Hey there, everyone. It's been a while since I last posted, so I'll use this post to bring you up to speed on where I've been and where I'm at.
Since my last post I have been working out consistently 4-5 times a week (except the past week, which I will explain below). My performance in the gym has been great, and I've been setting new personal records on a consistent basis.
That is, until last week. Last Wednesday I did a workout which consisted of 150 situps and 125 back-extensions using a Glute-Ham Developer (see this image if you're not familiar with it). I finished in just under 20 minutes, but I could feel that I would be hurting later. My hips and back were tight, and I had trouble finishing the last couple of sets. I tried to do a few 400m sprints afterward, but my back started to seize up, and I called it a day.
Fast forward to Friday, and I'm hurting. Bad. My abdominal muscles and hip flexors are killing me. I feel run down. I go to pick up my girlfriend for dinner on Friday night, and when we get back to my house I go to the bathroom to go pee. My pee is brown. Maple syrup brown. I know what this means: rhabdomyolysis.
Rhabdomyolysis (or rhabdo, for short) is caused by the breakdown of muscle cells which release their contents into the blood. Potassium and myoglobin build up in the bloodstream, and put a strain on the kidneys, which can then fail, followed by death. It's nasty business, usually seen in crush and burn victims. But it is possible to exercise yourself into such a state, as I did. The test they perform for rhabdo is a blood test which determines the levels of a certain enzyme (creatine phosphokinase). The normal count of this enzyme is around 200. Mine peaked at 125,000.
Long story short, I spent 6 days in the hospital, receiving fluids to flush my kidneys, electrolytes to balance my blood chemistry, and morphine to dull the pain. As of my release from the hospital my CPK levels are down to 1,400, and my pain is almost gone. There is, however, damage to the muscles, so I will now have to spend time regaining strength in some parts of my body. It's not permanent damage, thankfully, and I should be able to rebuild the lost muscle tissue over time.
So that's where I'm at right now. If you ever decide to do a workout with a high level of intensity, make sure to listen to your body, and stay hydrated, especially if it's hot. These are things that can contribute to rhabdo, and trust me, you don't want to go through this experience first hand.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
June wrap-up
Today's Weigh-In: 207.6 lbs.
So, I didn't make my weight goal this month. But I did lose fat. If you recall, I took measurements at the beginning of June, and I also took measurements this past weekend. I lost 1 inch off my waist, 3/4 of an inch off each thigh, and 3/4 of an inch off my hips. I maintained my other measurements, which is good, because that means I've kept every ounce of muscle on my body.
So why no drop in weight? Could be a number of things, but it's most likely a combination of increased water retention due to exercise, and increased muscle mass. The same thing happened in the very first month of my journey. I lost zero pounds but got stronger, leaner, and fitter. My body type and previous training make it easy to gain a small amount of muscle very quickly after a long layoff. I doubt I will continue to gain any muscle, but now my weight should start to drop again.
My level of fitness has increased tremendously over the past month. When I began training I wanted to puke or die from every single workout I had to do. Compare that with yesterday, when I did a workout which consisted of 2.5 miles of running, 150 kettlebell swings (with 36 pounds), 30 pull-ups, and 120 jumping pull-ups. And I didn't feel like puking once. It took forever, granted, but I was fully able to accomplish it. I also pulled a personal record in the back squat, and tied my PR for the deadlift.
My new goal is a sub-200 weigh-in by the end of July. I know, I've been chasing 200 for a while now, but I think that now I'm actually in the position to realistically achieve it. As long as I don't get hurt or sick this month I should be able to hit it.
So, I didn't make my weight goal this month. But I did lose fat. If you recall, I took measurements at the beginning of June, and I also took measurements this past weekend. I lost 1 inch off my waist, 3/4 of an inch off each thigh, and 3/4 of an inch off my hips. I maintained my other measurements, which is good, because that means I've kept every ounce of muscle on my body.
