“Did I get there?” I have asked myself this question twice in a day. A small street near Southern Methodist University in Dallas was a ridiculous combination of old houses and new bars crammed with students. It was 9 pm, the sun had already set, and it was impossible to make out the house numbers. In the end, I stopped at the Green Elephant bar to once again decide where I need to go. And then in a long corridor I saw a group of men and women lunging with an Olympic bar in their hands. At young man a strong physique in his hand was a stopwatch, and he either urged, or shouted at them. I did find CrossFit Dallas Central, one of 650 CrossFit gyms. Later, I found out that the athletes, which included members of the Southern Methodist University lacrosse team, were doing what the gym owner described as “brainwashing in one motion.” This group had already been doing forward lunges with a barbell for 28 minutes, the only exercise on that day's training schedule. The record is 400 meters in 20 minutes of exercise. Sweat rolled down his forehead.
Earlier that day, at 6:45 am, as I was driving around the industrial and warehouse district in Plano, peering at the barely visible building numbers, I witnessed a similar situation. But it wasn't lacrosse players lunging that caught my attention that time, it was a man in a weight belt running past my car. I followed him. Pulling off his belt, he followed me through the door. CrossFit Plano was a small, well-equipped gym according to all standards: pancakes for barbells, Olympic barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, gymnastic rings, ropes, tractor tires, expanders, Concept-2 rowing ergometers, medical balls, crossbars for pull-ups. The runner immediately rushed into the next room and began to jerk (kipping). Later I found out what he was doing training program called "Murph": running 1600 meters in a vest, then 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another 1600 meters, all for a while.
This daily workout, the so-called "WOD" (Workout of the Day), was named after a CrossFit supporter, a Navy lieutenant who was killed in Afghanistan. Most of the rest of the daily workouts are named after women, in the same way that hurricanes were called. I was there to learn the truth about CrossFit, a particular form of training that was described by the Business News Network as "one of the fitness trends that is gaining popularity on the planet." Later, I interviewed some critics, made a few phone calls, and read every article I could find online. But I'll start with my trip to Dallas and training in CrossFit ... twice a day. I will share with you what I have learned and in this article, in my opinion, the whole truth about the most controversial points regarding CrossFit.
The Truth About CrossFit Training Goals
“CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program, but a carefully planned attempt to optimize physical performance in each of the 10 major fitness areas,” writes founder Greg Glassman in his seminal paper. These areas are: training of cardiovascular and respiratory system, endurance, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, accuracy. CrossFit coaches often point out that even champions in certain types sports, not all of these areas are equally developed. The participants in the Iron Man Tournament are great in some areas, but they are not so good in others. Marathon runners have a well-developed cardiovascular system, but they are not strong enough. The powerlifter is strong, but often lacks the stamina to be able to pull himself up even once.
If your goal is to specialize in one sport, then CrossFit is not for you. After all, the goal of CrossFit is to achieve certain results in all 10 areas of fitness. The CrossFitter may not be an outstanding gymnast, but he will have well-developed body control. He will probably never win a marathon, but he will be able to take part in a 5K run without preparation, and at the finish line his result will not be so far from the result of the winner.
Troy Dodson, the owner of the CrossFit Plano gym, believes that for a CrossFit fitness, in itself, is the same sport. Indeed, many people do CrossFit. former athletes, and CrossFit competitions are gaining popularity and attracting well-known sponsors. If this continues, then CrossFit competitions will be included in the honorary list of training methods that are used official competitions, - such as Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting and power extreme. CrossFit's goal of general fitness, development of "functional" strength, all-round training has attracted many law enforcement, military and fire departments, as well as combatants who are proponents of the "learn the unknown and the unattainable" philosophy.
The CrossFit.com website says: “Our specialty is not to specialize. Martial arts, survival extreme conditions, many sports, and indeed life itself, encourage this approach to fitness, but often punish the “specialist”. Experienced CrossFitters are not the strongest athletes, but they are stronger than most. They are not the fastest, but fast enough. Their ideal is the desire for glory. The questions immediately become clear: why be strong, but not have functional readiness? Why do you need high stamina if you don't have strength and power? Why not be developed in all these areas?
