This presentation will explain the condition of Rhabdomyolysis (Rhabdo). Discussion will include why Rhabdo occurs in training, what can be done about it, and how to avoid the conditions that accelerate its development. Rhabdo, stemming from tissue injury during exercise, is referred to as "Exertional Rhabdomyolysis." It can manifest in individuals regardless of their fitness levels and has the potential to lead to kidney failure and, if unresolved, liver failure (resulting in multiple organ failure). Furthermore, it may precipitate compartment syndrome, permanent nerve death, and, in severe cases, mortality.

Kelly Kennedy, PhD is one of the nation's leading experts in fitness training for police. While working in Miami Dade, Florida, at the largest police department in the Southeast United States, she has physically trained and tested thousands of police recruits and officers since 1999. During this time, she has lectured on physical fitness to classes for police, corrections and specialized units such as the Special Response Team, Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), and Defensive Tactics Instructor. She led the design of a large tactical obstacle course and was part of a committee to create a pretest physical fitness screening for the members of the RDF. Additionally, she created a physical screening standard for readiness for the Aviation Unit and Marine Patrol Unit. She served as the project manager of a team of physiologists in the development of the minimum standards for fitness for the job of police officer, K-9 Unit, and Special Response Team. In 2003, she started an education and consulting company called Fit-to-Enforce that takes her all over the country, teaching and consulting law enforcement. She has worked as a subject matter expert in physical fitness for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. She has served on the editorial review for the Tactical Strength and Conditioning Report. In addition, she has presented at Conferences for the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA), International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), Tactical Strength and Conditioning Conference (TSAC) and Florida SWAT Association. Kelly has also hosted workshops for the AVON 3-Day Walk, Team Footworks, was an examiner for ASCM's Health/Fitness Instructor exam, interviewed on the Performance Nutrition Radio Show, and was a featured professional in the SoBeReal section of SoBeFit Magazine. After graduating with a master's degree in Exercise Physiology, she worked as an adjunct instructor at Florida International University for five years. Kelly is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a Certified Exercise Physiologist, and Certified by the International Society of Sports Nutrition (CISSN). She is a past certified Level 1 Sport Performance Coach from USAW, for 10 years was a Level 1 CrossFit Instructor, currently Certified as a Defensive Tactics Instructor, is a member of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association, and earned a PhD in Global Leadership from Lynn University.