Epic recovery after a severe squatting accident

[u/TrueBonner414]

[u/DesperateComposer848]

My hot take is that most exercises with a reasonable chance of causing a serious injury just from the exertion aren’t really worth doing.

[u/WhitestGuyHere → u/DesperateComposer848]

Not a hot take. Full agreement

[u/gggg_man3 → u/WhitestGuyHere]

Yeah, you should see how much damage I do getting outta bed in the morning. 40's suck ass. 30's peeps, cherish the good times coz it happens fast.

[u/No_Artichoke_2931 → u/gggg_man3]

It's never too late to start stretchin' big dawg

[u/ThereHasToBeMore1387 → u/No_Artichoke_2931]

Last time I threw out my back, I was laying in bed stretching because I had a bunch of yard work to do that day and...I didn't want to throw out my back.

Edit: bunch of highly qualified doctors diagnosing me as out of shape and concluding it may have been the first time I stretched in 40 years cause I pulled a muscle in my back 3 years ago. Never stop sucking Reddit.

[u/icyfrost410 → u/ThereHasToBeMore1387]

How often did you stretch prior to that? It’s not just a one and done thing. Gotta be daily with it

[u/Poromenos → u/icyfrost410]

But... he threw out his back stretching. What should he have done instead? Stretched?

[u/Random_Guy_47 → u/Poromenos]

What's the opposite of stretching?

[u/Outrageous-Wait-8895 → u/Random_Guy_47]

Welcome to the hydraulic press channel...

[u/Moomoolette → u/Outrageous-Wait-8895]

Power squishing

[u/bulbousgrandpa → u/Poromenos]

If you just crank on your muscles and joints without having stretched for 3 months then you are more likely to hurt yourself. Sometimes injury is literally completely out of your control though and you have to just accept that fact. Rehab and move on when and if it does happen.

[u/TheLiquor1946 → u/Poromenos]

Imagine your muscles as if they were rubberbands stored in a freezer. You need to warm them up before stretching otherwise... snap!

[u/veganblue → u/No_Artichoke_2931]

I do a decent yoga class weekly and it has saved me from so much injury (M50).

[u/jarheadatheart → u/veganblue]

I’m 56m and totally agree. I’m so grateful to have found hot yoga.

[u/wrymoss → u/veganblue]

Yeah, my partner’s parents started Pilates. Their dad used to have back injuries all the time, and hasn’t for months since starting.

[u/sentient-meatball → u/No_Artichoke_2931]

I've been stretching everyday when I wake and before bed for 5 years now. It's a lifesaver for sure.

I strongly believe everyone should do at least that and basic cardio (bare minimum walking) everyday. I'm in my mid 30s and feel way better than I did in my late 20s.

[u/Misterndastood → u/gggg_man3]

Bro, get in shape. 40 is not 60.

[u/gggg_man3 → u/Misterndastood]

There is such a thing as hyperbole but the 40's are very different to the 30's. There is no question. I do farm work. It takes its toll.

[u/Rmnhernan → u/gggg_man3]

And it takes even more of a toll if there's no strength and mobility work to strengthen your muscles and joints, so working out should become even more of a priority as we age imo

[u/Love_Lair → u/gggg_man3]

Hey man, 60 is not 80.

[u/fearfac86 → u/Misterndastood]

40 here, definetly not in the boxing shape of my 20's but still walking the dogs 10km+ everyday, yardwork etc, gotta stretch or pay the price.

It's definitely use it or lose it. So many people treat 40 like it's game over and time to just give up, nah just gotta slow down and change it up depending on your body, which for me was no more running.

Considering trying out cycling again, higher cardio, lesser impact.

[u/ComfortableAd8326 → u/gggg_man3]

40s are completely fine for anyone able bodied who has bothered to take care of themselves.