So why no drop in weight? Could be a number of things, but it's most likely a combination of increased water retention due to exercise, and increased muscle mass. The same thing happened in the very first month of my journey. I lost zero pounds but got stronger, leaner, and fitter. My body type and previous training make it easy to gain a small amount of muscle very quickly after a long layoff. I doubt I will continue to gain any muscle, but now my weight should start to drop again.
My level of fitness has increased tremendously over the past month. When I began training I wanted to puke or die from every single workout I had to do. Compare that with yesterday, when I did a workout which consisted of 2.5 miles of running, 150 kettlebell swings (with 36 pounds), 30 pull-ups, and 120 jumping pull-ups. And I didn't feel like puking once. It took forever, granted, but I was fully able to accomplish it. I also pulled a personal record in the back squat, and tied my PR for the deadlift.
My new goal is a sub-200 weigh-in by the end of July. I know, I've been chasing 200 for a while now, but I think that now I'm actually in the position to realistically achieve it. As long as I don't get hurt or sick this month I should be able to hit it.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Good weekend
Today's Weigh-In: 206.4 lbs.
5-Day Average: 207.1 lbs.
This weekend was really good on the diet front. I had my one cheat meal on Friday, and I made sure not to go crazy and to just eat a reasonable amount. I also made sure that I didn't eat as much prior to it, to help with keeping the total number of calories down. Saturday and Sunday were both great, with 100% home-made meals both days.
I only ended up getting 2 workouts last week. I worked out on Thursday, but my shoulder was still bothering me, and I didn't hit the intensity that I normally would. My brother and I had planned to go sprinting on Saturday morning, but when I woke up it was raining outside, so we had to skip that as well.
My shoulder is not 100%, but I've been massaging it and trying to do some exercises to maximize flexibility and recovery. I will be working out today, as the workout planned doesn't involve any yanking on my shoulder girdle, so I should be alright.
It doesn't really look like I'm going to hit my goal of 200 pounds by the end of the month, which is disappointing. I've been working hard, and to not see much change on the scale is disheartening. Hopefully my body measurements will have changed for the positive. At least then I'll know that I'm doing something right. 9 days to go.
5-Day Average: 207.1 lbs.
This weekend was really good on the diet front. I had my one cheat meal on Friday, and I made sure not to go crazy and to just eat a reasonable amount. I also made sure that I didn't eat as much prior to it, to help with keeping the total number of calories down. Saturday and Sunday were both great, with 100% home-made meals both days.
I only ended up getting 2 workouts last week. I worked out on Thursday, but my shoulder was still bothering me, and I didn't hit the intensity that I normally would. My brother and I had planned to go sprinting on Saturday morning, but when I woke up it was raining outside, so we had to skip that as well.
My shoulder is not 100%, but I've been massaging it and trying to do some exercises to maximize flexibility and recovery. I will be working out today, as the workout planned doesn't involve any yanking on my shoulder girdle, so I should be alright.
It doesn't really look like I'm going to hit my goal of 200 pounds by the end of the month, which is disappointing. I've been working hard, and to not see much change on the scale is disheartening. Hopefully my body measurements will have changed for the positive. At least then I'll know that I'm doing something right. 9 days to go.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Minor setback
Today's Weigh-In: 206.6 lbs.
5-Day Average: 206.3 lbs.
I'm getting used to the idea that my weigh-ins are worst right after the weekend, and they slowly creep down throughout the week, and Friday is usually my lowest. Last Friday I hit 204.2 lbs. on the scale, but yesterday I weighed in at 208. The weekend was another not-bad-not-great experience. Friday night my girlfriend and I went out to dinner, and I ate entirely too much. I ate so much, in fact, that my stomach was hurting and kept me awake until 4AM. As a result I was too tired to get up at 7:30 on Saturday to make it to the Crossfit gym for the Saturday morning workout. Poor food decisions can have larger ramifications than I thought. Saturday and Sunday were fine diet-wise, but the lack of exercise definitely didn't help me.
