Reflections on a Life in Training
CROSSFIT ARTICLES AND BOOKS
Articles
Greg Glassman, "What Is Fitness" https://journal.crossfit.com/article/what-is-fitness
If you don't know, Greg Glassman is the founder of CrossFit. This article is basically his manifesto, written in 2002. Although there have surely been refinements to CrossFit training since, this article still outlines the basic principles and philosophy of the training methodology at work today. If you are interested in trying CrossFit, you should read this article and then sign-up for a class in order to understand how the principles play out. If you have been doing CrossFit and have not read this article, shame on you. Even veteran CrossFitters would benefit from rereading this article periodically. Every time I reread it, I pick up on something new because there is so much there. As an added bonus, Glassman is also an excellent writer, clear and concise, but also vivid and engaging. This is fitness writing at its best, what any of us who attempt to write on the topic should aspire to.
Mike Warkentin, "The Greg Glassman Chipper" http://journal.crossfit.com/2016/05/the-glassman-chipper.tpl
This article is a compilation of articles written by Greg Glassman for the CrossFit Journal from 2002 to 2004. Warkentin makes the pitch for why you should read through these Glassman articles in order to better understand the origins and evolution of CrossFit. He cleverly packages the materials as a "chipper", in CrossFit parlance a work-out containing a high volume of work that you need to approach at steady, but manageable, pace in order to complete it without flaming-out. I completed the "chipper" during a slow week at the office, although plainly not reading non-stop. It is a worthy endeavor, however, no matter the time that it may take you to complete. I don't have the time to catalogue all of the nuggets of insight that you will find in the "chipper." Just do the work yourself and reap the rewards.
Blair Morrison, "Fitness Is . . . Impartial" http://www.tabatatimes.com/blair-morrison-fitness-is-impartial/
Morrison delivers a short piece designed to demolish any excuses that you might have for not reaching your fitness goals. If he sounds a bit like a scold, well, we could all use a good scolding now and again. The best line is: "I love fitness because it’s a results-based pursuit, the purest form of meritocracy. You set goals and you reach them. Or you don’t." The article appeared on the Tabata Times web-site, which looks like it is now defunct since no new posts have appeared since April 2016. I generally liked the site, but few of the articles were as good as Morrison's, which may explain the site's demise.
Books
J.C. Herz, Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness (Three Rivers Press, 2014)
Hands down, this is the best book that I have come across about CrossFit. Herz is a CrossFitter, but also has writing chops (as an NY Times columnist, writer for Rolling Stone and Wired, and the author of prior books). Honestly, if you read Herz's book, you really don't need to read any other book on CrossFit in my opinion. I especially liked the way she placed CrossFit in its historical fitness context with a chapter on the rise of gym machines, the history is quite fascinating. Beyond that, she chronicles how Glassman developed the CrossFit methodolgy and introduces us at length to early figures in the popularization of CrossFit, such as Greg Amundson, Nicole Carroll, and Christmas Abbott. The entire book is impeccably researched, which I really appreciate. If there is any criticism to be leveled at the book, it is that it sometimes feels too laudatory. I mean CrossFit is about results, and the results speak for themselves, so no further praise is needed. But hey, I get it, when you love doing CrossFit, it is hard not to let it show.
T.J. Murphy, Inside the Box: How CrossFit Shredded the Rules, Stripped Down the Gym, and Rebuilt My Body (Velopress, 2012)
Similar to Herz, although in far less detail, Murphy presents the basic genesis story of CrossFit and discusses the tenets of the training philosophy. Unlike Herz, the book presents the information in a primarily autobiographical context, chronicling the author's discovery of CrossFit as a "broken runner" in need of repair from too much pavement-pounding with sub-optimal form and strength deficiencies. I hate running (although I am working to change that) and came to CrossFit for very different reasons, so I could not really relate, although others may find this perspective quite valuable. Any way, the book is pretty short, and highly readable, so you may want to check it out.
Stephen Madden, Embrace the Suck: What I Learned at the Box About Hard Work, (Very) Sore Muscles, and Burpees Before Sunrise (Harper Wave, 2014)
This is my least favorite CrossFit book. Like Inside the Box, the take is essentially autobiographical, but I could relate to the author even less. (Note to self: when you write autobiographically, some people may just not relate, and therefore turn off.) In particular, I could not relate to the author's penchant for puking during or after workouts. I know that "Pukey the Clown" is a staple in CrossFit lore, but I have never actually thrown-up from a work-out, although at the end I may feel somewhat close to it, especially if it is hot. That said, the book is a quick read, and in some of the work-out descriptions there are nuggets of insight about the CrossFit experience.
Daniel Kunitz, Lift: Fitness Culture, from Naked Greeks and Acrobats to Jazzercize and Ninja Warriors (Harper Wave, 2016)
Although not exclusively a CrossFit book, Kunitz explores what he sees as a new fitness frontier, in which CrossFit plays a fairly central role. He tries to trace where we are now back through history, beginning with the Greeks, the origins of gymnastics and weightlifting, up through more recent explorations on Santa Monica beach. It is in many ways a history of the gym and gym culture. But beyond that, the author attempts, perhaps with uneven success, to imbue the history and the present manifestations of it with a philosophical underpinning, seeking to answer the question why people train physically, especially non-professionals. Overall, it is an ambitious book, certainly thought-provoking. Also, thoroughly researched and well-written. Highly recommend.