Crossfit

[Parrot Head]

I don't think this was brought up but my wife read this article recently and has been working with a PT who says she sees tons of Uncle Rhabdo.

CrossFit's Dirty Little Secret

Rhabdomyolysis, apart from being a subtly pleasant and melodic sounding word, is an uncool, serious and potentially fatal condition resulting from the catastrophic breakdown of muscle cells.

[Omaha 680]

I don't think this was brought up but my wife read this article recently and has been working with a PT who says she sees tons of Uncle Rhabdo.

CrossFit's Dirty Little Secret

It's definitely not a secret to those who are in the community. It is discussed, but perhaps not with the seriousness it deserves. I do think that only the most elite at each gym are at risk. Mere mortals like me don't have the mental drive to push past the pain that far.

[ERCougar]

It's definitely not a secret to those who are in the community. It is discussed, but perhaps not with the seriousness it deserves. I do think that only the most elite at each gym are at risk. Mere mortals like me don't have the mental drive to push past the pain that far.

Yeah, I think Crossfitters are aware of this. You could also call it P90X's dirty little secret.

[jay santos]

Yeah, I think Crossfitters are aware of this. You could also call it P90X's dirty little secret.

This actually has me nervous a little. Kidneys are a risk area for me already. I don't do Crossfit or P90X, but for my workout program, I do a pretty intense workout three times a week. It's a short workout, but what makes it intense is the lack of rest.

Example: legs, 25 minute workout. superset two excercises at a time. No rest at all. Maybe 10 seconds to catch your breath.

squats superset calf raise
leg press superset glute raise
leg extension superset leg curl
walking lunges to finish off

Something like that. It's a short workout, but my body is probably as stressed as I've ever felt it sometimes after this workout. Is this dangerous? What exactly is too much and how do you know?

[ERCougar]

Any time anyone of any athletic training (but I'd actually disagree with Omaha here and say it's the novice athlete who is at the highest risk) does a hard workout, they're at risk for rhabdo. The best way to prevent it, aside from not over exerting, is hydration. So drink water on each of your breaks. Drink it before you start. And after.

I think the reason cross fit and p90x (or August two a days) is that you have someone else pushing you. Add that to untrained athletes who don't know their bodies and you have a problem. Individual workouts just aren't nearly as risky because no one pushes themselves as hard alone. Which is probably a good thing.

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[woot]

Isn't that the condition that like half of the Iowa football team got a few years ago?

[RC Vikings]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mor...?sct=obnetwork

I can see cross fit going away from the Olympic lifts.

[Omaha 680]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mor...?sct=obnetwork

I can see cross fit going away from the Olympic lifts.

It's such a horrific and sad situation. I don't think the olympic lifts will go away, but doing high percentage of PR weight in a fatigued state should. I stay away from the snatch almost completely unless it is minimal weight. When workouts include clean and jerk repetitions, I have yet to go above 135. I just don't feel comfortable attempting more when my muscles are so shot.

[Jacob]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mor...?sct=obnetwork

I can see cross fit going away from the Olympic lifts.

Not gonna happen. And weightlifting actually has a very low rate of injury compared to other sports. (Weightlifting is the sport of competing in the "Olympic lifts"). Of course, injury is more likely, as Omaha just mentioned, when you are doing high reps at heavy weights with little or no rest. However, we just haven't seen high injury rates in crossfit like everyone expects. Quite the contrary, I credit crossfit with healing some injuries I had (back and knee problems). A freak accident doesn't really change much, except that folks should look at it closely and see what can be done to further reduce the risk of injury. Football is still way more dangerous. You are much more likely to get injured playing football. Or soccer. Or basketball. And especially cheer-leading. What about bull riding? Hockey? NASCAR?

I haven't done crossfit in over a year, and I'm no expert. But if you think a one-off freak accident is going to drastically change the sport, you aren't too familiar with the stubborn folks who run the company. Or the community that participates.

[RC Vikings]

I haven't done crossfit in over a year, and I'm no expert. But if you think a one-off freak accident is going to drastically change the sport, you aren't too familiar with the stubborn folks who run the company. Or the community that participates.

If they want to grow they will. If triathlons would have stayed with only the Ironman distance you would have very few participates and the same is true with cross fit and the Olympic lifts. The hard core will still continue doing them but most people can't do ten air squats let alone do a squat with 125 lbs over their head. A guy in our office does a different cross fit workout every noon and he has gotten away from the Olympic lifts because of hurting himself and I would put this guy up against anybody in Eastern Idaho in a cross fit competition. I think you are right that the hard core won't change but more and more people will start doing a cross fit type exercise and it will change the sport.