Of course now I'm fully back on the wagon, and I'm aiming to make sure that I don't go overboard on my cheat meal this week. It's just not worth it.
Over the weekend my little brother came home from college, and I spent Saturday night hanging out with him. Of course, as brothers do (even adult ones), we ended up wrestling each other. Unfortunately for me my brother studies Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and knows about 100 ways to submit me, and while we were messing around I kinda hurt my shoulder. It was bothering me even before that, to be honest (I've had problems with it in the past), but roughhousing really aggravated it. Then yesterday's workout included a lot of shoulder dominant exercises, such as assisted muscle-ups on rings, burpees, hang power-cleans, and body rows on rings. When the adrenaline from the workout wore off I was in a massive amount of pain, and I spent the night icing my shoulder and taking Naprocyn. It feels alright this morning, but I know that if I don't rest it I'm just going to keep aggravating it and it won't heal. So I'm skipping Crossfit tonight, and I plan on just going to the park and running. It's been a while since I've had a good run anyways, so it can't hurt. I'll spend some more time icing, massaging, and otherwise rehabbing my shoulder as well. Hopefully it's nothing more than a minor pull, but we'll see how it goes.
5-Day Average: 206.3 lbs.
I'm getting used to the idea that my weigh-ins are worst right after the weekend, and they slowly creep down throughout the week, and Friday is usually my lowest. Last Friday I hit 204.2 lbs. on the scale, but yesterday I weighed in at 208. The weekend was another not-bad-not-great experience. Friday night my girlfriend and I went out to dinner, and I ate entirely too much. I ate so much, in fact, that my stomach was hurting and kept me awake until 4AM. As a result I was too tired to get up at 7:30 on Saturday to make it to the Crossfit gym for the Saturday morning workout. Poor food decisions can have larger ramifications than I thought. Saturday and Sunday were fine diet-wise, but the lack of exercise definitely didn't help me.
Of course now I'm fully back on the wagon, and I'm aiming to make sure that I don't go overboard on my cheat meal this week. It's just not worth it.
Over the weekend my little brother came home from college, and I spent Saturday night hanging out with him. Of course, as brothers do (even adult ones), we ended up wrestling each other. Unfortunately for me my brother studies Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and knows about 100 ways to submit me, and while we were messing around I kinda hurt my shoulder. It was bothering me even before that, to be honest (I've had problems with it in the past), but roughhousing really aggravated it. Then yesterday's workout included a lot of shoulder dominant exercises, such as assisted muscle-ups on rings, burpees, hang power-cleans, and body rows on rings. When the adrenaline from the workout wore off I was in a massive amount of pain, and I spent the night icing my shoulder and taking Naprocyn. It feels alright this morning, but I know that if I don't rest it I'm just going to keep aggravating it and it won't heal. So I'm skipping Crossfit tonight, and I plan on just going to the park and running. It's been a while since I've had a good run anyways, so it can't hurt. I'll spend some more time icing, massaging, and otherwise rehabbing my shoulder as well. Hopefully it's nothing more than a minor pull, but we'll see how it goes.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
New record!
Today's Weigh-In: 206.0 lbs.
5-Day Average: 207.55 lbs.
I'm happy with today's weigh-in. It seems like I'm getting more consistently in the 206s, so I think that means the added water weight from my creatine loading has stabilized and I'm actually losing some fat.
I did one-rep max back squats yesterday, and got a new personal record: 285 pounds. My previous record was 260, and that was over a year ago. I've been stuck on this lift for so long I thought I would never get to 300, but now I'm only 15 pounds away. Last week I did a one-rep max deadlift as well and matched my PR from a year ago, so it looks like I haven't lost any strength (and have actually gained a bit) in the time I've been unfocused. I don't know whether it's the clean diet, good sleep, lack of alcohol, or a mixture of everything, but I'm feeling stronger and better than I ever have.
I've got 19 days to lose 6 pounds. It's going to be hard, but I really want it.
5-Day Average: 207.55 lbs.