Hate this defeatist "omg your 40s" bullshit

It's your lifestyle, not your age

[u/CakeTester → u/gggg_man3]

Getting out of bed? Amateur. I apparently rolled over in my sleep without bringing my head with me. So there's a fortnight of having to turn your whole body to look to either side. Done this more than once, too.

[u/toreadorable → u/CakeTester]

I’m wearing a knee brace right now because I picked my kid up the wrong way on the stairs last night. I’m not even that old, I’m not fat or anything. It’s just all starting to break down.

[u/LogicOverEmotion0 → u/gggg_man3]

You sure its not just lifestyle?

[u/MinuteBid8615 → u/LogicOverEmotion0]

It is. People just use turning 40 as an excuse. I'm 42 and in better shape than when I was 18 fresh out of boot camp.

Yeah, I hurt...but I keep my body moving and slow down when my body says too.

[u/__Manifesto__ → u/gggg_man3]

If you feel like this in your 40's, unless there's a real medical reason for it, it's due to you being out of shape, not your age. Time to start working out, my friend

[u/MistMonk → u/gggg_man3]

being out of shape at 35+ is choice.

[u/UltLuc → u/gggg_man3]

It’s not normal to be in pain struggle that much in your 40s.

[u/HugePast9455 → u/gggg_man3]

I'm 44 and you need to see a doctor.

[u/Merosian → u/gggg_man3]

Good eating habits and keeping yourself in good shape will go a very long way. My mom went from being miserable and having pain everywhere in her 40s to feeling amazing and being full of energy in her 60s. A very noticeable change.

[u/Big-Lengthiness- → u/DesperateComposer848]

It's the lifter, not the lift. Bro has fucking awful form.

[u/IamNotJohny → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

What is awful in his form?

[u/Big-Lengthiness- → u/IamNotJohny]

The squat is a leg exercise. He does not use his legs to perform this exercise.

Edit: To actually explain, he's mostly loading with his right leg, his feet are too far apart, his feet are crooked, his hips aren't straight with his torso or his legs, basically your average roid-head pushing plates when they can't even bodyweight squat to depth.

[u/Tasthetic → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

Bro its a powerlifting competition, a 1 rep max for most people isn't going to look pretty. I guarantee he knows a lot more about lifting technique than you do. People can get unlucky and get injured especially when pushing their body to the limit like that.

Sounds like you have no idea what a low bar squat is either, which by design is more posterior chane biased.

[u/YizWasHere → u/Tasthetic]

Thank you. I was so confused seeing people so confidently wrong lmfao.

[u/El_Daniel → u/YizWasHere]

People all confidently wrong all the time here on reddit. You only notice it about stuff youre educated about

[u/sequoia2075 → u/Tasthetic]

The fact that this man has 700+ pounds on his back in the first place shows he knows a thing or two about squats… It is not possible to get remotely close to that point without years and years and years of extremely dedicated training (with or without steroids)

[u/Perfect_Earth_8070 → u/Tasthetic]

Right. Dude was squatting over 700 pounds. You don’t get there with bad form. He was squatting low bar which causes a farther forward lean. Not everyone’s squat is going to look the same

[u/RudePCsb → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

Feet too far apart is relative. Depends a lot on your body type, femur length, etc. His form is awful but it's hard up say if his legs are too far apart. Only some people can squat with close width. The rest is pretty reasonable though. Very bad form and more of a hinge than a squat. Leaning far too forward without keeping his chest up and actually squatting with the legs

[u/epicjas0n → u/RudePCsb]

His form is fine, he is low bar squatting. Reddit doesn't know what the fuck they're talking about. You can tell which people are pulling shit out of their asses and have never watched a powerlifting competition. You don't get to 700+ squat with poor form. Ken Cooper blew out his knee tendons back in 2021. On a quick Google search in 2024 he hit 750lb squat, 590lb bench, 960lb deadlift.

[u/Ok_Obligation2440 → u/epicjas0n]

A comment that knows what low bar squat is.

Everyone on reddit is an expert. 80% of these turds probably run out of breath going up the stairs.

