Revisiting "Crossfit's Dirty Little Secret", rhabdo and too much can-do can do you in

A recent article on Crossfit, rhabdomyolysis and affiliates that push trainees too hard with catastrophic results started a firestorm, with people accusing CF of all kinds of things and CF devotees getting upset and defensive and accusing others of laziness, close-mindedness.  Both sides seem to lose sight of what the other is saying-that incidences of rhabdo are statistically higher among CF athletes in general but still very slight, and that CF if done properly (training in the movements, scaling and building up to full WODs if ever) does result in pretty impressive functional fitness.

I've always thought the Crossfit modality makes a great deal of sense-compound movments, body control/gymnastics type movements and aerobic and speed running.  I agree with their concepts-use our bodies as close to the way God designed them in realistic but challenging movements.  How often do you position a weight near your shoulders, sit down, and then have to repetitively press it overhead?  Of course, taken to an extreme like some do in hyper-competitve settings, any workout plan could be dangerous, and when doing an intentionally intense but short WOD this is magnified.  Anyone who has attempted one of the Hero WODs (named for military, LE and firefighters) or "girls" (WODs named for legendary female CF'ers cause these will crush your spirit and break your heart!) knows how badly they can break you down.  If you pushed far too hard on one of these WODs, tearing a muscle or connectivity tissue or rhabdo would be a real risk.

But scaling and competing only with yourself makes this less likely.  If I can do 5 rounds in an "As many rounds as possible" (AMRAP) workout the first time it comes up, the next cycle I shouldn't try for 10 or 15.  If I'm feeling good and pushing myself like I should, yes, I should do more than 5.  But this is no different than any progressive workout plan.  If I always ride the exercise bike for 30 minutes at level 8, do 3 sets of 12 bench presses with 135 pounds and 50 sit-ups, I'll be lucky to even maintain my fitness level, let alone improve.  One of the points of working out is improved conditioning, so if there is no progression our now more fit body will actually get less work from the same workout.  Of course this must take into account diet, rest, stress and age, but to a much less degree than we think.  If you've ever seen Master level athletes (40 or 50+) many haven't lost much-world class milers that continue to train through their 30s still run sub 4:05 miles at 41 and 42.  YIKES!

Here's a link to both the "Fitness in 100 Words" by Greg Glassman, one of the brains behind Crossfit, and a link on that page takes you to a longer "Fundamentals" document that describes Crossfit BY Crossfit.  I don't repost them here because I am not Crossfit certified or an affiliate and don't want to misrepresent my credentials.  I was a Cooper Institute trained and certified Navy Fitness Leader for many years but never took a CF course.

Here's another blogger's experience with rhabdo personally and lots of comments: http://fitfeat.com/blog/2011/06/03/rhabdomyolysis-if-you-exercise-read-this/comment-page-4/#comment-178866

You gotta have "go to" workouts!

Yesterday was a struggle to get into the gym.  I needed to workout, but life was trying hard to get in the way.  I knew the workout would help with the stresses I have right now, but still was kicking around whether to go to the gym after work or not.  I had my workout gear, I was near the gym, I had planned to workout, but....

That's where this post came from-I have a "Go To" workout that takes about half an hour, hits major muscle groups and ensures I get to the gym, get some work in, and get out.  For me right now it's the Stronglift 5x5 lifting workout.  Since I just reset my weights, I don't have to rest long between sets-a minute is enough currently.  When I'm lifting heavier that time extends, so in a pinch I'll make it 3x5 and cut the sets.  It also got another workout toward my goals added to the "done" category-getting the weights back up, getting my strength back up to above-average, and my points total for the Presidential Fitness Challenge going up!

At other times, my "Go To" workout was a quick bike ride on a 7 mile loop or a 1/4 to 1/2 mile swim, all of which were done at tempo.  Instead of thinking I had to have an hour (or more) to slog along in the gym, on a bike, or doing endless laps, the Go To workout needs to be something you enjoy, have the required equipment and facility/roads readily at hand, and can be done quickly and at high intensity.  You'll find it will clear your head, stress your body and revitalize both your day and your workout plan.

So what's your "Go To" workout?

How to climb better, run faster, swim more easily

Tonight I'm going to reference a physical truth used to illustrate a spiritual point and bring it back to apply to fitness and racing pursuits.  This isn't a "guest post" but does come out of conversations with my pastor over the past two days.  David and I worked out together for about 2 years and still challenge each other, and right now he is winning!  That gave me the idea for this post.

In Hebrews 11 there is the famous list of the "Heroes of the Faith".  Then chapter 12 opens up with a challenge based on all those heroes and uses the analogy of letting go of the weight of "sin" so we can run faster.  Like in the parables, a physical fact the listerners would know is used to illustrate a spiritual point.

But the physical truth holds as well.  David was talking with me about how much easier it is to climb on his bicycle now that he has lost over 20 pounds.  While we obsess about how much our bicycles weigh (or even our running shoes), he pointed out that as he lost weight over the summer climbing got easier and easier.  Even after being sick for a couple of weeks, he was able to climb better than in previous years.  It also was much less expensive to lose a few pounds than try to shed weight off of his bicycle.

I know I need to lose 5-10 pounds of fat and either replace it with muscle or just plain trim up a bit.  Fortunately (for me) the bike I'm riding right now has a 1000cc engine making the horsepower, not my legs!  But even pro motorcycle racers watch their weight!

So there you have it-a suggestion on how to climb better and run faster, plus my attempt to use a physical illustration of a spiritual truth and a physical truth.