Men’s Health magazine did a story some time back about bad trainers, the shining example being a trainer who pushed his client so hard that he developed exertional rhabdomyolysis, a condition where so much muscle fiber is broken down that the myoglobin from the muscle tissue clogs up the kidneys, ultimately causing kidney failure if untreated. Symptoms include muscle soreness/pain, joint soreness, tea-colored urine, and a general feeling of having been in a fight with 10 UFC fighters all at the same time.
I remember learning about rhabdomyolysis during my Exercise Physiology classes in the context of marathon training. Dr. Zambraski so thoughtfully chose a picture of necrotizing tissue (similar to this one) as a way to burn into our young, impressionable, undergraduate heads that rhabdomyolysis is bad, bad, bad.
Flash forward years later, and enter the exercise philosophy of Crossfit:
I now get warm fuzzy feelings whenever someone mentions either rhabdomyolysis or hyponatremia. Thanks, Dr. Zambraski!
P.S. – BTW, statins can cause rhabdomyolysis. Just another reason not to take them (aside from the cholesterol not having a causal link to heart disease thing).