Critics point out that being good at everything means being good at nothing. Sounds pretty convincing, but CrossFitters don't care one bit. They love that kind of versatility, and they're sure that being good at all areas of fitness is, as the slogan on their T-shirts says, "fucking." Truth? After all, if you are not involved in any one sport that develops only individual athletic qualities, then why not become comprehensively developed? Why be a healthy jock who can't run up stairs? Why be the guy who can run 10 miles on a treadmill but can't even help someone move a couch? Perhaps the best answer to these questions comes from CrossFit's Richard Doughty, who posted this comment on the CrossFit.com forum: "Does a professional football (NFL) linebacker need CrossFit? No. And should NFL linebacker jobs be done by ordinary people who want to learn how to do everything right? Not". If your training has a specific goal - to become a professional mountain biker, bodybuilder or deadlift a barbell weighing 275 kg, then CrossFit is not for you. After all, you have to specialize. But if you want to equally possess different sports qualities, then crossfit is a good choice. And it is true.
The Truth About Greg Glassman
Greg Glassman is the founder of CrossFit. Glassman, 49, a former gymnast, is credited with "creating" CrossFit in 1980, though the system complex training received its official name much later. The first CrossFit gym was opened by Glassman in 1995, and the official website was created in 2001. Glassman is a rather controversial figure, he quickly has opponents. While some people have a deep respect for him in the CrossFit community (many even want to take pictures with him), there are also those who consider him "crazy" - as one of the former CrossFit coaches called him. “CrossFit’s main problem is Glassman himself, his personality and his ego ... right now he is doing CrossFit more harm than good,” said former coach, who wished to remain anonymous due to constant friction and disagreement. Glassman is often inclined to fight back those who question his reputation. A couple of years ago Chief Editor magazine "T-nation" in one of his columns "Atomic Dog" wrote the following caustic lines:
“... and this crossfit and everything like it went to hell. Are you really the only one smart enough to create a site for housewives and stockbrokers in order to describe a daily, completely arbitrary workout?
Friday workout:
Running 400 meters
20 pull ups
Perform a dance from the Broadway musical Cats for 15 minutes
That's the whole workout! You did great!
Oh my God!"
In response, Glassman publicly challenged this editor-in-chief to compete with a CrossFit woman and promised a $10,000 prize to the winner. Without waiting for an answer, he called him "The Clown from T-nation". But why didn't Glassman want to compete with him? Perhaps because, according to the New York Times in 2005, Glassman suffers overweight and no longer does daily CrossFit workouts. Indeed, in the photographs, Glassman does not look at all in shape. In addition, Glassman asked Dan John, a writer for Testosterone magazine, to speak out in support of CrossFit. After receiving a refusal from John, Glassman called him a coward and stopped cooperating with him. Although Dan, who has been a CrossFit trainer for two years, has been recognized by many CrossFitters for his contributions to the training philosophy.
One of important aspects CrossFit is the Tabata method - a set of exercises that involves the simultaneous training of aerobic and anaerobic energy systems at the same time, using short approaches with high intensity with short pauses for rest. Dan is credited with introducing the Tabata Method to CrossFit, which was first applied in a Japanese study and then tested on many - as on elite athletes involved in various types sports, and on ordinary visitors to the gym, seeking to quickly lose weight. Despite the end of cooperation with Dan, most CrossFitters still respect him for the workouts he developed. By the way, Dan himself told me that for all his contribution to CrossFit for all the time he did not receive a single cent.
Another example of Glassman's nicknamed heavyweight style is the phrase "complete cretin." So Glassman responded to a lawsuit filed by Makimba Mimms, a former Navy officer involved in CrossFit. According to him, he suffered from a permanent disability as a result of his training in CrossFit. To which Glassman responded by posting a video in which children allegedly perform dangerous workout, which was sarcastically called "Makimba". At trial, CrossFit and Glassman were not found guilty, and Mimms ended up receiving $300,000 in damages for his injuries. Who is Glassman? He is a leader, an innovator and seems to be a person who is not easy to get along with.