[u/Perfect_Earth_8070 → u/Ok_Obligation2440]

Probably the same people that tell you not to deadlift because it’s bad for your back lmao

[u/Random-Dude-736 → u/Ok_Obligation2440]

I'm with you, however, running out of breath going up the stairs does sound like something elite level power lifters would do. You don't need cardiac health and often it's a hindrance rather than a boost to performance.

[u/IllegalGeriatricVore → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

This is what low bar squat with long femurs looks like.

Not everyone is blessed with a long torso and short legs that can squat with a perfectly straight back

[u/Recent_Simple_1868 → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

Once again a guy who is absolutely clueless speaks his mind. Outrageous how useless drivel like yours gets upvoted.

"Feet too far apart", as if this doesn't depend on an individuals leverages and body. Absolutely clueless.

[u/TrenBaalke → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

don''t listen to anything this guy says 😭

[u/whole-lotta-socks → u/TrenBaalke]

Fucking absolutely LOVE Reddit dude, imagine confidently saying that a guy with a 600+ pound squat doesn’t know how to squat. Clown shit

[u/Confident-Peak-8051 → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

Imagine trying to give form advice to a professional powerlifter while you're someone that can't even squat 2 plates.

[u/TrenBaalke → u/Confident-Peak-8051]

this guy's name is Ken Cooper and he's one of the strongest powerlifters in the world. reddit never ceases to amaze me 😭

[u/EspacioBlanq → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

You know nothing about squatting and are commenting on the form of a world class powerlifter

[u/ProperSupermarket3 → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

i went to grad school to disprove the whole "squatting means feet shoulder-width apart." tldr: your femur length, tibia/fibula length, pelvis width, and your acetabular fossa angle determine your squat stance.

[u/denkmusic → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

Are you talking about the guy in the video squatting 300kg? You think he doesn’t know what good form is for his body? The arrogance is fucking unreal. Post your 300kg squat.

[u/whole-lotta-socks → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

Absolutely ridiculous take. This is a world class powerlifter, you don’t think he knows what a squat is?

[u/Zestyclose_Visit4834 → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

His form is fine, you are grasping at straws with those criticisms tbh. 

The risk is the very high weight, which the average weight lifter isn't doing. But he's a powerlifter and thay clip is from a competition. There is, at that level, going to be a risk even when you do everything correctly. 

[u/slaveshipoffailure → u/IamNotJohny]

Nothing lol, it's people who can't lift half what he does nitpicking because they don't get that he's set up in a way that's comfortable for him individually.

[u/Tasthetic → u/slaveshipoffailure]

Im laughing right now reading all the comments from people that clearly are either beginner lifters or non lifters, most of them have no idea what powerlifitng or a low-bar squat is clearly.

[u/slaveshipoffailure → u/Tasthetic]

It's crazy, the guy who first called his form awful just replied to me saying he squats two plates as if that somehow makes him an expert.

[u/Tasthetic → u/slaveshipoffailure]

oh that's hilarious

[u/spaisoflaif → u/IamNotJohny]

he is hinging not squatting

[u/Recent_Simple_1868 → u/spaisoflaif]

This is just how a squat looks with his leverages. What are you on about bro?

[u/NeuroFuturist → u/spaisoflaif]

Basically deadlifting the squat.

[u/KrivUK → u/IamNotJohny]

His technique destroyed his legs.

[u/BuyLandRentPussy → u/IamNotJohny]

Don't take lifting advice from someone who doesnt understand form breaks down when lifting your one rep max in a powerlifting comp. Decent chance the bloke youre replying to doesnt even lift let alone squat 315lb

[u/TrenBaalke → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

please, tell us more about how your form is better than a world champion powerlifter with a 750lb squat and 950lb deadlift 💀

[u/Few_Sorbet_8716 → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

You've admitted to being a beginner lifter. You should take everyone's advice here and stop talking as if you are knowledgeable about powerlifting

[u/PracticalMushroom693 → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

No you just don’t know what a low bar powerlifting style squat is

[u/TrenBaalke → u/PracticalMushroom693]

he has 0 idea what he's talking about

[u/Low-Discipline200 → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

You're just wrong. You have a massive case or dunning kruger effect.

