Wednesday 120926

Skill

Strict pull-ups

Complete 5 max rep sets. Take 10:00 to get this done.

WOD

21 – 15 – 9

Deadlift, 225#/155#

Thrusters, 95#/65#

For this WOD use 2 bars, one for deads, one for thrusters. If bars run low we'll do a couple of heats for the WOD.

Scott spending some time post-WOD to stretch. Did you do that today?

So yesterday we provided some info on rhabdo, specifically what it is and what it does to you. The big question is who gets it. The belief is that many athletes, from novice to elite, have gotten rhabdo to some degree during their training. In a study of 25 triathletes, the majority of them had high levels of myoglobin post-race (Myoglobinaemia and Endurance Exercise: A Study of Twenty-Five Participants in a Triathlon Competition,' American Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 12, pp. 113, 1984). Similar cases have been found in ultra and marathon runners as well as military recruits. Have you ever been so sore that it hurts to walk down the steps for a few days after a brutal squat WOD or a long run? There's a chance that you had a mild case of rhabdo:

If you’ve ever had stiff and tender muscles after exercising, you’ve probably had a slight case of rhabdomyolysis… some reports have indicated that acute rhabdomyolysis can strike about one out of every 300 military recruits during their first week of training (‘Rhabdomyolysis, Myoglobinuria, and Exercise,’ Sports Medicine, vol. 6, pp. 93-106, 1988) – Marc Rogers, PhD, Univ. of Maryland

The issue is degree. Muscle soreness is common, swelling or peeing the color of iced tea is not. 

One component of the Level I corse discusses rhabdo and the need to initiate new folks to CrossFit slowly, allowing them to build up the capacity and intensity that is the cornerstone of the programing. However, of the three people I know who have gotten rhabdo, all of them were seasoned athletes with CrossFit experience varying from around a year to several years. In talking with them, here are some common factors to consider:

Hyrdration. We all know it's important. There is a correlation between dehydration and rhabdo and the body's ability to deal with the increased myoglobin. All of them stated they were dehydrated going into the workout that caused them problems. 

Consistency. We've said many times that the folks who are most at risk getting hurt during a WOD are those who have been at CF for a while, take an extended break, then come back attempting to pick up where they left off. The issue is that unlike when you first started, you have the muscle mass and strength as well as the familiarity and knowledge of movements, but you have been away for a while. This seems to be a factor in some rhabdo cases as well. If you've been out of the game for a while, even if it's been 3 or 4 weeks, ease back in. Cut reps, load, rounds, etc. Give your body a chance to re-acclimatize. It's hard for the ego, but it's important. Along with the customary pre-WOD question of "is anybody hurt or injurred today" your coaches are also going to ask if anyone has been out for more than 3 weeks. We'll talk with you and come up with a plan to ease you back in.

Something feels off. If either during the workout or afterward, something just doesn't feel right, get with a coach. These things can include out-of-the-ordinary muscle pain, headache, muscle swelling, trouble urinating, the tell-tale coke color pee, or anything else. The majority of you know your bodies very well. If something's wrong, be suspicious and overly cautious. If it's outside of the gym times, call us, we're happy to talk with you.

Those are just a few of the factors that we've heard of. There's a wealth of education out there on the subject including the Journal article CrossFit Induced Rhabdo.  If you have any questions, hit us up!