JP,

Not sure what your overall goal is but I do something similar to that. Odd weeks are 4 sets (3x6 and 1x25) the even weeks are 4x12. I like it. Since it switches every week the routine doesn't get as old

10/31/2013 2:55:36 PM

The iron is working out. I started tasting food today! I didn't realize how much vinegar I was putting on everything. And I've been obsessed with wings and hot sauce for months.

11/3/2013 1:11:30 AM

Yay! Although wings and hot sauce are super yummy.

11/3/2013 7:27:41 AM

CrossFit Induced Rhabdomyolysis

https://medium.com/p/97bcce70356d
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/38_05_cf_rhabdo.pdf
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000473.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/22/fashion/thursdaystyles/22Fitness.html

Very rare, only 5 cases recorded so far of CrossFit induced rhabdomyolysis. Still scary, though.

Quote :

"A potentially lethal systemic meltdown initiated by the kidneys in response to the presence of shed muscle-fiber debris and exhaust in the bloodstream. There are several causes and types of rhabdo, classified by the underlying cause of muscle breakdown. With CrossFit we are dealing with what is known as exertional rhabdomyolysis. It can disable, maim, and even kill."

Quote :

"Rhabdomyolysis is the breakdown of muscle fibers that leads to the release of muscle fiber contents (myoglobin) into the bloodstream. Myoglobin is harmful to the kidney and often causes kidney damage."

Quote :

"Under extreme conditions your muscles cells explode. They die. They leach protein out into the blood stream, including one form called myoglobin. Ever stalwart, your kidneys take up the job of clearing these dangerous proteins from the blood. Why? It’s just what they do. Unfortunately, myoglobin proteins aren’t designed to be in the blood in the first place and they can easily overload the kidney. This can produce injury or death to all or part of the kidney in a short amount of time, and is potentially lethal."

Quote :

"In some cases, acute compartment syndrome ensues, which is an emergency condition that can result in loss of a limb unless your connective tissue is slashed open* to release the swelling , a procedure called a fasciotomy. * Pic: Warning, GRAPHIC http://cdn.lifeinthefastlane.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/compartment-syndrome-fasciotomy.jpg "

11/3/2013 10:11:20 PM

The headlines in the media made this out to be some sort of condition exclusive to Crossfit. It's not.
Marathon runners get it too. I know an ER doctor who got it from an indoor spin class. If you start pounding your leg with the head of the hammer for a few hours, you'd probably get rhabdo.

In sports, it's termed exertional rhabdo for a reason. If you over exert in any activity, your risk of getting rhabdo increases.

Even certain drugs can cause the breakdown of muscle tissues.

11/3/2013 11:09:11 PM

fwoo, I'm at low risk of rhabdo.

11/4/2013 7:40:50 AM

3^ I'm not exactly sure if that's what a family friend had, but she ended up in the hospital for over a week with kidney damage. Basically her kidney's were shutting down on her and doctor's linked it to CrossFit on top of some medication she was on (I think it was her birth control medicine). Her whole body swelled up, it was pretty scary for her.

11/4/2013 11:17:28 AM

Does anyone do this:

http://startingstrength.com/

I read it about a year ago. The jist is that machines are awful and squats do a lot for full body health. I had a few months of pt where I wasn't doing it but am back at it. Has fixed two separate back problems and an annoying shoulder problem I was having. Super hard workout with 3 excercises.

11/4/2013 12:00:38 PM

Machines are not awful, they are very beneficial depending on your goals. That said, free weight exercises are great as well and using both allows the best of both worlds. Starting strength is good for beginners but is hardly what an intermediate to advanced lifter should be doing.

11/4/2013 1:36:22 PM

I haven't been to the gym in over two weeks, and before that, I was still going routinely but I wasn't able to do anything. I would just get really sluggish/tired and leave after a handful of exercises. I'm kinda pumped to go back with more energy and get vain about my muscles. It's such a hilarious diversion. I'm also ashamed of exercise, and I'm most comfortable in a state of shame so it works out.

11/5/2013 11:45:26 AM

I haven't exercised for almost three weeks. I feel like such a fat lard.

11/5/2013 3:39:45 PM

Going to football games/tailgating has been killing my routine. Doesn't help when you drink all day and night. 2+ day hangovers kill my motivation, but I'll get back after it today. At least the season is almost over.

11/5/2013 3:56:53 PM

Machines are great, they just shouldn't be the centerpiece of a program. I use machines for pump/burnout kind of stuff, but by that time I've already pretty fatigued from barbell/dumbell exercises.

I feel like Starting Strength has now gone full circle. It was fitness gospel for a couple of years, now every fitness "guru" shits on it because it isn't innovative enough, low bar squats aren't the best, it doesn't include enough bicep work, whatever. The point of the book was never to be a one size fits all guide, it just includes a really simple way to get strong.