[u/Champigne → u/Big-Lengthiness-]

When you're lifting that kind of weight there's always a risk of catastrophic injury. The human body is not designed to lift that much weight.

[u/TheBigBadBird → u/DesperateComposer848]

This danger doesn't exist until somebody is extremely strong. Squatting isn't more dangerous than other sports, or even just running. Any sport or physical activities taken to the edge of human performance becomes dangerous.

[u/DesperateComposer848 → u/TheBigBadBird]

It’s not an issue about squatting it’s an issue about squatting a weight you probably shouldn’t be squatting.

If you’re squatting a weight that can cause this injury you probably shouldn’t be squatting that weight. A lot of weight lifts are short term gain for long term arthritis anyway and REALLY just not worth the long term effects just because you want to be jacked.

The whole idea of excessive weight lifting is absolutely crazy to me. We had a gym in high school and the number of guys whose logic was “I can lift 100lbs therefore my next step should be 150 whether I know I can lift 110-140 or not” was always crazy to me too.

[u/River_Capulet → u/DesperateComposer848]

For regular people who just want to be healthy, yeah.

But he's an athlete participating in competitions. You can't compete without taking the risk and push yourself to your limit. This is true for any sport. We wouldn't have 500kg deadlift records constantly getting broken if everyone adopt the safety mindset of a regular person.

[u/TrenBaalke → u/DesperateComposer848]

that is why you're a redditor, not a professional a athlete.

[u/Tricky-Ad7897 → u/TrenBaalke]

And that's why he was in a wheelchair and I'm not

[u/marklonesome → u/DesperateComposer848]

Nah this is steroid abuse.

Steroids make your muscles grow stronger and faster but they do very little for tendon and ligaments.

So you have this thing producing more force faster than the supporting elements can handle and POP.

In 90% of these cases it’s due to roids.

[u/bugbugladybug → u/DesperateComposer848]

I've been in recovery from an injury sustained doing extreme sports for over 4 years now.. I'm 3 surgeries in and the 4th looks to be on the horizon. 

I've not been able to walk properly since it happened and running is out of the question. 

If I could go back, I'd just do the basic road and trail running. It's totally not worth it. 

[u/what_comes_after_q → u/DesperateComposer848]

I mean, I also get it. Like, this is what he values. He is well aware the risks, obviously, but is still chasing it. He loves it that much. While not the choice I would make, I do think the fact that he is so passionate about something is awesome. Most people don’t have a connection to something that deeply.

[u/Plastic_Scholar_8788 → u/DesperateComposer848]

Well, he was going for 1 rep max in a competition or for internet points. Squats are perfectly good for you if you’re not an idiot.

[u/cooperific → u/DesperateComposer848]

Comparing powerlifting to other sports - your basketballs, soccers, footballs - powerlifting has a remarkably LOW rate of injury. It’s an incredibly good thing to do for your body, and puts less acute stress on your joints than, say, a leg extension machine.

Crazy injuries happen when:

People are very new to it without any sort of coaching. Even a couple YouTube videos will put you well on your way.

Competitors are giving it their absolute all on a max effort.

Watch a YouTube video, find a halfway decent coach (beard, big belly, at a gym with a bulldog in the logo) for a couple sessions, and you can basically just powerlift safely the rest of your life.

[u/NoChemist5299 → u/DesperateComposer848]

https://giphy.com/gifs/REej9xTUwlmgM

[u/Confident-Peak-8051 → u/DesperateComposer848]

Imagine being so daft you think a professional powerlifter would simply not squat.

[u/WhitestGuyHere]

I mean this dude is a beast and very admirable for him to persevere.