I'm happy with today's weigh-in. It seems like I'm getting more consistently in the 206s, so I think that means the added water weight from my creatine loading has stabilized and I'm actually losing some fat.
I did one-rep max back squats yesterday, and got a new personal record: 285 pounds. My previous record was 260, and that was over a year ago. I've been stuck on this lift for so long I thought I would never get to 300, but now I'm only 15 pounds away. Last week I did a one-rep max deadlift as well and matched my PR from a year ago, so it looks like I haven't lost any strength (and have actually gained a bit) in the time I've been unfocused. I don't know whether it's the clean diet, good sleep, lack of alcohol, or a mixture of everything, but I'm feeling stronger and better than I ever have.
I've got 19 days to lose 6 pounds. It's going to be hard, but I really want it.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Mid-week update
Today's Weigh-In: 206.4 lbs.
5-Day Average: 207.6 lbs.
Hello everyone. Sorry about the lack of posting this week. I've been pretty busy with work and personal life and just haven't had the time. Let me recap the past few days.
Friday I got my 4th workout of last week in, and then I had my cheat meal right afterward. Saturday was really good as far as eating goes. No workout, but stayed plenty active and walked a lot. Sunday I went to an amusement park (Six Flags Magic Mountain), so my activity level was very high. My food intake, however, was not very good. I helped myself to quite a few Doritos, some candy, and a non-diet soda. All the walking probably balanced it out, but I shouldn't have let that happen. Monday I was back on the diet train, and hit another workout. I started having a lot of stomach pain and nausea yesterday, so I actually ended up under-eating, and I didn't get to work out either. My stomach still hurts a little bit today but not nearly as bad as it did yesterday, so I'm hoping I'll feel well enough to get a workout in today.
The weight isn't dropping as quickly as I would have liked, unfortunately. I've been pretty darn good about my calorie intake and exercise, so I would have expected it to drop at least a bit by now. I've just gotta remember that it's all about seeing loss on a long-term scale, not necessarily having a great weigh-in every day. Eventually I'll start seeing 205s and 204s, and my average will start to drop. I've been there before, and I need to just remember that if I'm consistent there's nothing my body can do except drop the fat.
5-Day Average: 207.6 lbs.
Hello everyone. Sorry about the lack of posting this week. I've been pretty busy with work and personal life and just haven't had the time. Let me recap the past few days.
Friday I got my 4th workout of last week in, and then I had my cheat meal right afterward. Saturday was really good as far as eating goes. No workout, but stayed plenty active and walked a lot. Sunday I went to an amusement park (Six Flags Magic Mountain), so my activity level was very high. My food intake, however, was not very good. I helped myself to quite a few Doritos, some candy, and a non-diet soda. All the walking probably balanced it out, but I shouldn't have let that happen. Monday I was back on the diet train, and hit another workout. I started having a lot of stomach pain and nausea yesterday, so I actually ended up under-eating, and I didn't get to work out either. My stomach still hurts a little bit today but not nearly as bad as it did yesterday, so I'm hoping I'll feel well enough to get a workout in today.
The weight isn't dropping as quickly as I would have liked, unfortunately. I've been pretty darn good about my calorie intake and exercise, so I would have expected it to drop at least a bit by now. I've just gotta remember that it's all about seeing loss on a long-term scale, not necessarily having a great weigh-in every day. Eventually I'll start seeing 205s and 204s, and my average will start to drop. I've been there before, and I need to just remember that if I'm consistent there's nothing my body can do except drop the fat.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
4 days in
Today's Weigh-In: 208.0 lbs.
4-Day Average: 207.4 lbs.
My weigh-ins are up a bit since Tuesday, but I'm not worried because I know I've been 100% spot-on with nutrition, exercise, supplementation, and sleep this week. I've consumed right around 2000 calories each day, I've gotten 3 workouts in so far, I've taken my vitamins, fiber, and fish oil religiously, and I've gotten at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Along with my fish oil and fiber supplementation I've added creatine back into the fold. I'm guessing that a combination of retained water from the creatine supplementation and some stomach contents are what are keeping the weight a bit higher than I'd expect.
