Getty Images; Jason Speakman, Men's Health Illustration

8 min read

The following is an excerpt from The Glass Box: The Shocking True Story of How CrossFit Broke the Rules, Made Millions, and Changed Fitness Forever , a new book about CrossFit’s history that features reporting and interviews with the people involved, including Greg Glassman.

The Black Box Summit

AT 1:45 PM on Saturday, November 21, 2009, a few dozen trim, healthy-looking men and women in their twenties and thirties were gradually returning to the aluminum folding chairs that had been arranged in the middle of CrossFit Central, having just finished a light lunch provided by the local Austin health-food chain My Fit Foods.…