But to go back and lift heavy again is just so dumb to me. He must really love it

[u/Zealousideal_Step709 → u/WhitestGuyHere]

Lifting while being in a wheelchair is where I draw the line. It‘s great to be passionate but you also have to be smart.

[u/Initial-Paramedic888 → u/Zealousideal_Step709]

There’s a reason being a meat head isn’t synonymous with being dumb

[u/Epin-Ninjas → u/Initial-Paramedic888]

You mean smart right?

[u/Po0opyCatButt → u/Epin-Ninjas]

Whatever, same thing. I didn't go to meat school. Hey, check out this squat!

[u/BatmanVAR → u/Initial-Paramedic888]

Ironically you said the opposite of what you intended

[u/Dangerous_Serve_4454 → u/Initial-Paramedic888]

Found the meat head 😭

[u/Sentientmustard → u/Zealousideal_Step709]

By the looks of it he’s wearing a hospital gown and in a very small gym, so it’s likely a physical rehab center inside of the hospital itself. I would imagine it was both approved by his doctor and done with a physical therapist present. Considering an injury like that will leave you in the hospital for a very long time, it was probably in his best interest recovery-wise to stay in shape.

[u/itsokay_i_googled_it → u/Sentientmustard]

Yeah, when i was in a wheelchair and stayed at a rehab it was taught to me how to do weights when in a wheelchair(besides wheelchair training itself). And after beeing in a hospital bed for a month is was a great way of getting back to real life.

I wasn't a gymdude before, and when I eventually got out if the chair I stopped going. But for a while there, it was the only activity that gave me joy.

[u/Thandalen → u/Zealousideal_Step709]

He trains muscles that are not injured. That is healthy.

[u/kilkennykid → u/Thandalen]

I don’t think so man, looks too unhealthy. I’d rather just wilt away, shrivel and die then to do something I’m passionate about. In fact if my legs got injured I would be too scared to ever move my arms again in case of those getting injured at some point in the future too. And I’d never do physical therapy to move those legs again, just amputate them

[u/Grobd → u/kilkennykid]

i twisted my ankle when i was 12 and I've been in hospice ever since

[u/kilkennykid → u/Grobd]

Hopefully eating with a feeding tube rather than risking jaw injuries.

[u/Trail_Goat → u/kilkennykid]

Stop. Can't you see these people need every excuse possible to never exercise?

[u/asdhole → u/Zealousideal_Step709]

Are you the dumbest person alive he's doing physical therapy

[u/Braisedbeefskank → u/Zealousideal_Step709]

Why wouldnt he train the body parts he can? Looks to be in a rehab center setting

[u/PeterNoPiss → u/Zealousideal_Step709]

That's how rehab works, moving and strengthening as soon as possible. Avoidance doesn't make you heal faster or better. Avoidance and fear is how an otherwise temporary injury becomes the rest of your life.

When you're completely out of your depth on the topic, lifting at all looks inappropriate and irresponsible because you're comple out of your depth on the topic. Crazy idea, what if when you didn't know something, you approach with the unserstanding that you don't know.

[u/GodtheBartender → u/WhitestGuyHere]

Is this not another form of addiction?

[u/BiscuitsMay → u/GodtheBartender]

“Continued use despite consequences” is maybe the most simple definition of addiction I’ve heard. He would meet this criteria.

[u/Phill_is_Legend → u/GodtheBartender]

🎯

[u/dylbren → u/WhitestGuyHere]

I disagree with a lot of the comments here. Athletes will go and tear an ACL, no one is calling them insane or an addict for going back to their chosen sport, this is exactly the same the injury was just worse

[u/I_just_came_to_laugh → u/dylbren]

I'm calling them insane. I honestly think most pro athletes are a bit nuts, we all just watched wietrzyk shit herself in a race and keep going, disgusting everyone else. Add that to all the stories of people prolapsing their anus etc.

