Man dies after 100-kg barbell pressed his neck

A man was killed after a 100-kg barbell without a spotter fell on his chest and rolled to his neck.

According to a report by The Straits Times, the Chinese man, whose name is Xiao Hou, was a 27-year-old fitness instructor in Henan province in China. 

The unfortunate incident happened on July 3 and was recorded by a surveillance camera. The 29-second video showed that Hou was doing bench presses with a 100-kg barbell without a spotter. Later on, he attempted to lift the barbell over his chest to put it onto the J-hook when his hands gave way, causing the barbell to drop on his chest before it rolled and pinned his neck. 

He “desperately” attempted to set himself free for 25 seconds, but failed to put away the barbell which caused his death. 

“At one point, he tried removing what seemed like a weightlifting belt he had on, but he began having violent spasms and suddenly went limp,” the report read. He was rushed to the hospital but did not survive. 

Citing a report from local media, the man in charge of the gym named Zhao, who was also friends with Hou, shared that he worked as a personal trainer for about four years in the same gym after college. After finding another job, Hou continued to occasionally drop by the gym to exercise. 

He added that Hou has the gym key so he can exercise by himself even before it opens for business for the day. 

“He never thought about dating a girlfriend. He knew only about exercise,” said Zhao.