“The Hurt Locker”
Since 2007 I have gone on the road to teach folks about what it is we developed. Although it was initial work with Dr. Romanov that inspired this direction for me, I’ve been surrounded by some of the coolest and most willing, open-minded cats out there. I say that because although we were all really part of this, it was the guys and gals who were willing to follow my direction almost blindly into this new world that are the reason we have pursued this.
In this pursuit of change and efficiency we became acutely aware of something that is becoming more and more of a common theme, more on this at the end. CrossFit has published work on Rhabdomyolysis several times. Glassman used to warn folks all the time… “careful, this shit can kill you!”. Rhabdomyolysis (Rhabdo) can be defined as the breaking down of muscle fiber into the blood stream. This can happen all the time, but it is the levels by which they occur with someone new to CrossFit that can be dangerous and even lethal.
I was first introduced to Rhadbo in 2005 at the Badwater Ultramarthon pre race medical meeting. I was pacing and crewing John Radich that year and it was one of several things brought up by the medical committee (others included, dehydration, renal failure, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hyponatrimia; lack of salt in blood, and even death, all things that Rhabdomyolisis can play a role in as well). The very next year I got into and finished Western States 100, where I volunteered for the medical study that year on Quercitin (a study that was trying to show Quercitin could aide in immune function during extreme conditions. The study showed it did not.). The study also checked visual response, a few other things, and it checked CPK Enzyme levels in the blood. Creatine Phosphokinase is an enzyme found in the brain (CK1), heart (CK2), and skeletal muscle (CK3). The detection of elevated levels in CK2 can indicated myocardial infractions, where the release of high levels of CK3 can indicate muscle trauma often not visible. My CPK count was normal at check in, the day before the start of the race, by the end of Western States it was around 50,000, or mild Rhado. I continued to learn about this phenomena, and things became more and more clear about what we were doing.
I remember adding squats to my routine years ago and getting so sore immediately after that it was like I had just done an Ironman. I don’t know if it was “Angie”, or some version of it, but I also remember my first time CrossFitting, because I was so sore I couldn’t move right for days. God damn, it was like I just ran Western all over again. Did I get Rhabdo? Probably not, but I will bet I’ve been pretty damn close on several occasions. With that said, I am not alone, and I know several of you have actually been hospitalised for it. It’s no F-ing joke, and needs to be taken seriously, which is why I’m writing this piece.
I got an email a few days back from a friend, this is it.
Baker~ So my buddy who is an experienced tri distance guy. Track scholly to UGA almost sub 4 min miler, has run marathons at altitude, built like u goes in for his 1st CF wod ever on monday and does 100 burpees for time. Took him a little over 10 min. He is now in hospital w rhabdo and a torn f-ing rotator cuff? So weird. His cpk was 149000 yesterday today it is 110000. Did wod on monday. Went hosp yesterday. Urinating blood, coke classic, sunkist orange. Tore his rotator cuff too. Kid is all fucked up and I’m telling you he is one of the hardest dudes I know.
My explanation is simple, and it should be taken very seriously by those who are new to our training, or are making their way back after some time off. If you do not take your ego out of this thing, you can, and quite possibly will find yourself in the hospital. I dont care if you can kick my ass, do a sub 9hr Ironman, or whatever you are good at. The difference between the training we are doing and what you were probably doing is as different as day and night. It doesn’t matter if you’ve done intervals, or tempo work. There is another side to this thing that a lot of folks are not paying attention to. The muscular endurance most folks are used to requires long efforts at aerobic levels, vs. the extremely explosive, full range of motion, anaerobic and aerobic work a 100 burpees for time workout requires. You can shatter like glass, quite literally, as that is what happens to the tissue when it is so under trained.
Does this make you any less of a man or woman? No. It means, scale this stuff, and do it correctly or you will find yourself in the “hurt locker” like our friend here. Scalability is a law that exists within this community and is not used enough. I have seen far too many competitions and been to way too many gyms where there are no standards for this stuff being used. It’s sad, real sad, as folks are not getting a true taste of what this stuff can actually do for you. Then there are those who do get it. It is so painfully obvious who they are as their people move so well, and going into the tunnel of “white light” is not the only goal. They have leaders who live by standards, not atrocious met-cons every other day trying to please the “fitness fanatic” who thinks heavy means bulky. Beware of the sexy met con gym!
So, what were we acutely aware of as we kept going down this road? That the better conditioned we were with STRENGTH and CONDITIONING, how much less we were affected in our long efforts or races. The fact was we were recovering quicker, and training less, because we were implementing training that actually didn’t require us to need extended periods of recovery in order to start training again at 90%+. Does it hurt, hell yes… Is it worth it? Cant ever train the other way again. More and more continues to be revealed, and more and more folks are attempting to alter their already existing programs to something that mimics this.
Here is Part 2 of last weeks video with TJ and I going over deadlift form, working up to a double max, and then discussing technique, and some of the very stuff that I just mentioned.
Un (un) scared (skârd)
The Art of dealing with fear. You either train unscared or scared. All those who don't take themselves out of their comfort zones are scared.
9 Comments
Word.
