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20 45lb Tabata Jumping Squats are Evil

May-24-2008 Posted under Crossfit, Kelly Talk

So as most of you know I haven’t been doing much Crossfit lately, just focussing on O-lifting, but  since Crossfit games are coming up and I had a week off Olifting before I start building up to get ready for the White Rock Competition at the end of June I have been incorporating more Crossfit elements in this week.  Friday morning I went out for breakfast with my 6am class and then when I returned to the gym Patty was doing Tabata Jumping squats with the 8am class and said I should jump in and I said “sure why not”, so Patty handed me a 45lb bar and without warming up or doing any high metabolic exercises since December for some reason I decided it was good idea and without thinking about it or trying to go hard or fast I started off with 20 (other people were between 6-12, and most people can’t even do 20 regular tabata squats never mind 45lb weighted jumping squats so what inspired the 20 I have no clue), 20 became 18 became 17 became 16 and then in the 5th round I hit 14 and told myself that enough was enough and that I wasn’t going to let it drop any further so I finished with 14 (so I did 127 45lb jumping squats in 160seconds) and surprise my quads starting seizing up after.

I drank tons of water and ate lots of food and stretched them out and as the day went on they started to get warm and puffy.

This morning my right leg felt much better, (still some puffiness but just a regular stiff muscle thing going on), but my left leg…was swollen from the knee to the hip bone and felt like there was fluid between the muscle and skin but yet I still have full range of motion-weirdest feeling ever, just felt sick.  I taught at Langara from 9-2 and it started burning while I was teaching and it was weird because going up the stairs was OK, but going down the stairs felt like the muscle in the quad wasn’t there and were just going to give away.

I remember how sore my legs were after doing tabata squats the first day but this is totally different, then it was muscle pain trying and difficult to walk up stairs, now the muscles themselves don’t hurt, it feels like the muscles aren’t there and its something in between the skin and muscles and walking down the stairs is the challenge.

SO I went to the Drs. office on my way home.

I came so close to punching the guy in the face.  His first comment was “Wow there is a lot of Inflammation”, but I think my favourite comment was “I don’t think there are any broken bones”-what bones am I going to break in my quad from doing jumping squats???  Then he asked me to demonstrate a squat and his response was “wow that’s a nice squat” and then he brought another dr. in and said “check out this squat” and commented on how strong I was (I sware If he asked me to do one more squat I was going to punch him) but then he showed the other doctor my quad and said he has never seen anything like it and that there is obviously some muscle strain but has no clue why there is so much fluid build up or what is causing it.  They pretty much suggested I take lots of anti-imflamitorries and wrote a referral to see a physio and left it as “don’t do any more jumping squats and hopefully it will just go away on its own and the muscle will rebuild”.

But now I’m off to have an ice bath and will get my sisters husband (who is a rehabilitation therapist) to look at it tomorrow…

Anybody have any tricks to get swelling in the quads down?

  1. Sarena Kopciel Said,

    wow that sucks but hope you didnt get rhabdo!! i know one guy, an experienced CFer who got a nasty case this winter (one of the 1st CF affiliates!!)

    Sarena Kopciel’s last blog post..Thursday and Friday–Almost 1 Week!

  2. Sarena Kopciel Said,

    oh and up your omega 3s and probiotics now a lot!

    Sarena Kopciel’s last blog post..Thursday and Friday–Almost 1 Week!

  3. Garrett Smith Said,

    Sounds like rhabdo to me. A visit to a doctor would be recommended. Was there ever any color change to your urine?

    Elevating the legs will likely help. Mild compression may help (I’m not sure on that one). Ice, as was mentioned earlier (not heat). There’s not a whole lot that can be done for the massive amount of microtrauma that you induced.

    Dynamic eccentric loading is the worst culprit of rhabdo. Jump squats, done Tabata style, with ego/pride involved (ie. “getting 14 the last round”) sound like a perfect recipe for rhabdo. Your strength allowed you to do a lot of reps, however, your muscle metabolism metcon-wise currently is probably a lot like a CF newbie based on your programming.

    It’s not a mistake unless one refuses to learn from it. Realize that you will likely not regain your leg strength for months while your body heals all of the damage.

  4. Kim Said,

    Hey Kelly,

    Just read your post. Sorry to hear about the injury. How lame that a regular doctor seems pretty naive about the finer points of whats going on with your muscle. I hope you find an expert who can sort you out.

    Kim

  5. Paul turner Said,

    hey just wanted tocheck in on how your leg are feeling today, after the stretch I gave you on sunday. well i will see you tomorrow for an other treatment, of stretching.

  6. Kelly Said,

    SO MUCH BETTER paul

    Stiff and feels week, but I can control the muscle and walk down stairs no problem now:) Definitely much improved

    Feel a little lop sided though-like I’m putting all my weight on the right leg.

    Haven’t done much on it-couple real light rows and then just pullups and ab work and stuff like that. Will go to o-lifting tomorrow night before I come see you and just do light work going through the range of motions and will see how it reacts from there!

    but I’m pretty hopeful. Progress has definitely been made!

    Kelly’s last blog post..20 45lb Tabata Jumping Squats are Evil

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