Warning: poop talk ahead. You've been warned.
As I commented on Billy's blog yesterday I noted that the first day of clean eating I purged my bowels 3 times, which is probably why I got down to 205 on Tuesday. But even though I've been supplementing with fiber and eating quite a bit of fruit and vegetables I haven't very regular since then. I know it will take a bit of time for my body to optimally process the new kinds of food that I'm giving it, so I'm not worried, but it's something to note. It probably also has to do with the fact that I'm simply eating less food, so there's not as much waste being created. I'll just keep my fiber intake high and wait it out.
End poop talk
My workouts have been really good this week. I already feel my body adapting positively to the high intensity workouts. I'm sore like crazy, but I haven't felt like I'm going to puke or pass out during the workouts. I'm taking a rest day today and I will be back into it tomorrow.
I ordered some Vibram Five Fingers and I received them yesterday. I got the black KSO model. They look funny, and it's weird to have to fit each toe individually into its own compartment, but they're really cool and quite comfortable. I plan on using them for barefoot running (mainly on sand and grass, concrete is a bit too hard for the normal human foot), gymnastics work, weight lifting, and any other activity where I can get away with wearing them. One of the main reasons I bought them is that I've always had a bit of pain in my heels caused by the way I walk (incorrectly). It's bothered me so much that I started wearing heel and arch support insoles in my normal shoes a few years ago. But I've been researching information about how humans naturally walk without shoes, and I think that if I can train myself to walk correctly (without the hard heel strike that we all tend to do when wearing shoes) I can rid myself of this pain and strengthen my feet and legs. I'll keep you posted on whether or not it works.
That's it for me, hope everyone else is doing well this week.
4-Day Average: 207.4 lbs.
My weigh-ins are up a bit since Tuesday, but I'm not worried because I know I've been 100% spot-on with nutrition, exercise, supplementation, and sleep this week. I've consumed right around 2000 calories each day, I've gotten 3 workouts in so far, I've taken my vitamins, fiber, and fish oil religiously, and I've gotten at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Along with my fish oil and fiber supplementation I've added creatine back into the fold. I'm guessing that a combination of retained water from the creatine supplementation and some stomach contents are what are keeping the weight a bit higher than I'd expect.
Warning: poop talk ahead. You've been warned.
As I commented on Billy's blog yesterday I noted that the first day of clean eating I purged my bowels 3 times, which is probably why I got down to 205 on Tuesday. But even though I've been supplementing with fiber and eating quite a bit of fruit and vegetables I haven't very regular since then. I know it will take a bit of time for my body to optimally process the new kinds of food that I'm giving it, so I'm not worried, but it's something to note. It probably also has to do with the fact that I'm simply eating less food, so there's not as much waste being created. I'll just keep my fiber intake high and wait it out.
End poop talk
My workouts have been really good this week. I already feel my body adapting positively to the high intensity workouts. I'm sore like crazy, but I haven't felt like I'm going to puke or pass out during the workouts. I'm taking a rest day today and I will be back into it tomorrow.
I ordered some Vibram Five Fingers and I received them yesterday. I got the black KSO model. They look funny, and it's weird to have to fit each toe individually into its own compartment, but they're really cool and quite comfortable. I plan on using them for barefoot running (mainly on sand and grass, concrete is a bit too hard for the normal human foot), gymnastics work, weight lifting, and any other activity where I can get away with wearing them. One of the main reasons I bought them is that I've always had a bit of pain in my heels caused by the way I walk (incorrectly). It's bothered me so much that I started wearing heel and arch support insoles in my normal shoes a few years ago. But I've been researching information about how humans naturally walk without shoes, and I think that if I can train myself to walk correctly (without the hard heel strike that we all tend to do when wearing shoes) I can rid myself of this pain and strengthen my feet and legs. I'll keep you posted on whether or not it works.
That's it for me, hope everyone else is doing well this week.
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