And yet, once the magazine "Testosterone" asked Glassman for an interview regarding these issues, and was refused after Glassman familiarized himself with the questions proposed to him.
The truth about clowns
Stay in the world of CrossFit for a while and you will no doubt get to know about "Pukey the Clown" and "Uncle Rabdo" who are some kind of symbols of CrossFit. As soon as you throw up during a CrossFit workout, you are handed an “I met Pukey” t-shirt, depicting a clown who threw up his lunch. “Of course, this is not our goal,” said Dodson, the CrossFit Plano coach, “but sometimes it happens. Clown T-shirts are designed by us simply to calm the person and let him know that he obviously overdid it. Walls sports hall Dodson is adorned with photographs, many of which show people after a CrossFit workout - some just lying on the floor, and some kneeling. Of course, if you throw up, your physical condition will not improve in any way, but you can still forgive yourself for Pyuki's carelessness. In the case of "Uncle Rabdo", however, things may not be so simple.
Rhabdo, or rhabdomyolysis, appears due to a rupture muscle fiber, which enters the bloodstream and affects the kidneys. On the CrossFit website, in the "Our Employees Frequently Asked Questions" section titled "Ten Tips for a Successful Membership (aka Our Business Plan"), tip number four reads: "Don't kill. Rhabdomyolysis is a possible death threat for beginners, be very careful. He poses a real threat. During the first trainings, first of all, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of the appearance of "Rabdo". Training a beginner on a par with the main CrossFit group inevitably leads to rhabdo. At least that's the official statement.
However, experienced CrossFitters think otherwise. On the CrossFit forums, those who develop rhabdo from standard daily workouts are referred to as "brats." Others argue that rhabdo simply cannot be the result of any training and is more common in road crash victims or some poorly trained marathon runners. One CrossFit critic said these rhabdo warnings are nothing more than a publicity stunt to show how hard these workouts can be.
In any case, criticism is not potentially harmful loads, which are inherent in all forms of athleticism, and a frivolous attitude to this crossfitters and a T-shirt with a picture of a dying clown. Glassman dismissed almost all of the criticism that "CrossFit is dangerous" with the truly masculine answer he's become famous for. "If you don't know what it's like to get loose and break your neck, then you don't belong in our ranks," he said in a 2005 New York Times article. What is the truth about clowns? That Pukey is just funny. And "Uncle Rabdo", to put it mildly, does not look very good. What about Glassman? He, as always, is inimitable.
The truth about crossfit women
It is said that CrossFit makes men humble and women passionate, and every woman involved in CrossFit is an example of female athleticism and sexuality. It is difficult to disagree with the second part of this statement.
Translation by Alexander Lunkin especially for the site
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Myth #1: I will have to train until I pass out and die in training.
Don't be fooled by the intimidating names of daily workout plans. It's just a title guys! Although such an opinion, in principle, can be understood. “CrossFit is known for its high loads. When people who have just come to CrossFit, not knowing how to correctly determine the intensity of training, feel exhausted and exhausted,” notes Yumi Lee, a Reebok athlete who has gained popularity as a trainer for celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Hugh Jackman. You need to be careful with the intensity of training. AT good hall CrossFit experienced trainers will help you lay the foundation of your form by introducing you to technique and the right choice loads. Only then can you start working at high intensity. Without the right form, you will not be able to perform the exercises and achieve your goals, but the risk of injury, on the contrary, increases.
If you can't complete a full day's workout program, stop and let your body rest and recover, Lee advises. “You have to understand the difference between the discomfort that everyone feels and the pain that must be avoided. This is a necessary step to take when starting a CrossFit program,” adds Noah Abbott, CrossFit Gym Trainer in Brooklyn. “There is nothing wrong with feeling uncomfortable or tired, but if you are out of breath or feel overstretched, stop if you don't want to get hurt.”
Myth #2: I can get hurt
Any activity carries the risk of injury. However, you should not shift the blame for the injury to any sport, in particular CrossFit, as sport exercises help develop muscles and reduce the risk of injury. Problems only arise when you stop listening to your body. “If you feel something, the coach is unlikely to know about it until you tell him about it. It can't get inside your head and read your mind,” says Noah Abbott.
