Too Much, Too Soon

Thursday, May 6, 2010:

It is possible to push too hard too fast. It's a risk we run as Crossfitters. We are pain addicts. It's just in our DNA. When I say we love pain, I should clarify. We love good pain, that nice little muscle burn we get after doing a few too many reps. It's wonderful. That's how you know you're working. Unfortunately, when you're recovering from a bout of bad pain, it is possible to overdue it on the good pain rush.

Curious right? I'll tell you how it happens. A well-conditioned athlete.. man or woman.. doesn't matter, but in my case it's a woman. Hurts herself in some silly Crossfit mishap. She takes a few months off. She runs a little and swims a little, but for the most part she's sedentary for two months to give her back (which was tweaked in the little mishap) some time to rest.

A few months (and pounds) later she decides it's time to get back to her favorite pasttime. She knows she's going to have to take it easy. A back injury limits your Crossfit activity to only about a dozen moves. She's crafted tons of ways to do those moves in various combinations and sets of 5,10, 15 or 9, 15, 21 or a ladder or whatever. She returns to the gym, and she sticks to her plans until one day she comes in and sees squats. She figures what could a few air squats hurt (and by a few she means 60). No big deal by any normal Crossfit standards.

The next morning she finds out that 60 squats will be enough to put her out for days. Either this is recovery or getting old. Which ever it is, I don't like it.

I'll be in in the morning.