11/5/2013 4:47:18 PM

3^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sevLNSC2laE

11/5/2013 6:39:32 PM

I have replaced SOME (not all) of my dumbbell work with cables. I feel I get the same benefits as dumbbells but the constant tension really works well. I have seen some of my biggest mass gains from incorporating cable machines more.

11/5/2013 8:09:41 PM

Every time i push hard on a diet my mind gets debilitatingly foggy and caffeine cant touch it. Suggestions?

11/6/2013 9:39:42 AM

Felt like I put on about 10 pounds those first few days gorging on the honeymoon (and wedding weekend). But the last few days we did a lot of bike riding and a few excursions, so I felt a lot better about myself. Got home and found out that I only put on about 2 or 3 pounds. Pretty ecstatic that I don't have to starve myself for a couple weeks to get back to normal.

11/6/2013 9:46:12 AM

Quote :

"Every time i push hard on a diet my mind gets debilitatingly foggy and caffeine cant touch it. Suggestions?"

Take it slow, track your calories/macros, and don't do anything drastic when you're not losing weight as fast as you want. The harder you cut, the less mass you'll hold onto and the worse you'll feel.

11/6/2013 10:33:44 AM

Do you end up cutting carbs substantially? I don't usually specifically try to go low carb, but when I'm trying to eat really well and focus on meat and veggies, it happens, and I get that fog. I've heard it takes 3-4 days to bust through, but since I have no major opposition to eating grains I usually just have some quinoa or something and I feel better.

11/6/2013 10:58:13 AM

brain fog is usually caused by dropping carb intake so low that glycogen gets depleted yet not taking carbs low enough for the brain to switch over to triglycerides as a fuel source. You can either up your carbs or cut them out completely and man through it. Be prepared to deal with the brain fog for 2-3 days if you cut them out though.

[Edited on November 6, 2013 at 11:12 AM. Reason : a simple diabetic glucose tab would make it go away. 5 grams of sugar goes a long way]

11/6/2013 11:11:29 AM

I miss Matt.

11/6/2013 12:29:51 PM

Hopefully he's just been too busy with the gym to post. He didn't get ran off, did he?

11/6/2013 12:53:07 PM

Yeah I appreciated Matt's input in these threads. What happened to that guy? Maybe he died on his trip to Europe or wherever he was going that he got all ripped for.

We did a team air dyne exercise today following some strength work. We had to hit 300 calories with three people as fast as possible. Sucked beyond belief. We were going in 20-30 sec intervals. The air dyne was created by some combo of hitler/stalin/satan offspring.

11/6/2013 2:25:23 PM

I'm sure Matt's just consumed with his gym

I just bought an Airdyne for ours....fuck that thing

11/7/2013 7:24:15 AM

^ yeah fuck that thing is the truth. Anytime we have a workout that says "max calories" or "for time" and involves the air dyne, I just feel like going to my truck and leaving. It is amazing how quickly it can wreck your quads.




[Edited on November 7, 2013 at 7:56 AM. Reason : er]

11/7/2013 7:55:43 AM

Matt's still around, just not wasting time on TWW apparently.

11/7/2013 11:53:57 AM

Had to bail out of two workouts this week due to lower back pain and spasms. One was a deadlift/box jump/run and the other a weighted run, weighted lunge, burpee, run workout. Sucks ass. Not sure what to do right now with my back. It was feeling good for a while, but now I am afraid to push it. Running on it is just brutal. Thinking strongly about going to the chiropractor.

11/7/2013 2:38:55 PM

How do you think a chiropractor can help? And I am not completely anti-chiro, I've actually been to several different ones, more so as an experiment, I wanted to see how they differed. One of my criteria was if they had any previous sports or athletic background, just cause I think they would understand the body better from an injury standpoint. All claimed to specialize in treating athletes ( their main clients). One was an avid bodybuilder, and one office was actually made up of triathletes and long distance runners, the other one claimed to be the “chiropractor to the stars”, and the last one was an avid Crossfitter. I’ll say ( not bias), the Crossfitting chiropractor helped me the most. He didn’t push traction, didn’t push sublaxation, didn’t order unnecessary x-rays. Just got down to this-every session he would watch my form on every movement we did in Crossfit, either corrected it or make suggestions. The adjustment...it made me move better, less stiffness, and realigned. I know it sounds like just a buzzword, but running and perform multi-joint movements does take a toll. Mostly tightness in the posterior chain, and as a woman for me, it was hips.

I also suggest maybe look into another Crossfit gym? Honestly, from the WODs you’ve posted before, that gym is very met-con heavy. And if you’re going to the gym 5-6 times a week, you may want to cut back on frequency.

Get down to reconditioning your back on just some of the basic lifts, and for my cardio and conditioning nowadays, I just do a 15-20min interval on days that I don’t lift. Or just a quick 10min AMRAP. It’s all you need. And if you’re trying to attain a “crossfit physique", it really isn’t about how often you Crossfit, it’s all diet.

