The question has been asked, so I guess I have to go ahead & answer it. What is a Firebreather?

We’ve all seen a traditional, circus level firebreather. They have a big torch, spit some fluid out of their mouth, & create a huge ball of flame in front of their face. This generally brings oohs & aahs from the audience, & is a nice little distraction while you wait for the lion tamers to possibly get their heads bitten off. Firebreathers are a nice distraction, but they are certainly not the stars of the show. They are not the tight rope walker, or the trapeze artist that we all dream of being when we, “run off to join the circus” as kids. In CrossFit terms; however, we should all dream of someday being Firebreathers.

I first came across this term a few years ago, when I first started researching CrossFit. I didn’t understand what it meant (I thought it was a military thing I didn’t know about), & couldn’t find any explanation of it. As i talked to more & more CrossFitters I started to hear it used to describe a certain group of people. Usually when someone who could perform a sub-3-minute Fran was being spoken of, or a sub-8-minute Helen. A lot of the time, it was the people who had the best times on the  Met-Con workouts (metabolic conditioning - aka, the workouts that make you want to puke, & are timed) on crossfit.com. I decided I wanted to be a “Firebreather” - even though I didn’t know exactly what it meant.

Most of you guys have heard this; but the first CrossFit workout that Casey, Christy, & I ever did, was Fran. I had seen videos of people doing it, & it looked so easy. I thought I could maybe be a self-described (in my own head) Firebreather if I could do Fran in under 3 minutes. No problem, right? I did it in 9+ - with some of the worst pullups you’ve ever seen. I didn’t exactly breath fire that day - it was more like trying to breath underwater with a 50lb weight around my neck. Not the best feeling.

The first time I really started to realize what breathing fire felt like, was a few months after that first Fran. We were doing Cindy (5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 bw squats AMRAP in 20 min.), & I was closing in on my first time doing 20 rounds. If you’ve never done Cindy, that would mean I did 100 pullups, 200 pushups, & 300 bw squats in 20 minutes. As i neared the last few minutes, I felt like I was going to puke & pass out at the same time. It was actually the closest I’ve ever been to puking during a workout - to this day. I remember Christy yelling at me to “not stop - no matter what”. Guys, I think you’ll agree with me on this one - when your girl cheers for you, you can’t quit - you have keep going. Every workout until that point I would stop & breath when I got that feeling, but not that time. I jumped back up on the pullup bar & got through the last round (despite the fact that I couldn’t sleep that night & couldn’t raise my arms for a the next week). I was the first one of our little crew to do 20 rounds. I know, who cares? It was a big deal at the time.

Since that time, I’ve probably done close to 500 Met-Con workouts. But that was the first time I knew what being a Firebreather was all about. It doesn’t need a definition - it’s a feeling.

When the 95lb bar is sitting on top of your chest, cutting off your ability to upload oxygen, & you make the decision to keep doing Thrusters - even though you almost passed out 10 seconds ago - you are a Firebreather.

When you jump on the pullup bar - without taking a “recovery drink” - after running 400m & doing 21 KB swings, even though your heart feels like it’s going to explode, your knees are shaking, & you’ve lost your peripheral vision - you are a Firebreather.

When it’s 99 degrees outside, & you sprint through the door after a set of burpees - because you may have a shot at beating your own PR by 10 seconds - you are a Firebreather.

There is no difference between normal humans, & Firebreathers. They don’t have extra-large lungs, or more “Type 1” muscle fibers than the next person. They may not be very athletic, & they may not have  played any sports while growing up. Hell, a lot of them haven’t even run a marathon or competed in a “Ironman”. But they do have something - something that any normal person can have, but most don’t want.

Firebreathers have the ability to step across that mysterious line, & never look back. They know what’s coming & how much its gonna hurt, but they run head first into it - “no matter what”. When (or if) you get there, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

WOD 080609

“Men of Honor”

Run 400m

15 Pullups

50 Walking Lunges (25 ea. leg)

Row 250m

5 rounds for time.