Inside the Box: How CrossFit ® Shredded the Rules, Stripped Down the Gym, and Rebuilt My Body

I have been fascinated and yet skeptical about Crossfit since I first heard of it. Having grown up through many sports I always had one foot in the world of weight lifting/conditioning with the belief that it would make me better at everything else. During those 25+ years there were many trends, fads, diets and scams intended to sell people on easier and easier ways to build muscle, strength and an amazing body. One by one these highly marketed products and methods failed or were disproved and no one batted an eye about it. That is why I was so hesitant when Crossfit started popping up on television, most notably in the form of the Crossfit Games. Here was a new system of exercise that claimed to get a person fit and strong with astonishing results. After a few years of having it pop up again and again, I finally decided to check it out.Inside the Box by T.J. Murphy was my introduction to the history and mystery that is Crossfit. In this short book the author, who had been damaged by years of endurance racing, puts his own body on the line by signing up at a "Box." Along the way he learns about the process of which Crossfit came into creation and the many experiments that made it into a worldwide sensation. While this book does not have all the answers to dispel the critics, it does open the door to where the sport of fitness came from and where it appears to be going.By giving a personal example, T.J. inspired me to try the Crossfit WOD named "Cindy." I had already done weeks of training for Cyclocross but nothing I had done was even close to the intensity of Cindy. I was sore for four days before reassembling my pride. I thought I was in good shape but suddenly had to reassess my schedule. I read this book in only a few days but it lit a fire in me. I started reading another Crossfit book immediately after and began to add WODs to my CX training. I can't imagine anything that could get me in better shape. Am I fully sold? No, but I'm going to give it a heartfelt try. If this system can better my racing by making me stronger how could I turn it away?

Great overview and history for anyone interested in learning more about CrossFit. I now know more about what I've been doing the last three months and what I can expect in the future. I'm a 46yo runner and triathlete, so this author's perspective has been very similar to my own. I started doing CrossFit as something to do with my wife coming off the heels of my first Olympic Triathlon. I thought I was just in the greatest shape, but was humbled trying to do CrossFit. I had even been cross-training with a personal trainer for years when I stepped into the "box". The author of this book was an even better runner and triathlete than I and had a similar experience, which makes me feel much better. Like him, I've seen great results in just 3 months. I wanted to learn more about CrossFit. Why is a gym a "CrossFit" gym? What the heck does AMRAP and Metcon mean? Who are Fran and Cindy? Who invented this stuff, anyway? Honestly, I don't know if I would have believed half of what was in this book (e.g. the principle of non-specific training) if I hadn't already been experiencing it. That said, it was great to get a better understanding of the underlying principles of what makes CrossFit so different, encouragement to check my ego at the door, and continue to experience gains that I didn't think were possible at my age. Read this book if you are curious about CrossFit or have been doing it for a little while and want to fill in some gaps. I tell you this, after doing CrossFit for 3 months my days of walking into a gym and meandering from station to station not talking to anyone are over. Also, my days of paying a trainer $45 for a 30-minute workout are numbered. This book called my attention to CrossFit Endurance training, which I am now learning to incorporate into my marathon and triathlon training. It was definitely worth the price of the Kindle download!

T.J. Murphy in Inside the Box tells the story of his year going from CrossFit newcomer to holder of a 5:27 Fran time. If you don't know what that means, you should read the book. If you do know what that means, you should still read it. Both the novice and the seasoned CrossFit vet will have plenty to learn about CrossFit's colorful history, its impact in the world of fitness and the moving stories and personalities that make it up.Anyone who has finished 5 Ironmans as Murphy has is no fitness pushover, but after years of distance running and triathlons, a painful divorce and injuries to his body that would not go away he found himself at CrossFit Elysium in San Diego looking for a different way to health. Murphy's story introduces us to burpees, WODs, sweat angels and Firebreathers. And more importantly it shows us how a small gym in Santa Cruz, CA and its legendary founder Greg Glassman invented "the Sport of Fitness".Going from 13 affiliates (gyms, or in CrossFit lingo "boxes") in 2005 to over 4,000 in 2012 speaks to not only the sense of community that Crossfit has built (which Murphy excellently chronicles), but also the life transformation it can affect through changes in diet and exercise. This is perfectly captured in Murphy's chapter on CrossFitter Irene Mejia's journey from morbidly obese to a de-facto leader at CrossFit Elysium.As Murphy writes, in CrossFit "you get what you put in" and a visionary, strong-willed leader, passionate CrossFit affiliates and the willingness of CrossFit members to put it on the line every Workout of the Day (WOD) has led to a revolution in the fitness industry.This is both a great narrative of one man's introduction to the world of CrossFit and a fantastic record of CrossFit's history, impact and future potential. I highly recommend it!

So, I bought this book thinking it would help me with the CrossFit class I've recently joined. It did, but not in the way I expected.CrossFit has achieved a kind of cult status lately with classes springing up all over the place, and it's easy to see why, the combination of HIIT and olympic lifting is a very effective (though difficult) training regimen. In a way it reminds me of those silly 'self help' seminars of the 80's and 90's and the sales methods used by Kriby vacuum cleaners, the difference being CrossFit isn't trying to sell you snake oil, it's just very basic funcional training routines combined with competition and high intensity (this is a good thing)The book then is not really about CrossFit itself, but more about one persons relationship with CrossFit and how it has had an impact on an individual.What it is not is a manual on the exercises you're likely to be doing at a class, but as there is already plenty of information on HIIT, Tabata, Olympic lifting available on the internet I'm not really sure how much value that would have brought anyway.As a new-comer to CrossFit, who is already seeing strength and fitness gains I didn't really think I was capable of, I found the book a thoroughly entertaining read. It's nice way to see that the 'suck it down' hurt and highs and lows of training at high levels are actually par for the course; the pain being gasping for air, your body almost on it's knees as you struggle through the end of a 'WOD' (CrossFit term for the daily routine) and the highs being the rush of endorphines and amazing afterglow when you complete a difficult workout.Nay-sayers will say this is just propaganda for CrossFit, and in a way it is, but to be fair, I'm sure a well written book by anyone learning *any* new workout regimen and seeing terrific results would also seem like propaganda, so I don't really think it's a valid accusation.The bottom line is this, 'Inside the Box' is a thoroughly enjoyable read about one mans journey through CrossFit, it has interesting details on the subject and is also quite motivational. It's not the longest book in the world, but the story has lasting appeal to make it worth the five stars I've given it.Highly recommended!

I read the review that said this is like "born to run for crossfit" - it isn't.Born to run is one of the most inspirational books I have read. This is like someone's diary in comparison. An OK read, just not that special.

Nearly pointless...merely riding the Crossfit's fashion wave...

For anyone intrigued by Crossfit I'd recommend this book. The author provides a good overview of the Crossfit ethos and gives a good feel for what it's like to partake

Happy with this purchase very interesting.