IF I DO THIS, WILL I BE ABLE TO MAKE IT INTO THE BOX TOMORROW?

 

As many of you know, two of our athletes fell ill after last Monday’s Murph with “Rhabdo”. Rhabdomyolysis is essentially muscle breakdown and the release of intracellular contents into the bloodstream. The liver and kidneys are not designed to process these contents and if left untreated, can cause significant bodily damage (or even death in the most extreme cases). Every sport has the risk of rhabdo. Rhabdo is not specific to CrossFit because it can happen to anyone doing any activity. Those at risk include military recruits, athletes training above their level of conditioning, crush victims, athletes with predominance of type II fast twitch muscle fibers (i.e. sprinters and weightlifters), and type I slow twitch group (i.e. marathon runners and cyclists).  The net net is that it can happen to almost anyone.

While we are devastated that Larry and Alan experienced this, we take this as a huge learning opportunity.  You’ll hear more from us on an ongoing basis (and you already have) about hydration, nutrition, rest and performance training for big WODs like Murph, but there’s nothing better than hearing the perspective from someone who experienced it.  Here is Larry’s own account of his personal experience and reflection on what happened.  Please read this (it really is an incredible read) and thank him for sharing when you see him.  Because you WILL see him soon…

“If I do this, will I be able to make it into the box tomorrow?”

That’s the question I have asked myself on a regular basis since joining The Cove.

Like many of you, I enjoy a challenge. Just because I enjoy a challenge, it does not mean I need to accept it.

“Hey! McFly! What are you? Chicken?”

It’s easy to see that the consequences are going to be bad when you see it play out in a movie. You know Marty is going to pay for his decision. It’s not always so easy, when it’s you.

I started Crossfit to change my life. Not just get in shape, real change, life perspective stuff. For the most part I’ve managed to pull that off. I’m more patient, I appreciate the little things, I think things through a little better; a little less impulsive. That doesn’t mean I’ve got it all figured out though.

As you may have heard, Murph and I had a run in. As I write this, I am on my third day of RnR at the luxurious HoCo General Hospital and Resort.  I checked in on Wednesday thinking there was a possibility that I might have Rhabdo. When my test results came in I had grossly underestimated the possibility.

Initially,  I thought I would give you all a play by play of my week. In the end,the list of mistakes I made was too much for me to endure and hold your attention. What I will do is give you a little perspective and help you to understand how to be prepared and avoid following my path.

So you may think that I might be filled with dread and regret and embarrassment. Perhaps I should be running away from all things Crossfit and in particular, Murph. Well…nope. I look forward to being back at The Cove, and I look forward to hitting up Murph again.

Murph 2016 was my first attempt. I have been thinking about it for months. I know I can do a lot of pullups and a lot of pushups. Nothing about the workout seemed impossible. The piece that is difficult to judge, is the cumulative effects. That means before the workout, during the workout and afterwards. The challenge of the workout doesn’t end when you finish. The next day, days, week, will all be important to your success and your health.

I used to do triathlons. The week before a triathlon I would walk around with a water bottle. I would make sure I ate all the right food, get plenty of rest then show up for the race. I then always planned on a couple of down days to recover. I am sure that I pushed my body at least as hard during those races, but my body was fully equipped going in and had plenty of time to recover afterwards.

I didn’t give Murph the respect it deserves as an intense athletic event. It is a WOD, but needs to be treated like any other endurance event. None of us would run a 10k without preparing our bodies. An event like Murph should be treated the same way.

I think my motto above is the starting point, if I do this, will I be able to make it into the box tomorrow? It should be followed up with what other things do I need to do to keep my body healthy? Crossfit is not a weekend warrior sport. It is a sport that will change your life because you will think differently about life in order to participate.  We don’t all have to go to the games, but we need to take all parts of our participation into consideration. Diet, rest, and our decisions in the box all affect our success.

The first time I heard about Rhabdomyolysis the prospect of getting it terrified me. I do wish I had been more careful, all of this could have been avoided. I’m grateful I went into the hospital when I did and will make a full recovery.

I think that you will see a lot more emphasis on health education, reminders to hydrate and rest in the future. Take it seriously. Crossfit is a great sport.  One of the things that makes it great is that it self empowering. With that empowerment, comes personal responsibility.

I look forward to seeing you all back at The Cove. I miss you all and all that we do there.

STRENGTH WOD

Front Rack Lunges (from the rack)

8/8/8/8/8

(build up in weight)

WOD

15 Front Squats

30 Push ups

60 Sit ups

30 Push ups

15 Front Squats

13 min Time Cap

Fitness: 115/75

RX: 135/95

RX+: 155/105

Coach’s Tip: For the second round of front squats really focus on keeping that core tight and staying upright. The sit ups and the push ups will exhaust your core and the squats will require extra thought and attention to stay vertical!