Just my two cents on why your back may be flaring up again.

11/7/2013 5:30:24 PM

So.. I've been reading this thread for awhile (and the old one) but haven't posted. However, I'm gonna jump in this year. Im not an avid TWWer so must folks prolly don't know me. I'm Lorie and I'm 31. I started my fitness weightloss journey at the beginning of this year. I stopped eating crap, starting lifting 5 days a week, and in March started running. Still run and still lift, with lifting being my favorite. My goals for this coming year....

1) I'd like to lose the last 10lbs I have. It's mostly stubborn post baby lower belly and I want it gone.
2) Want to be able to run 10 miles straight. The most I've done to date is 5. And yes I understand the advantages of HIIT vs. Steady state, but I just love to run.
3) Want to substantially increase the weight in some of my lifts. Would love to front squat 100lbs (I have no squat rack so that means I've have to also be able to clean 100lbs) and get my Deadlift to 250 (current PR is 215)
4) I want to do a pull up this year. Unassisted.

Just so you know I'm legit here are two recent (very poor quality) progress photos.





[Edited on November 8, 2013 at 3:31 PM. Reason : cause]

11/8/2013 3:31:02 PM

^Great job, keep up the good work

11/8/2013 5:18:53 PM

Nice results.

11/8/2013 6:16:25 PM

Oh Hai guyz... I'm not dead, just been chilin by the pool

11/8/2013 6:30:05 PM

You lurrrrrrrrrrk.

11/8/2013 6:54:34 PM

Awesome work Lorie, don't worry about the HIIT vs long distance, if you enjoy it that is by far the most important thing.

11/8/2013 6:55:09 PM

Negative. I was summoned.

This is actually my first time on TWW since I left for Europe in May. Ended up getting engaged. Proposed at the Eiffel Tower. I made a commitment to cut out frivolous time wasters (tww) in favor of productivity.

I've been consumed with running my gym and starting an online business. Things are good

Will this be my last post on TWW?

Good night sweet prince...

11/8/2013 7:04:22 PM

Commitment to glancing ab lighting

11/8/2013 7:46:11 PM

It's called the sun, bro

11/8/2013 8:35:01 PM

TotalEclipse, keep up the excellent work! You are doing a great job with your transformation.

What are you finding is the most effective diet strategy for you?

11/8/2013 8:43:55 PM

MattJMM2 - Simple calorie defict coupled with cutting out the crap. I don't follow a specific diet. I just try to eat as unprocessed as possible and try to balance carbs/fat/protein. By no means is my diet 100% clean and I don't balance macros. I just try to eat less then I burn. It's worked for me. I also cut out the crap - no fast food (except subway), less diet coke and more water (I haven't cut it out 100% - I'd love to do that), and less refined sugar and sweets. I really want to try macro balancing but haven't done it yet.

And thanks! I've still got some to go but I'm happy with the progress.

11/10/2013 7:04:19 PM

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=397491547047648&id=217720078358130

W. T. F.

These people are on the opposite spectrum to fat people. That can't be good... Both extremes are harmful to the body.

11/11/2013 1:31:04 PM

Any of you do most of your workouts at home? what fitness equipment do you use most? I'm picking out a treadmill and bike thing, since that's what I used most at the gym, but I'm wondering which home weight system is the best. I won't have a ton of space left with the equipment.

11/14/2013 10:28:31 AM

I do all my lifting at home these days. Full olympic bench, a "power tower" station (pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, leg raises...body-weight stuff), plus a nice bike and treadmill and a bunch of free weights, resistance bands, and exercise balls.

I had a universal machine (weider brand) that was OK but I just didn't have space and got rid of it.

11/14/2013 10:33:21 AM

11/15/2013 7:44:59 AM

/sigh. here we go again

11/15/2013 7:56:13 AM

^^ What is the point of the weighted pullups using bands?

That box jump move is just stupid and whoever came up with it is a moron.

11/15/2013 1:40:08 PM

I assume the bands give you some limited resistance on the way down, but that is just a guess from a non-crossfitter.

Seems like they would counter the weights thought, so I am not really sure.

11/15/2013 2:18:40 PM

neither one of those is typical of a crossfit gym

11/15/2013 2:42:24 PM

the bands would offer more assist at the bottom of the lift, with the weight providing more resistance at the top of the move when the bands are no longer assisting. It would be similar to powerlifter attaching chains to the bar so that the chains lay on the ground at the bottom of the movement yet add weight as the bar moves upward.

Not saying I agree with making a pullup overly complicated, but I can semi-understand the logic that went into it.

11/15/2013 4:04:29 PM

Thought bands could be modeled by Hooke's law

11/15/2013 4:33:46 PM

close enough, yeah

11/15/2013 5:10:26 PM