I’m one of the ones you are talking about all the way thru this video, those that don’t (DIDN’T) take the time to move right, thru that tunnel of brokeness!!! Human nature to go thru the dark side to get to the right side!!! Then after the cortisone injections stop working, times slow down, and PR are less or no longer, do you wake up and start looking to be educated!!! Not that the demons are no longer chasing, just that you are now smarter than those demons. It’s humbling to see your weakness’ revealed, but the pay out in the end is definately “the Ben & Jerry’s”!!! “The right thing to do is always a difficult place to get to”, your piece of wisdom has gets me through. Great stuff, awesome learning tool!!!
Thank you for this humbling reminder.
Overcoming a challenge can be very rewarding but ignoring your body is not worth the cost. My first marathon I was an ignorant athlete fresh out of playing college soccer thinking I could perform at a high level in any athletic event. I finished the marathon at a decent time, i’ll always remember that but i’ll remember more the 2 months after when each step was painful. I should have listened to what my body was saying and eased off and enjoyed the activity.
I’ve now run 5 and recovery time has improved dramatically. Learning to listen to my body has allowed me to improve my overall fitness tremendously.
Great post. Reminds me of what happened to Chris Leigh at the Ironman in 1997. Dude lost part of his large intestine b/c of pushing the envelope, and not understanding the dangers that athletes face. We all need to be reminded of that, and get the word out to other athletes, that there is a HUGE need for strength and conditioning training to ensure that we can compete at a high level, while not putting our bodies at that level of danger and can recover faster. There is more science behind this than people want to see. I’m glad that you continue to push envelop and keep people aware as to what is going on out there.
And we are all our own worst enemy or best gauge of our limits when it comes to training. If people don’t check thier respective egos at the door when entering a CF gym, bad things can happen. I know I walked in to mine the first time my CF gym, I was prepared to rock the house. And within 10 minutes, the guys who run the gym were peeling me off the floor. I firmly believe if you want it bad enough, you can be indestructible. You can push your body to limits never imagined, but don’t be a dumbass. There’s a long, ugly road of people who thought they were about to break through, and thanks to over-training or improper training, left their best races on empty roads or training rides with others simply looking to hammer each other into the ground. And there are some damn good athletes who were lost to that. I only hope that athletes reading this now will recognize the importance of crossfit, and proper training and nutrition.
Guy
I read your post as I’m sitting in the hospital on my 5th day of treatment for rhabdo from my first Crossfit workout. I had a nurse yesterday tell me that when I came in on Saturday that I was “teetering on the edge.” Your comments are dead-on (no pun intended). Before they cart me down for an abdominal ultrasound to determine why, after 5 days, my CPK levels still exceed 80,000 (the hospital couldn’t measure them initially they were so high, but were thought to be 125K+), I thought I’d respond to your post.
As a federal law enforcement officer, I have always been fascinated by the results my co-workers obtained through Crossfit. In addition, through the military and law enforcement, I can recall workouts in the late 90′s that closely resembled Crossfit workouts. Therefore, I have always been (and still am) a supporter of Crossfit’s methods.
So, why am I writing this? For one reason: for all of you arrogant (I use that term in a loving manner) fellow law enforcement and former military like me who think you’ve endured decades of unbelievable workouts and therefore should be able to handle a full Crossfit workout without any prior preparation, you’re nuts!!! I am a graduate of the Army’s Ranger School, Infantry Officer and graduate of SFAS. Although I’m slow now, I was previously competitive in triathlons and used to place in my age group, including 1st Place in Memphis in May and others. Last year, I participated in two marathons, two IM-distance races and the JFK 50 in November, setting PR’s for myself in the marathon and 50-mile. So, when a Crossfit affiliate opened in my neighborhood a few weeks ago, I was in heaven. And what the heck, I just finished a 50-miler and a year’s worth of endurance training, so I could finish a Crossfit workout no problem, right? Unfortunately, yes, I could finish, but that’s the worst thing I could have done.
I probably had seen mentions of rhabdo on the Crossfit website, but I had never read the causes or symptoms. So, after a tough workout, I felt extremely sore, but otherwise great. It wasn’t until I saw the brown urine that I headed to the ER.
Again, even as I sit in the hospital and hear the nephrologist tell me I’ll be here at least another four days, I still believe in Crossfit. However, two lessons learned: 1) Don’t do a full WOD without preparation, because you may have the endurance to finish, but that won’t protect you from the damage you’re doing to your body, and 2) If you have brown urine, even if you feel fine otherwise, head straight to the ER!!
D.S.
bmac thanks for the clarification and the explanation. I am sending my buddy this link im sure it will cheer him up.
i also wanna throw this out there for those that question individuals strengths and question their toughness
NO ONE and i mean NO ONE ever got rhabdo being a pussy
Love this blog post and especially love the gender inclusive language.
Bmack,
Great piece in the Crossfit Journal. Keep spreading the word! Hey how are TJ’s calfs ? , achilles etc? Is trigger point working?
Another Question on the Lacrosse Ball therapy … how often does TJ do it? Do you recomend it after every wod ? Every day ? In the morning? Every night ?
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