A 27-year-old Chinese man died after his neck became trapped between the shaft of a barbell carrying more than 100 kg of weight and the training bench he was lying on.
According to the Yangtze Evening News, a harrowing 29-second video posted on multiple news sites shows a man struggling to bench press more than 100kg without supervision inside a gym in China’s Henan province. .
He barely managed to get the barbell over his chest and as he was trying to press it onto the J-hook, his arm gave way.
A shaft weighing about 50 kg at each end rolled from his chest to his neck, pinning his head to the bench.
For about 25 seconds, he desperately tried to free himself.
At one point, he tried to remove what looked like a weightlifting belt he was wearing, but he started having severe cramps and suddenly went limp.
Previous reports said the man was one of Mr. Zhang and that the incident took place in Wuhan last week.
However, according to a report published in the Yangtze Evening News’ Ziniu News on Monday, the incident actually happened on July 3 in Henan province. The deceased man was identified as Xiao Hou.
The news portal quoted Zhao, the gym’s director, as saying that Xiao Hou was a fitness instructor at the gym.
According to reports, Mr. Zhao and Mr. Xiaohou are friends.
According to Chao, Xiao Hou is obsessed with exercise. “He never thought about dating a girlfriend. He only knew about exercise.”
He said that after graduating from university, Xiao Hou worked as a personal trainer at a gym for about four years, but quit after finding another job.
However, Xiao Hou still stops by the gym to work out on his own during his lunch break. Xiao Hou added that he kept a key that allowed him to enter the gym before it opened.
Chao added that Xiaohou was alone in the gym on July 3 when he was found pinned down with a barbell. He was rushed to the hospital, but his life was saved.
The incident is reminiscent of a similar incident in July in which Indonesian fitness influencer Justin Vicky, 33, died while performing shoulder lifts with a nearly 210kg barbell.
The video showed Vicki falling onto the floor, butt-first, with the barbell still on her shoulders.
There was a lifeguard behind him, but the lifeguard was unable to prevent the barbell shaft from rolling over Vicki’s head, breaking her neck.
Correction note: This article was edited based on new reporting in the Yangtze Evening News.