The same goes for too heavy weight. If you can't lift it, don't push yourself too hard, advises Christmas Abbott (not to be confused with Noah Abbott), an athlete representing Reebok who has put all her experience into training with the CrossFit program and working as a trainer at the Reebok Crossfit One gym in Canton, Massachusetts, winning the title with Team Nascar last year. This is how she describes her post-workout activities, which are quite normal: muscle inflammation."
Myth #3: I will meet "Uncle" Rhabdomyolysis
Nobody needs such "relatives". Rhabdomyolysis is a very rare and serious disorder caused by overworking the muscles, causing fibers to break and enter the bloodstream, which can lead to kidney damage or worse, kidney failure. Many people believe that CrossFit training can cause such complications, but today it's time to debunk this myth. “Many people take risks, taking on huge loads, striving to achieve as quickly as possible visible results, but their body did not have time to adapt to such loads. This is what causes health problems. You should not press more than your weight from the chest at the very first workout.
Myth #4: I will gain muscle mass.
This myth “scares” only women, but we hasten to please you: it’s not so easy for women to build up muscle mass(read more about this in the basic text of Zozhnik:). “Muscle gain is related to testosterone levels, so most women are simply not genetically predisposed to gaining muscle mass,” notes Noah Abbott. However, when you watch the CrossFit Games on TV or see a CrossFit athlete in a magazine, you might be intimidated by those mountains of muscle.
“CrossFit games involve 50 top athletes from all over the world who have been in this business for years and have gone through a series of qualifying tests that eliminate a huge number of athletes,” notes Abbott, adding that most major athletes have a genetic predisposition to weight gain. However, the average woman is more likely to lose a few sizes and finally fit into that old dress, instead of gaining muscle mass due to the CrossFit program. “People tend to get leaner and stronger, not bigger,” Noah adds. Change rarely goes very far.
Myth #5: I will have to compete with other athletes.
You don't have to make every workout a competition. You set your own goals. This is your choice. Even though you may feel like you're constantly fighting with others, and it's getting harder to keep up with the growing competition every day, the only person you're fighting with is yourself. “It's great if you have buddies that you can compete with, it gives you an incentive to work even harder, but you shouldn't be completely focused on the task of 'blanking' your friend or some cheeky guy in the gym,” says Abbott.
It is highly recommended to keep a training log. Pay attention to how you feel during your workout, how quickly you complete the program for the day, and how quickly your body recovers. This will help you better evaluate your progress and set more accurate goals. You need to focus on your problems, for example, improve the result even by a fraction of a second, or have time to lift more balls before the timer goes off. No need to constantly look at others and compare yourself with others. And if the competitive atmosphere in the hall starts to suck you in, just take out a notebook with your notes. This will help you focus on your own goals. “You may notice that over the past year we have increased the mass of the squat by 35 kg. This will help you understand that you are moving forward, to move forward, you do not need to constantly run after someone.
Myth #6: I will have to go on a diet.
You can exercise until you're blue in the face, but the result will not come if you do not change your eating habits, so a special diet for a lot of people is the right decision. The most best diet, which dates back to prehistoric times, is to eat plenty of protein, reduce carbs, and eat only the right fats. However, for some, this diet is not suitable. Healthy food is often very expensive, and preparing the right dishes can sometimes take a huge amount of time. Therefore, it is best to change only certain eating habits. “Start with regular exercise, and very soon your body will tell you what to eat to get the best results,” notes Lee.
If you decide to use a special diet, it does not have to be a paleo diet or something like that (Especially since). Talk to your trainer about his eating habits so they can share the information with you. Not everyone is a nutrition expert, so it's best to consult with a professional dietitian before determining your future eating habits.
Myth #7: It costs a lot of money
Yes, a gym membership might be cheaper, but what if you don't see any results? “The gym is where you pay to access the machines,” notes Nate Forster, who owns a CrossFit gym on 5th Avenue in New York and another CrossFit gym in Miami Beach. “At CrossFit, you pay for high quality coaching, we average one coach per 10 people.” There is something to think about here. CrossFit offers a training program, personalized attention, and coaching support to help you reach your goals faster. If you visit the gym 3 times a week, do everything that is required of you, the result will inevitably come.
