By John Salak –
Talk about too much of a good thing. Yeah, it is important to exercise but perspective is essential and may even be life-saving. So stop squatting about and be aware of your limits.
Consider the following. An unnamed Russian man in his early 20s from Vladivostok wound up in a local hospital with severe kidney problems after overextending himself on a bet. More specifically, the patient’s troubles started after wagering that he could do 2,000 squats in a set period.
Yes, he won and that’s when he lost. After completing the task, trouble set in. The man’s legs became sore and extremely swollen, his urine turned dark brown and a short time later he couldn’t urinate at all. Terrified, he rushed to his nearby hospital only to find that he had developed rhabdomyolysis, a potentially deadly condition caused by muscle tissue breaking down and entering the bloodstream.
It’s the type of problem that if left untreated, can lead to kidney failure, cardiac problems and even death.
The over-exercised Russian suffered because his leg muscles began to break down due to the extreme effort involved in the squats. This led to a steep increase in his levels of creatinine and urea. When doctors got to him, his kidneys were only operating at 50 percent of capacity.
The story, it’s reported, has a happy ending of sorts. Doctors managed to get the acute renal failure under control without dialysis. But rhabdomyolysis did damage his kidneys, which will need time to heal. In fact, weeks after the episode, the Russian’s kidneys still aren’t functioning properly, which means he faces up to a year of rehabilitation.
The Vladivostok hospital provided its own unique commentary on the situation. “Strength lies not only in physical achievements but also in the ability to take care of your body,” it announced. It also warned that sports are generally a good thing but that they can have disastrous consequences if taken to extreme limits.
What may be even more interesting is that this squat-centric episode isn’t unique. A few years earlier, two Chinese teenagers also wound up in intensive care for going squat crazy. In this case, the girls did 1,000 squats in succession to see who could stretch their glutes the longest. Ultimately, they too were diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis.
Sure, maybe news doesn’t travel well between China and Vladivostok, but still. Who would have thought 2,000 squats in a row is good for a person at any time in any country?
