A tragedy occurred at a gym in the Chinese province of Henan: a 100-kilogram barbell crushed a fitness instructor. This was reported by The Straits Times.
How did a man die in the gym?
27-year-old Xiao Hou came to the gym when no one was there to work out alone. He was performing a bench press with a 100-pound barbell and was about to finish the exercise, but his arms weakened on the final set. The bar fell onto the man’s chest, rolled onto his neck and pinned his head to the bench.
For 25 seconds, Howe desperately tried to free himself: he did not have enough strength to lift the projectile, and there were no visitors in the hall. The exhausted man began to have convulsions and lost consciousness. Howe was later found and rushed to the hospital, but the muscleman could not be saved.
According to the gym manager, the man worked as a personal trainer and fitness instructor for several years. He was obsessed with sports and regularly visited the gym.
Howe liked to study alone and often came to the gym before it opened — he had a key to the room. “He never thought about dating a girl. He only cared about training,” recalls a gym employee.
How to avoid repeating the mistake of the Chinese muscleman?
Gym tragedies have been making the news a lot lately. At the end of July, Indonesian bodybuilder Justin Wiki died due to an accident during training. During a squat with a barbell, the 33-year-old athlete fell to the floor, and the barbell fell on his neck and crushed his head, despite the fact that the man was being belayed.
The case of the Chinese fitness instructor confirms a long-known fact: never bench press a barbell without support.
At the same time, try to find a spotter in the gym who will be strong enough to pick up your weight. This will allow you to safely perform the last sets to failure and not risk your life setting personal records.