If you are not ready to pay - think about the fact that for a few hours of classes with personal trainer you will most likely pay less. Plus, you can follow Christmas Abbott's advice and just spend a little less on entertainment. “Invest in health and longevity,” she advises.
Myth #8: It takes a long time
Some spend 6 days in the gym for grueling workouts, leaving one day for recovery. But you don't have to be so stressed out. Three to four workouts a week will be enough to achieve good results, and two workouts a week will be enough to keep you in shape if you play some kind of sport.
The classes themselves are short. On average, a group lesson lasts about an hour, and the tasks for the day take from 8 to 20 minutes. It's not very much, is it? “There is a difference between sprinting 400 meters as fast as possible or running 10 kilometers. A 400-meter run can make you very exhausted, so that you can’t even stand on your feet for some time after the race, but after a 10-kilometer run, you can walk and shake with the other participants in the race. So more is not always better.”
Myth #9: Only ex-athletes can do CrossFit.
Perhaps the first time you enter the CrossFit gym, you will feel like a frail young man who is surrounded by strong adult men. However, all these people were not necessarily professional athletes or just once engaged in sports. Some, of course, may have been involved in sports in the past, but this does not mean that next to them you should feel like a second-class person.
“CrossFit is for everyone,” Lee says. “We have people in the gym who have never played sports before. We had one man who had 35 kg excess weight, and lost 22 kg in the first 7 months. I also know people who have suffered from serious back injuries, and today they are able to perform exercises that were previously inaccessible to them due to back problems.” So no need to doubt, drop everything and go to the gym.
Myth #10: You will have to understand obscure terms
The terms adopted in the CrossFit environment may seem obscure to you at first, but after a while you yourself will easily sprinkle these words in your speech. “Every CrossFit gym has some kind of introductory program that allows beginners to understand how it all works,” says Lee. If you're considering getting into the CrossFit program and are looking for a gym, call and see if they have an introductory course. Such introductory classes do not have to be expensive.
Some gyms, such as the CrossFit LAB in West Hollywood, offer 6 introductory classes that break down all the movements and are required before starting the CrossFit program. “If at the end of the introductory course you still have little understanding of how CrossFit works, we suggest that you take the introductory course again,” notes Lee.
Myth #11: It's only for "their own"
Many GYM's may resemble a sect, in which the entrance to outsiders is closed. CrossFit, on the other hand, is a very open community, as noted by Christmas Abbott, who was passed by another athlete just seconds before, after which the two girls hugged and thanked each other. Even if you feel out of sorts at first, Forster says, that feeling will definitely go away when you see 10-15 people cheering you on while completing the day's task.
Myth #12: All gyms are the same
CrossFit is not McDonald's. This means that you should not expect that you will come to two different places and see the same “kitchen”. All halls are licensed (in the USA - approx. Zozhnik), but this does not mean that there are some general rules for all. But such freedom also carries certain risks, since not everyone can bear the burden of responsibility.
How to act: You need to find out everything carefully. “Visit at least three halls nearby, appreciate the atmosphere and decor,” advises Noah Abbott. First of all, you need to pay attention to how the coach works with visitors to the gym: “In a good gym, the coach walks around the gym and makes sure that everything goes well.”
KTM100 Issue #17 Who met Pooky - LIKE!
What is rhabdomyolysis?
Rhabdomyolysis is a disease that results in the release of myoglobin into the blood as a result of rapid damage. skeletal muscle. As a rule, myoglobin is not released into the bloodstream, as it is filtered through the kidneys for subsequent excretion from the body. The kidneys do not pass myoglobin, because it has a large molecular component, and this can cause toxic effects on the renal tubular epithelium.
Causes and risk factors
The main cause of rhabdomyolysis are muscle injuries such as:
Direct muscle injury:
Severe extensive burns;
Physical abuse and abuse;
accident;
Long operation;
Traumatic toxicosis;
Electric shock.