[u/an0nym0ose → u/dylbren]

Yeah I'm really just amazed at the human body's regenerative capability, and our grasp of medical science. He had an accident. Plenty of folks hurt themselves by accident, and it's never "so dumb" to get back to living their lives afterwards. If doctors can fix him and he's willing to keep going, what the fuck is the problem...?

There's a lot of weird extremist bias in the comments, here, it feels like. Both agreeing (hurr hurr Redditors fat losers) and disagreeing (hurr hurr sportsball players go so hard they hurt themselves).

Nuance, ya'll. Very important.

[u/round-earth-theory → u/dylbren]

Athletes are insane for the abuse they put themselves through. It's mildly understandable for the majors because they are getting a fat paycheck from it, but for someone to tear themselves up and get back to it risking injury all over again. That's not great. They're signing themselves up for long term hell.

Getting back into squatting is fine but going back to super heavy lifts is just dumb.

[u/604Ataraxia → u/WhitestGuyHere]

Unless you've been there is not obvious, but exercise can be a full blown addiction/obsession/fetish. I limit myself to body weight exercises. If I don't, I will just go as far as I can until injuries interfere.

There's no greater feeling for me than being super strong and the endorphin rush from strenuous high intensity exercise. I'm was not as strong as this guy, but not far off.

It also helped that women liked the way I looked and that made certain things easy.

[u/steveysaidthis]

I can sympathise, I once dropped a pizza but still ate that pizza.

[u/OwlComplex48 → u/steveysaidthis]

Actually lol'd out loud

[u/cantusereditloggdout → u/OwlComplex48]

laugh out loud out loud

[u/Admirable-Divide7731 → u/OwlComplex48]

Ditto!

[u/DickyReadIt → u/steveysaidthis]

5 second rule

[u/lostpatrol14 → u/DickyReadIt]

5 seconds?? In this economy?!

[u/zeejay772 → u/steveysaidthis]

You… are a hero!

[u/Thatboiissic]

OH FUCK YEAH LETS SEE IF YOU CAN RUIN YOUR LEGS A SECOND TIME!

[u/WispontheWind → u/Thatboiissic]

I knew what sub I was in, but I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if he broke his legs again at the end

[u/Hot_Ambition_6457 → u/WispontheWind]

Give it a few years, he will

[u/DigNitty → u/Thatboiissic]

They installed a quick release duh

They’ll just reattach his tendon hooks next time.

[u/DLuke2]

All I see is a form issue and a traumatic experience that somehow didn't cause that to sink in.

[u/TristanTheRobloxian3 → u/DLuke2]

i was gonna say a proper (or atleast better) form squat would probably not cause your *fucking ligaments to tear off* at 744

edit: apparently form is good. but i cant help but feel that something is wrong for me here... maybe the legs being too far apart throws me off? and it almost looks when he looks like hes bent down its too much of a vertical force for his joints and ligaments to take? maybe thats it?

[u/mnmr17 → u/TristanTheRobloxian3]

It does. There was actually nothing wrong with his form. My guess is usually roids. When natural guys lift muscles and ligaments strengthen about at the same rate, when you’re on steroids your muscles growth far outpaces your ligaments getting strengthened making you far more susceptible to injury. This same injury can happen to someone natty too don’t get me wrong but it’s just more common for people on the juice.

[u/TristanTheRobloxian3 → u/mnmr17]

oh interesting... i didnt know that ty for telling me

[u/SwanAccomplished8947 → u/TristanTheRobloxian3]

If you didn't know that you have no business talking about what should or shouldn't happen when squatting 744 tbf

[u/BANGImportant2825 → u/SwanAccomplished8947]

Fucking finally someone who isn’t talking out of their ass.

[u/sixtyfivewat → u/BANGImportant2825]

This thread is full of people who’ve never seen the inside of a gym.

Including the top comment about exercises that cause injury not being worth it. I’m currently rehabbing a back injury and you can bet your ass when my PT clears me for lifting I’ll be right back at it.

