Local Author Pens Book Explaining There Is Such Thing As Hitting The Gym Too Hard

By Suzanne Monaghan

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Forget the motto, "No pain, no gain" when it comes to working out.

A local author and exercise physiologist has written a new book highlighting a serious medical condition that can be brought on by overly-strenuous exercise.

The book is called Rhabdo: The Scary Side-Effect of Exercise You've Never Heard Of.

"When you combine all these high-intensity exercise programs that are very prevalent, I think Rhabdo is on the upswing."

And that's part of why Exercise Physiologist Joe Cannon wrote the book. Rhabdo is caused by any injury that damages skeletal muscle and can result in kidney damage.

"Usually the things that cause Rhabdomyolysis are high-repetition movements, especially in conjunctions with high-intensity exercise. It's more intense than the body can adapt to. That's when the muscle fibers will break down and die."

So how much exercise is too much?

"Some people can be a navy seal and never get Rhabdo. Some people can, on the other hand, do 30 sit ups a day for a week and get it."

The best advice is to start slowly with any new workout program.

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