[Omaha 680]

My wife and I joined Harlem Crossfit aka Afro Brutality Sports. My coach is killing me with ridiculous amounts of squat cleans, power cleans, push presses, and burpees every class. I'm not used to this format. My gym in Omaha would have a set WOD on the board that we would do after warmups. Sometimes it took 15 minutes, sometimes over an hour. At Harlem they basically fill the whole hour and announce each new exercise right before you do it. Mentally this is a lot tougher for me because I don't know what is coming next or what I am going to have to get through.

I have been warned by other members that workouts in Black History Month are brutal. I am not looking forward to it. Here is a sample workout I found on their blog from last year:

http://crossfitharlem.com/2013/02/23...ans-necessary/

“By Any Means Necessary”

For Time: 50 Front Squats Unbroken, 50 Push Press Unbroken, 50 Back Squats Unbroken, 50 Overhead Squats Unbroken, 50 Thrusters Unbroken. Rules for Unbroken: If you stop for more than 10seconds or put the bar down 5 burpees must be done immediately then you can continue your reps. a 30 second rest is… permitted after the completion of each 50rep movement. 45/65

[Jacob]

If they want to grow they will. If triathlons would have stayed with only the Ironman distance you would have very few participates and the same is true with cross fit and the Olympic lifts. The hard core will still continue doing them but most people can't do ten air squats let alone do a squat with 125 lbs over their head. A guy in our office does a different cross fit workout every noon and he has gotten away from the Olympic lifts because of hurting himself and I would put this guy up against anybody in Eastern Idaho in a cross fit competition. I think you are right that the hard core won't change but more and more people will start doing a cross fit type exercise and it will change the sport.

Most people can't do 10 air squats? That's sad. But if they start crossfit, they'll do more than that within a couple of days. I could never do much weight on an overhead squat. Never got the balance and flexibility needed to do it well. You don't need to to do crossfit. Heavy overhead squats will only rarely show up in a WOD from my experience. Anyone can do the olympic lifts at light weights, and crossfitters are always encouraged to scale workouts to their ability. So, your comparison to the Ironman makes no sense.

[RC Vikings]

Most people can't do 10 air squats? That's sad. But if they start crossfit, they'll do more than that within a couple of days. I could never do much weight on an overhead squat. Never got the balance and flexibility needed to do it well. You don't need to to do crossfit. Heavy overhead squats will only rarely show up in a WOD from my experience. Anyone can do the olympic lifts at light weights, and crossfitters are always encouraged to scale workouts to their ability. So, your comparison to the Ironman makes no sense.

tumblr_lvqbovOOmK1qmgovao1_1280.jpg

Ask how many in your ward or at work could do a deep squat, like the picture, with just the bar? You just said you don't have the balance or flexibility to do it well yet you say everybody can do it at light weights. What is it? Also easier=more people harder=less people, what is so hard about that to understand.

[Jacob]

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Ask how many in your ward or at work could do a deep squat, like the picture, with just the bar? You just said you don't have the balance or flexibility to do it well yet you say everybody can do it at light weights. What is it? Also easier=more people harder=less people, what is so hard about that to understand.

The picture depicts an overhead squat, not an air squat. You claimed hardly anyone can do an air squat. My answer to this new question is that nearly every non-obese person I know can do a nice deep air squat, and after a few days (or minutes), wouldn't even look awkward doing it. And nearly every obese person I know could also do a deep air squat with just a few days of practice, unless they have sever knee injury problems. (Note that the girl in the picture has got her thighs parallel to the floor. That's deep enough (especially for an overhead squat which is more difficult) but not what I'd consider deep. Not deep for an air squat anyway. i like to warm up going all the way down i.e. but to ankles, just to loosen up. It's good for the knees.

Just to be clear, while nearly everyone can do an air squat, a much smaller percentage of people I know could to an overhead squat with an empty 45 pound bar. That's where the flexibility and balance comes in. That's why crossfit always has people start with something much lighter, like a pvc pipe that weighs no more a pound or two.

Disclaimer: that girl can overhead squat more than me. Reps at 135 (which she is close to there) is about my max. Or was. I couldn't do that right now. That's why she is competing at the crossfit games in that photo. She's the best of the best and you wouldn't expect many people to be able to look like her of lift that weight. Only 2 girls at our gym could put up that much weight. Everyone else did much less. All workouts are scaled.

[RC Vikings]

The picture depicts an overhead squat, not an air squat. You claimed hardly anyone can do an air squat.

I didn't call it an air squat, I called it a deep squat. I said a lot of people couldn't do 10 air squats, not an air squat. I stand behind what I said, the Olympic lifts are to hard for most people and if Crossfit wants to grow they will back off on some of these lifts. My wife wanted to get in shape so I've got her at the gym doing 20lb kettle bell swings, push ups, burpees, pull ups on the machine, box squats, row machine, all cross fit type exercises but suited for her. She will never be able to do an overhead squat but she enjoys the variety that comes with Crossfit.