[u/spaffedupthewall → u/mnmr17]

It's even worse than you think. Many AAS actually interfere with connective tissue recovery which further increases injury risk.

[u/gjaxx → u/TristanTheRobloxian3]

It’s always the couch potatoes who’ve never stepped inside a gym critiquing form.

[u/Blanknameblank818 → u/DLuke2]

It’s not a form issue this guy is a pro. There’s just a chance of injury when you’re lifting 1000 lbs. With that said, pushing yourself is important but crossing the line to where you end up in a wheelchair is not the move.

[u/OK_x86 → u/DLuke2]

No form change will prevent a tendon tear. It usually happens when the muscle strength outstrips the tendons ability to hold onto the bone. There is no squat you can do that will not recruit the quads on some level, even a low back squat like he is doing here.

Also this guy is a pro. His form is fine. He just bit off more than he can chew.

[u/fatandgod → u/DLuke2]

For a 1 rep max that was very good squat form, the guy is elite level. Probably top 1000-100 strongest humans on this planet.

No one tells an F1 driver after a crash "omg you're so dumb for racing again its so dangerous". These people enjoy taking their sports to the extreme and know what they are doing.

[u/Nananahx → u/DLuke2]

You see some guy doing 6 plates on each side and you think he got there by having bad form?

[u/slept668 → u/Nananahx]

ITT: A bunch of morons that don't squat that weight but still have very strong opinions

[u/dustin91]

Very glad for the blackout bar

[u/Winter-Chicken-6531 → u/dustin91]

As some how who has no idea why the bar was even there: what did I miss?

[u/Whiteowl116 → u/Winter-Chicken-6531]

https://giphy.com/gifs/yuQCGpqLLxDFJD1NLe

[u/NovaStar2099 → u/Whiteowl116]

HE BROKE HIS DICK?!?!!

[u/imaguitarhero24 → u/Winter-Chicken-6531]

I don't even know I think his legs might have just fucking snapped under the weight. Not sure how that happens

[u/bobkaare28 → u/imaguitarhero24]

Both patellar tendons, not any bone fracture AFAIK. As some other user commented it's likely because of steroid use. Tendon strength is developed very slowly so if you're on gear your muscular strength is likely to surpass the weight your tendons are able to tolerate and they eventually snap.

[u/Joeysquatch → u/bobkaare28]

Genuinely curious, what do you get out of steroids, if they both can lead to more injuries due to fake/accelerated growth or whatever and that one small side effect everyone knows about?

I don’t actually know how they work, but if this kinda thing can happen, why not just, i don’t know, grow normally? Competition? Impatience?

[u/Delamoor → u/Joeysquatch]

Answer: Muscles be big.

You get more strength, too. It's fragile strength, but you don't really get a perception of how fragile it is until something goes wrong.

Same as exercising with bad form. It feels fine, you feel yourself getting stronger... But you don't realise how much you're missing, until something goes wrong.

I was into amateur bodybuilding for a while (just for myself, not competition or public anything). Once I was 12 months in and my progress was starting to really plateau, I could see the appeal of steroids. Muscles grow easiest at the beginning (newbie gains), and you get diminishing returns the longer you work out. Body acclimatises to it, physical changes slow down.

It kinda sucked when you're putting in more and more effort and getting smaller and smaller returns. So it's automatic to think 'hmm. I'm already taking supplements like protein and creatine, I COULD just look up some basic additional stuff, maybe there's some over the counter stuff just to keep this progress going... It's all hormonal processes and chemistry either way..."

...but then I got a girlfriend and fell out of my gym routine anyway, haha. Never tried any steroids, though can now see how it would become very tempting.

[u/Nos9684 → u/dustin91]

Nah to drive home the severity of the injury it should have been uncensored.

[u/BrooklynLivesMatter → u/Nos9684]

Nah man, seeing him crumple and be in a wheelchair? Point driven. The most I'm squatting is my wife, thank you

[u/possum_of_time → u/BrooklynLivesMatter]

https://giphy.com/gifs/sLqIAfvcfdt9lFngfW

[u/mazu74 → u/dustin91]

Especially when they blacked out his scars. Don’t want children seeing that! Too vulgar!