Severe muscle contractions due to:
Intensive physical training;
Prolonged involuntary muscle contractions during seizures and epileptic seizures;
Symptoms and signs
moderate symptoms
1. Soreness, sensitivity and swelling of the muscles;
2. muscle weakness;
3. Dark color of urine.
severe symptoms
When acute kidney failure develops, severe symptoms begin to appear, such as:
Swelling of the upper and lower extremities;
Pressure syndrome - fluid from the blood passes onto surrounding tissues, such as the lungs (causing shortness of breath) and muscles, which can lead to reduced pressure and stroke.
electrolyte imbalance;
Decreased and / or absent diuresis;
lethargy;
disorientation and distraction;
Irregular pulse and heart rhythm;
Coma.
Diagnostics
Rhabdomyolysis is usually suspected when the patient presenting to the doctor has a history of injury or accident. Diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis begins with an examination and examination of past and recent illnesses and traumatic situations.
The creatinine kinase test is the most reliable diagnostic test for confirming rhabdomyolysis.
Treatment
Medical care for a patient with rhabdomyolysis depends on the severity of the disease:
A patient's chances of recovery from rhabdomyolysis are high if the disease is detected early and treated appropriately to avoid further damage to the kidneys. The mortality rate for rhabdomyolysis is about 5%.
Complications
There are three causes of complications that develop with rhabdomyolysis:
1. Increased pressure in the anatomical cavity.
2. Disseminated intravascular coagulation.
3. Renal failure.
A warning
Rhabdomyolysis does not have the opportunity to develop if proper treatment is organized after the injury.
Video Clowns Puki and Rabdo - symbols of CrossFit! channel ATLETIZM
There is an opinion that CrossFit, due to the alleged intensive program, can lead to unfortunate consequences of various kinds. In this article, I will try to explain in an understandable language what rhabdomyolysis is, because most of the sources speak as if their entire readership is medical.
And so that non-medics are not bored, they are entertained by a bright and long-recognized picture of the clown Puki, who powerlessly vomits after a workout. As for me, this is some kind of anti-propaganda of sports. I will try to express my opinion regarding this topic.
Rhabdomyolysis - myth or reality?
Rhabdomyolysis, the symptoms of which are difficult to confuse with something else, is an extreme degree of muscle tissue damage, referred to in medicine as myopathy. It is very likely that the authors who created the myth about Uncle Rabdo, who comes to overtrained CrossFitters like a tooth fairy to children at night, hooked on information about muscle damage at the cellular level. But they do not at all go into details (very important), indicating that the same myopathy is, first of all, a syndrome of a hereditary nature. Also among the reasons for the occurrence of rhabdomyolysis are listed various injuries and infections.
And here is another clue - injuries! After all, overtraining can be classified as an injury. But isn't that overkill? After all, then let's remember how muscles grow from the loads received. What happens? Slightly bend, and fate will reward you with a complex disease? It seems that CrossFit has such a dirty karma that for some reason it is he who is most often credited with a connection with Uncle Rabdo (they even came up with a cute name, in the form of a diminutive form).
Cases of rhabdomyolysis in sports
I am by no means saying that rhabdomyolysis is a myth. Against. sports history points to quite direct facts, when a rugby player suddenly loses consciousness during leg training and ends up in the hospital. When a football player during a set of short sprints suffers a similar misfortune. A similar picture happened with a professional marathon runner who did not run just a few meters to the finish line.
Clinical studies give the result: in all athletes, the potassium content in the blood is several times higher than the norm. This is fraught with a fatal outcome, which happened in one of the cases cited as an example. But is there anything new in this? After all, the body can be “killed” by loads in the literal and figurative sense, and for this it is not necessary to talk about rhabdomyolysis.
In addition, other factors, including the current state of immunity, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, etc., can accompany a malfunction in the body’s work. And in the case of extreme loads, all this will be another drop in the vessel of a potential problem. But this problem can manifest itself in a variety of ways. You can read about the causes of poor health during and after training in this article.
