simple eating guidelines to the 80/20 rule. In The 12-Minute Athlete you’ll also find: –A guide to basic calisthenics and bodyweight exercises for any fitness level –Progressive exercises to achieve seemingly “impossible” feats like pistol squats, one-arm push-ups, pull-ups, and handstands –More than a dozen simple and healthy recipes that will fuel your workouts –Two 8-week workout plans for getting fitter, faster, and stronger –Bonus Tabata workouts –And so much more! The 12-Minute Athlete is for men and women, ex-athletes and new athletes, experienced athletes and “non-athletes”—for anyone who has a body and wants to get stronger and start living their healthiest life.

With irreverence, humor, and soul-touching candor, the former editor of Bicycling magazine explores the CrossFit phenomenon, the fitness revolution sweeping America, chronicling his experience "inside the box" and how he got into the best shape of his life. Lifelong amateur athlete Stephen Madden decided to put himself to the test, physically and mentally, by immersing himself in the culture, diet, and psyche of CrossFit—the fast-growing but controversial fitness regime that's a stripped-down combination of high intensity aerobic activity, weightlifting, calisthenics, and gymnastics practiced by more than two million athletes worldwide. But what's crazier? The fact that such a grueling regimen—in which puking and muscle breakdowns during workouts are common—is so popular, or that people pay good money to do it? In Embrace the Suck, Madden chronicles the year he devoted to mastering all of the basic Crossfit exercises like double unders, muscle ups and kipping pullups, and immersing himself in the Paleo diet that strips weight from its followers but leaves them fantasizing about loaves of bread. Throughout, he explores the culture of the sport, visiting gyms (boxes) around the country, becoming a CrossFit coach, and confronting some basic questions about himself, his past and athletic limitations—and why something so difficult and punishing can be at once beautiful, funny, and rewarding.

Introduce your little one to fitness by reading the ABCs of CrossFit. Follow three babies as they complete many exercises and use common equipment found in your local gym.

“A compact, feminist self-help manual . . . A rallying cry for women who are tired of carrying the world on their shoulders” (Kirkus Reviews). Are you the one who saves the day at work? Does your family expect you to do it all when you get home? Perhaps you used to like being thought of as reliable, but you long for a life of your own again—one with fewer emergency circumstances and people who need lots of “help.” It isn’t just you. Many women have been socialized to quietly pick up the slack and not complain—this is a setup for isolation, second guessing, and waiting for rewards that never come. This is what Sasha Mobley calls The Strong Woman Trap. We are playing too hard at a rigged game that we didn’t create. We spend our energies managing demands and treat our own emotions and needs as irrelevant. Sasha provides a hard look at the cultural beliefs that set strong, driven, ambitious women up for a life spent constantly saving others from themselves, filling in gaps, and going it alone like a hybrid of Wonder Woman and Working Girl. The Strong Woman Trap is the book is for women who spend their spare moments looking wistfully through magazines telling themselves their dreams are just one more personal sacrifice away. Wishes won’t get you there. Neither will doubling down on old strategies. What will get you there is learning the secrets to escaping The Strong Woman Trap.

A favorite book for fitness enthusiasts, Goodnight Box introduces your child to a lifetime of health and wellness (WARNING: may inspire sleep-deprived adults to work out). Highlighting a diversity of functional movements from box jumps to deadlifts, the story is a perfect addition to your nighttime bed routine--or for those with spirited children, your evening WOD. Every book purchased supports non-profit organizations that connect at-risk youth with mentors to help them fulfill their potential and develop lifelong habits of success.