Inside The Box

"Laced with self-deprecation and sharp observation, [Inside the Box] reads as a CrossFit origin story. Throughout the book Murphy is most compelling as a cultural guide. With uncanny "noticings" and clever descriptions he pulls you into the CrossFit community, its people and its ethos. As a forceful diary, Inside The Box speaks to those merely curious about CrossFit and to the fire breathing monsters hooked on its potent thrill. Vibrant and life-affirming, Murphy urges the reader on." -- WOD Talk magazine "For me, Inside the Box was like a walk down memory lane. I highly recommend it to anyone who has been considering starting CrossFit but just hasn't been sure if it's right for them." -- Greg Amundson, the original CrossFit Firebreather, former SWAT officer, and founder of the CrossFit Goal Setting Course "Murphy's experience [in Inside the Box] is one that will be lived thousands of times in the coming years. It is an awakening not only of the physical but of consciousness to one's ability and what is possible. He eloquently takes you on the ride of finding community and bringing purpose back into one's own life." -- Brian MacKenzie, founder of CrossFit Endurance "Inside the Box made me very nostalgic of my own beginning with CrossFit. And it really made me proud of this community that I am involved in. CrossFit is unique as a sport, but even more special because of the community it has created. Inside the Box is a wonderful representation of why and how we are all so dedicated to our own fitness, but more importantly, to the success of our peers." -- Annie Sakamoto, CrossFit trainer and elite athlete "In his book Inside the Box, journalist T.J. Murphy goes deep into the high-intensity, gut-testing world of CrossFit." -- ESPN.com "Interwoven with [Murphy's] personal journey is the backstory on CrossFit and its evolution, along with the tales of other CrossFitters he met along the way" |For anyone who hasn't experienced CrossFit, it's hard to understand what goes on inside the gym, but this book does a good job explaining it." -- Duathlon.com "In his book, Murphy also does an effective job of explaining what a typical CrossFit "box" (an actual gym) looks like, what a CrossFit experience is bound to be like for the first-timer (humbling and exhausting, and, depending on the first-timer's nature, either utterly addictive or completely off-putting), and the importance of community in contributing to CrossFit's popularity." -- BreakingMuscle.com

T.J. Murphy is a veteran journalist, endurance athlete, CrossFitter, and former editorial director of Triathlete, Inside Triathlon, and Competitor magazines. He is author of Triathlete Magazine's Guide to Finishing Your First Triathlon and contributor to Start to Finish: 24 Weeks to an Endurance Triathlon. His writing has also appeared in Outside magazine and Runner's World. He is a five-time IronmanAf EUROs (R) finisher and a 2:38 marathoner.

Acknowledgments Prologue 1 The Encoounter: The Many Paths to CrossFit 2 The Unknown and the Unknowable: What Is CrossFit All About? 3 Inside the Box: The World Within a CrossFit Affiliate 4 Making the Invisible Visible: CrossFit's Focus on Movement and Mobility 5 Two Oars in the Water: CrossFit's One-Two Punch of Diet and Exercise 6 CultFit: The Community and Sociology of CrossFit 7 Irene's Journey: A Case Study 8 The Jet Stream of High Performance: The Making of a Firebreather 9 My Date with Fran Epilogue: The Future of CrossFit Glossary of Terms Glossary of Exercises About the Author