Causes of rhabdomyolysis
Let's discuss the causes of rhabdomyolysis in more detail, but without forgetting the understandable language. So, the disease is a muscle necrosis caused by the destruction of muscle tissue at the cellular level. The breakdown products provoke the entry of myoglobin into the blood, which is converted to hematin and clogs the renal tubules, thereby leading to acute renal failure later. In addition, myoglobin is toxic, which negatively affects metabolic processes.
In short, the debris generated from the breakdown of muscle cells clogs the body, leading to a chain reaction and dire consequences.
Among the main reasons for the formation of rhabdomyolysis, as I said, are genetic factors, myopathy, infectious diseases, reactions to medications, burns and, of course, injuries, including the consequences of physical overload.
Also, the risk of rhabdomyolysis is expected in drug addicts and in persons who abuse alcohol and nicotine products. This may be laughable to many now, but some poisonous mushrooms can also cause muscle necrosis.
Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis
It must be understood that the focus of the disease can have a different degree of localization. The more extensive the localization, the more pronounced the symptoms will be. It all starts, as a rule, with swelling of the affected muscle, to which pain and local limitation of movement are soon added, and everything can end with complete paralysis.
As concomitant symptoms are nausea, general weakness, dizziness, noise in the head and ache in the lower back.
Dark urine indicates the development of kidney problems. Soon there is acute renal failure, with all the ensuing consequences. Rhabdomyolysis, whose symptoms develop in direct proportion to the progress of the disease, often leads ultimately to lethal outcome.
Is CrossFit Dangerous?
To complete the thought that was started from a clinical perspective, I will say that the disease is subject to treatment in a hospital (although a thorough algorithm has not yet been developed) and, given the specifics of rhabdomyolysis, the sooner the treatment is undertaken, the better. It is kidney failure that leads to death.
Rhabdomyolysis and CrossFit. Why was this disease associated with a particular sports direction? The answer lies in the increased functional load that CrossFit involves. But this answer is only partly true, with which every professional athlete will agree. Any sport, when taken seriously, involves extreme work, which, according to this logic, should cause the arrival of Uncle Rabdo along with the clown Puki.
Much more often in professional sports various injuries occur, as well as problems with cardiovascular system which often lead to death. But how often do we hear about rhabdomyolysis? Yes, the disease exists, and hypothetically it can be tied to any sport, but why CrossFit?
Once again I will ask with a smile - is it dirty karma? Whose PR stunt is this? Who invented Uncle Rabdo as the nephew of the epic grandfather Babai, whose mission is to intimidate the “target audience”?
Afterword
Today, crossfit is gaining popularity, gathering in its halls a lot of people who want to try their hand and improve functional performance. This is good. But the bad thing is that the goal of most of these halls is direct profit, and not many are ready to pay attention to the issue of human health. Naturally, working hard will make any beginner believe in rhabdomyolysis due to CrossFit. But the bottom line is that this newcomer has never worked hard in the other direction.
Someone decided to put a dark and dubious stain on the reputation of CrossFit in order to stop the rapidly developing process of competitive direction? Maybe. But I would not be in a hurry to think that it reflects so badly on him. Black PR always has two sides.
And, before talking about Uncle Rabdo, who comes to crossfitters, I would recommend remembering your heart, which will fail much earlier than muscle tissue will be irreparably injured. Therefore, remember: your health is first of all, without it you will not build results.
Let me introduce - Uncle Rabdo, the unofficial rather obnoxious CrossFit mascot. Uncle Rabdo is a cartoon character often seen in the CrossFit literature as representative of a disturbing trend among CrossFit athletes.
He is a clown. Literally.
The cartoon "Uncle Rabdo" depicts an emaciated but muscular clown hooked up to a dialysis machine next to exercise equipment. His kidney fell out, and it lies on the floor along with part of the intestine.
Behind him is a pool of blood, but you can’t understand whether it comes from the intestines, the renal arteries, or from somewhere else. Uncle Rabdo, of course, has rhabdomyolysis.
Rhabdomyolysis, in addition to being a pleasant and melodic word, is not at all pleasant, but a serious and potentially fatal disease resulting from the catastrophic destruction of muscle cells. We'll talk about the details a little later, but first listen to one story.
