Wk 4, Aussie Day & Crab Arms

Week 4...

....61.6kg...an increase of 900g! I think I should throw the scales away. It's been my most physical week. Nutrition mostly good except for a couple of hot cross buns on Sunday. I've decided that instead of a 3 monthly program, this is going to be 12 months. I mean, my goals are for the whole year anyway. It'll take me that long to see results and changes this year. However, I'm not feeling so fat and bloated. My core has tightened up and I've lost fat around the tummy. My lats feel like they're growing though. We'll see when I do my 6 weekly measurements. I'm not expecting great things yet, with the way things are going ATM....more about this later...

Aussie Day...

...had a lovely morning up at Mt Tamborine with AW and Phil. We had a lovely picnic morning tea at Mt Tamborine Botanical Gardens, and Phil and I walked through the gardens (last two pics). It was then off to what use to be my favourite haunt, the Polish Gallery (top three pics), which overlooks the Great Dividing Range for a coffee, and then we had a look at a local cheese factory in Eagle Heights. I was naughty and had roasted macadamia ice-cream and Phil had bubble gum ice cream (it was pink...her favourite colour...lol...), which is made on premises with their own jersey milk...best macadamia ice-cream I've ever tasted! I had packed the cricket bat and ball and soccer ball to play with Phil, but it was just getting too hot, and I wasn't up for anything physical. The reason for why, you'll find out now...

Crab Arms...

...this is how I've been looking the last few days. Well, my arms anyway. I haven't been able to straighten them in three days! Apparently I have 'Crab Arm'...the culprit?...PULL-UPS!

When I first heard this term, I exclaimed..."that's hilarious!" Because it was exactly how I'd been feeling, not being able to straight my arms.

Yesterday I was a very unhappy chappy and feeling quite upset and confused. You see...my arms were still so frickin' sore (not to mention my lats, rear delts and pecs) from Thursday's Pull Up session, that I couldn't do any Wing Chun training on Saturday. I mean...I couldn't even do one full pull-up anyway, by the time I tried. I started on Progressive pull-ups or 'negatives', then attempted a full pull-up, and ended working on Kipping Pull-ups. I had no problems with this session. In fact I felt great doing the session and was pleased with my efforts since it was my first pull-up session. In the past I've only done jumping pull-ups.

Come Monday...no better and I was upset because I knew it was probably not a good idea to train Wing Chun on Monday night either.


However, I didn't make this decision until Monday morning, when I was putting cream on my arms and noticed how puffy they were around the elbows. My arms were swollen around the elbow joints and I knew then that this just wasn't normal.

I sent of an ugent email for help to CF Brisbane, and got a phone call from Wendy (Swift). When she told me I had 'crab arms' I had a bit of a giggle, but in all honesty, what I had could have been more serious. It seems I have or had (the swelling is going down) what Crossfitters term as 'Crossfit Induced Rhabdo' or 'Rhabdomyolysis' (you can download PDF file next to article for a full explanation). A basic explanation of what it is (quote from PDF file)..."a potentially lethal systematic meltdown initiated by the kidneys in response to the presence of shed muscle-fiber debris and exhaust in the bloodstream."

I have obviously had a mild case, as my urine wasn't brown. I wore compression bandages on my arms yesterday, drank plenty of water, applied ice and rested. I was also feeling very tired and a little queasy. I'm much better today and my arms are still swollen, but they've gone down alot. My arms are still very weak though and the LHS is worse and more sore than the RHS.

I hazarded a guess it was the pull-up progressions I did on Thursday, and after reading up on it, found out that the 'negatives' I did would have triggered it. Apparently it's the 'eccentric' part of the negatives (where you are lowering down, and the arm is straightening) which can be more damaging.

Anyway, apparently it only happens to beginners in Crossfit. I must have exerted myself more than I thought. I mean, I was feeling fine during the session and afterwards and apart from being sore, I wasn't experiencing anything unusual. Oh well! I did read about it when I joined CF (you are made aware of it before signing anything), but didn't think it would happen to me.

Needless to say, I feel a little stupid. I'm not even doing anything of serious intensity or consistency yet. Hence, the feeling of frustration. Tomorrow I'm going back to Crossfit (no Wing Chun this week), but can only do legs and will be resting the upper body for now.

The challenges continue...but I'm in good spirits today.