"How I almost killed myself training" - Bill Fox

[Michael Pearce]

I know that CF has helped me take the weekly beatings I get at the dojo. It has increased my flexiblity and my body can recover even quicker from strikes. When I got a cold last week it was very milded and jet lag has been mild as well. Just a few quickies.

[Rene Renteria]

PubMed can be the weirdest thing. This guy was definitely out of the Zone:
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstra ct&list_uids=9012062

Ugeskr Laeger. 1996 Dec 16;158(51):7420-1. Related Articles, Links

[Licorice. A basis for precautions one more time!]

[Article in Danish]

Folkersen L, Knudsen NA, Teglbjaerg PS.

Aalborg Sygehus, medicinsk nefrologisk afdeling C.

A 38 year-old male was admitted to hospital with somnolence, flaccid paralysis of the extremities, arterial hypertension, oedema, severe hypokalemia and rabdomyolysis. The course was complicated with respiratory and kidney failure. It became apparent that the symptoms were caused by the ingestion of 200 g of licorice daily for ten weeks together with a thiazide diuretic for two weeks.
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And more proof that one shouldn't dive into CrossFit full-bore the first week:
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstra ct&list_uids=15618327
Br J Sports Med. 2005 Jan;39(1):e3. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read
Rhabdomyolysis in 119 students after repetitive exercise.

Lin AC, Lin CM, Wang TL, Leu JG.

Emergency Department, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. m002001@ms.skh.org.tw

Exercise induced rhabdomyolysis is well known, but has rarely been reported in high school students. This is the report of 119 cases in high school students who exercised vigorously (120 push ups in five minutes) in cold weather. Most of them developed muscle pain and dark urine within two to four days of the exercise.
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Ahh! And here's one describing cases similar to Eugene's. Something for CrossFit gyms to consider!
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstra ct&list_uids=12972868
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Sep;35(9):1499-502. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read
Two cases of exertional rhabdomyolysis precipitated by personal trainers.

Springer BL, Clarkson PM.

Wright State University School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Dayton, OH, USA.

INTRODUCTION: Numerous cases of exertional rhabdomyolysis have been reported in the literature, and these cases mostly involve individuals who were inexperienced exercisers, uneducated in fitness and health principles, dehydrated or heat stressed, taking drugs, or military recruits in basic training. PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to review two cases of exertional rhabdomyolysis in healthy, experienced exercisers. METHODS/RESULTS: The cases reviewed are for a 22-yr-old female college student and a 37-yr-old male physician who presented with rhabdomyolysis secondary to exercise in a local health club that was part of a national chain. DISCUSSION: In these two cases individuals, both well educated and experienced in fitness, were encouraged by fitness instructors in a local health club to overexertion during their exercise routine leading to rhabdomyolysis.
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My PubMed fetish continues.
Rene'

[Brian Mulvaney]

Poking around on Google for exercise induced rhabdomyolysis (aka Uncle Rhabdo style training) and found this piece from the Annals of Emergency Medicine

http://www.charlydmiller.com/LIB04/1...iserhabdo.html

The study involved taking 35 inmates from Rykers Correctional Institute and having them engage in strenuous exercise. The protocol was as follows:

Thirty-one of the patients did squat-thrusts with or without weights, two patients did chin-ups, one patient lifted heavy weights, and one ran a long distance. These repetitive exercises were done not as part of a usual exercise routine but as a consequence of losing a game of dominoes. The number of squat-thrusts varied between 75 and 900, with weights from 40 to 170 lb.

(Perhaps this study was the inspiration for the CrossFit North "wheel of misfortune" game at the last Suffer on Saturday.)

Sure enough, the subjects got some rhabdo, but none went into acute renal failure. Makes me think this training outcome may not be uncommon, but you stoics just don't talk about the brown urine after that really bad workout.

Thanks to everybody for sharing. I've concluded that "Mess You Up" is not a metaphorical t-shirt slogan, it's a straightforward statement of fact. Manage your dosage carefully.

[Larry Lindenman]

A little post script to my story:

The guy who suffered from rhabdomyolysis, in my story, was very fit (this was before Crossfit was a twinkle in the Glassman's eyes), young, and very very driven. I think his inate drive and mental toughness (and a cold he was suffering) pushed him beyond his limits, causing the rhabdomyolysis. He described the illness as the most painful thing he has ever suffered. This incident didn't slow him down...He went on to become a fairly famous martial arts instructor, and a Shooto champion in Japan. He now teaches martial arts around the world.

[James Montana]

Well, not as serious as those ailments, but intense exercise increases my blood pressure which in turn has cause an increase in my heart size.

Doctors always ask if I take steroids or supplements (I don't), but I have some of the side effects of that when I exercise intensely...

[Alexander Karatis]

I'm curious of how we've not heard of more cases of "Rabdo" (whose literral translation in Greek BTW is...ribbed) in places like BUD/S or SFAS.

In my mind, since Pukie the Clown is demonstrating what he does to you, Uncle Rabdo should not be a monster or some creature like that...

Rather, he should be the silent kind, kind of like "Spook" the F-4 Phantom crews' mascot.

http://www.datasync.com/~enelms/Bentwaters/PhanIIA.jpg
http://www.c-7acaribou.com/album/jsphotos/F-4_Spook.gif

I picture a stretcher being loaded in an ambulance with one horror-stricken CFer, while Rabdo is seen creeping around in his cloak and dagger outfit.:wink:

In fact he should get a first name too...John Rabdo-! Oh ***** ! John Rabdo could in fact be a...John RAMBO figure! Still same ambulance scene with John Rabdo seen in the sidelines holding a still-smoking M-60...

Somebody stop me before I start getting ideas toward that ribbed direction...:biggrin:

[Karl Steadman]

Ribbed for her pleasure!!!!

I'm loving the John Rabdo idea! :rofl:

[Matt Gagliardi]

A link to more information on rhabdo:
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic508.htm
And another:
http://members.tripod.com/~baggas/rhabdo.html

I have no doubt that rhabdo is not something I'd like to develop. Nor do I doubt the severity of the symptoms that Eugene's buddy exhibited. But I can't escape the feeling that rhabdo is getting a little overblown here (BTW...this is posted more in reaction to the entries in Comments today than anything I saw in this thread).

You'll see in the links I've posted that rhabdo is caused by exertion in only 6% of cases. And that rhabdo is fatal in only 5% of all cases. I'm not sure where Ethe phrase "frequently fatal" came from, but it would seem to be misleading.

[Eric Cimrhanzel]

Eugene Quote Paraphrased (on the back of a T-shirt): "CrossFit is powerful. Much like the atom it can harnessed and power a city or blow it up... learn to harness the power and release it in increments rather than pull the rods all the way out."

Just above Uncle Rhabdo on the front of the T-shirt: "Go nuclear. Go CrossFit."

Hmm... just a thought.

Anything overdone can possibly injure and/or kill you.(heck-even yoga!)

So many variables can lead up to "rhabdo"(eg. conditioning,mood,temperatires,etc...mebbe not the amount of leg-hair one has...) in any number of circumstances.

Dial in to your body...the ability to skirt the "edge" of collapse is a trainable skill/mindset...thus,no worries.

imo...