The story of rhabdomyolysis
One day my physiotherapist colleague, a young girl in good shape, went to a CrossFit workout. She has been there many times. On this warm Texas evening, she did a workout with a partner, in which one changes with another, performing sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise. The workout consisted of push-ups. Heaps of pushups. And also a huge number of repetitions in the bench press.
She did hundreds of repetitions of each exercise. Beautiful girl!
“I didn't want to fall behind my partner. Normally I would take a little rest, but training with a partner kept me going.”
Both exercises engage the triceps heavily, so she wasn't surprised when her muscles felt like jellied jelly on the way home. Maybe it's the heat, she thought. “Or just the number of repetitions.” The muscles were in crisis. At home, she applied ice and drank a lot of water, like a real athlete, but the damage was already done.
We physiotherapists have a knack for distinguishing between a normal body response to exercise and an abnormal one. “Is it supposed to hurt?” is a question we answer hundreds of times every week. Sometimes the answer is “yes” and then we motivate the patient to continue, in other cases it is a signal that it is time to rest. This observation of the signals of our body is one of the professional skills of physiotherapists. We can't get away from him. And when my friend woke up the next morning, the sirens were screaming with might and main. She couldn't raise her elbows. She couldn't even reach her mouth to brush her teeth.
Still swayed by the CrossFit mantra of “work to failure, endure the pain, but do the reps,” she muted her “sirens” and stoically continued to work. However, she soon realized that not only could she not bend her arms, they were also completely powerless. She couldn't work with patients. By evening, her toned arms had swelled into plump hot dogs, full of pain and regret, and she began to realize that the morning calls were absolutely justified.
Incredibly, it took another 24 hours for her professional literacy to break through the clutches of the CrossFit culture and finally see a doctor. Diagnosed with acute rhabdomyolysis, she was hospitalized and stayed in the hospital for more than a week. The ER tested her creatine kinase (CPK) levels. The norm is about 100 units / l. Her CPK level was over 45,000; this level indicates kidney damage.
While still in the hospital, she called her CrossFit gym to cancel her membership. Following standard procedure, the trainer asked the reason for her decision, to which she replied that she was in the hospital. "Rabdo?" he immediately asked.
And here we finally get to CrossFit's dirty little secret. The trainer was surprisingly well aware of this very rare disease. And it's, for a moment, so rare that one study reports an annual rate of 0.06% for rhabdomyolysis diagnoses. This means a few cases of "rhabdo" among hundreds of thousands of patients. How, I wondered, could an ordinary trainer be on the short foot with such a serious rare disease? What is it about CrossFit? It turns out yes.
Rhabdomyolysis Through the Eyes of the CrossFit Community
A quick internet search turns up
So what is
In some cases, acute compression syndrome occurs - an extreme condition that can result in the loss of a limb if not treated in time.
So what's up? Back in 2005, The New York Times highlighted the link between rhabdomyolysis and the CrossFit culture in an article “
“However, six months later, Anderson, a former military man, returned to the gym again, doing the very exercises that almost killed him. “I think getting the body to the point where the muscles are destroying themselves is a huge benefit of CrossFit,” he says.
And what does the founder of CrossFit, Greg Glassman, think about this?
“Yes, he can kill you,” says Glassman. “I have always been very open about it.”
Now, in 2013, this culture has not changed at all, and perhaps even worsened. As my colleague Jason Kessler points out in his article “
“If you ask a CrossFit coach, he will say that the injuries are all my fault. In a community that pushes you to move as fast and as hard as possible, it's hard not to succumb to the general craziness. You have to force yourself to go to the limit, but when you reach this limit and pay with your health, you are an idiot who has gone too far.”
Here is another crazy example of how the all-consuming culture of CrossFit can kill the voice of professional reason - one of the articles
Consequences of rhabdomyolysis
Sometimes rhabdomyolysis goes away after treatment. Sometimes the disease is delayed. In other cases, the kidneys never function the way they used to. As noted on the CrossFit forum, one of the