And you’d never know what was to come.  Larry was smiling during Murph…

]]>

BROMANCE WOD AND WHISKEY LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY!

A reminder that we are holding our second “men’s only” night at the Cove on Friday, June 17th!  We will throw down with a great WOD and stick around for drinks and food after (and maybe even hit a bar after).  Feel free to bring a friend, but definitely plan on being there!  We had an awesome turnout last time and we want an even bigger event this go around.  No excuses will be accepted. And man tights are not only acceptable, they are encouraged…

SKILL WOD

EMOM for 10 Minutes

1 Snatch + 1 Hanging Snatch

**Both should be squat snatches or as close as possible to a squat snatch.**

WOD

8 Power Snatch

10 Box Jump Overs

8 min AMRAP

Fitness 75/55

RX 95/65

RX+ 115/75

Coach’s Tip: Think heavy for the EMOM and light and fast for the METCON.  Even if you can snatch the RX+ weight, do NOT do the workout + if you can’t string 6 or more for the first round or two.  We did these weights for snatches in the run/row/snatch METCON and many people ended up doing singles.  That is not the goal for this METCON. It should be a spring!

Coach Chris warming up his Saturday class for back squats…

]]>

OPEN GYM 9a-NOON

Hope to see you all at Open Gym Sunday!  The weather looks iffy so come chase the rain away with some good old mobility or make up  a missed WOD.  Several people had been discussing doing a Murph make-good, and while we don’t want to ‘forbid’ anyone from doing this workout, you should NOT if you are not fully prepared.  And especially with the recent postings about Rhabdo, we NEED you to be careful if this is on your agenda.  

• We completely understand the tradition of Murph and the desire to recognize this fallen solider in such a special way.  Just because you don’t do Murph as prescribed does NOT mean you lack commitment or are honoring Lt. Murphy in lesser of a fashion.  There are countless Hero WODs that are safer than this incredibly demanding workout.  We are happy to recommend one to you!
• If you are new to CrossFit (anything less than one year) you should do a scaled version.   If you have been intermittent with attendance recently you would also fall into this category. Do 1/2 Murph (or 1/4 Murph!) or find a partner and do one set and then you do a set. The rest in between will decrease injury risk significantly. Use bands. Take rest.  Take your time. This is not a race.
• If you have not been hydrating properly for DAYS, you should not do Murph in any capacity.  Hydration does not happen in minutes or hours… it happens over days (and weeks).  If you have been drinking this weekend or crushing WODS this weekend, Murph is a no-go for you.
• Your quality of rep must be perfect.  Full extension at the bottom of every pull up and at the top of every push up.  If you’re form is off, do not even attempt this.
• If you can say yes to the above qualifiers (I’m a 1 year+ consistent CrossFitter and I have been hydrating properly and can maintain that flawless form), you should be also drinking massive amounts of water TONIGHT, TOMORROW and AFTERWARDS.  
• We insist you do it “partitioned” (meaning, splitting it up in reps of 5, 10 and 15 (or something similar). Both cases we’ve had resulted from unpartitioned reps (MANY reps of the same movement with little rest in between) and both athletes were admittedly under-hydrated.
• No vests (unless it is a tuxedo vest and you plan on wearing it with some fabulous leggings)
• Your goal should be to “finish and feel great”. Take Larry’s new outlook to heart when he said to us Saturday: “I won’t do anything that prevents me from feeling good enough to work out the next day”.  THAT is a great perspective.

Again, we are incredibly anxious given the fate of two of our athletes.  It makes us incredibly nervous to have ANYONE do this workout right now but we understand you have the the right to work out.  All we want is for you to be safe.

 

]]>

We hope everyone’s legs have recovered from Murph as we’re looking to get back after squatting again today!  We are hoping to see some athletes from CrossFit Federal Hill at the Cove tomorrow as CFH is closed for the Level One Certification Course.  Give them a good ‘ol Cove welcome and help them feel at home!

SKILL WOD

Front Speed Squats 3/3/3/3/3

(keep the load low and the speed out of the bottom aggressive)

Between each set complete 8 Bent Over Rows (1 KB in each hand)

WOD

20 Back Squats

(Bar should come from the ground, but can come from the rack if needed!)

400 M Run

3 Rounds

Fitness: 115/75

RX: 135/95

RX+: 165/110

 

**Work to go unbroken on the back squats.**

 

A great action shot from Mondays’ Murph!

]]>