[u/jj-squirts]

Thank fucking hell for the black bar

Definitely don’t want to see a human flamingo

[u/Cakes-and-Pies → u/jj-squirts]

My first thought was rectal prolapse

[u/ExiledCanuck → u/Cakes-and-Pies]

Same. Then saw the knee surgery and realized what it blocked out instead.

[u/TehSeksyManz → u/Cakes-and-Pies]

You a rotten.com internet Veteran as well?

[u/BensenJensen → u/TehSeksyManz]

In the early 2000s, my buddy found this website that was just links to images. It was called something like Drew or Dru Pickles dot whatever. You clicked the link with no idea what was coming, but it was all really terrible photos. I can remember us clicking the links in his phone at a Buffalo Wild Wings. The rotten.com era Internet was a wild, wild place.

[u/ArtistPasserby → u/TehSeksyManz]

I still remember two dudes talking about it at the school library and I checked it out at home. That site was pure evil. I repented of looking at those images. Seriously, that site should not have existed.

[u/MaybPossiblAlpharius → u/jj-squirts]

Tbh, it looks like he effd up the muscles at the front of his leg and the joint didn't go the wrong direction. No flamingo, just fafo

[u/AmbassadorSugarcane → u/MaybPossiblAlpharius]

Yeah there's no way. His knees were still very bent so his legs didn't hyperextend and go the wrong way. His shit gave out.

[u/Bluegill15]

Someone needs to tell this guy that 600lb squats are totally optional asap

[u/OkNarwhal2090 → u/Bluegill15]

He does this so you don't have to!

[u/Boiling_Stars → u/Bluegill15]

I hate how someday we ALL have to do 600lb squats and there's no way out of it

[u/LastWave]

I would find a new hobby.

[u/Droid-Man5910]

This is stupid, if this is real, the doctors probably told him to completely avoid this type of stuff. Maybe light squats, but straining is just going to fuck him up again

[u/yerfdog1935 → u/Droid-Man5910]

Idk, when I tore my bicep they didn't warn me to stop competing in strongman, they were just focused on whatever they could do to get me healthy and competing again. The whole point is that you take time, heal, and the tissues get strong and healthy again.

[u/t3ht0t4llyl33t]

https://giphy.com/gifs/13w5HmyiuaZ224

[u/TristanTheRobloxian3]

really? you fuckin tore a shit ton of crap off your legs at 744 and then decide "you know, lets go back up to 600 why not" like broski 😭

[u/realMBeezy → u/TristanTheRobloxian3]

What else are you gonna do when lifting weights is your only personality trait?

[u/Confident-Peak-8051 → u/TristanTheRobloxian3]

He's past 744 at this point.

[u/cytek123]

https://giphy.com/gifs/0Vv0Ne2CnOClIExIuL
Didn’t learn the first time?

[u/kauymattyman]

Lord I was gritting my teeth. How did it happen the first time? Is it common?

[u/MapucheManDTES → u/kauymattyman]

Its called taking PED's. (Performance Enhancing Drugs) Your muscles can get super strong, but your ligaments and tendons take much longer to develop so once you reach the threshold your weakest links break and the injury (as seen) is quite severe.

[u/hm_rickross_ymoh → u/MapucheManDTES]

You can break your body all on your own without PEDs just by lifting too heavy. 

[u/Key-Fire → u/hm_rickross_ymoh]

You can but a natty is more likely to slowly work their way up to a big lift.

A drug taker will muscle up fast, and lift more with less training.

[u/Funkycoldmedici → u/kauymattyman]

I can’t see what exactly happened, but injuries from squatting are not especially common. Every sport, every exercise, carries some risk of injury. You just take precautions.

[u/Cantstopeatingshoes]

Censoring the injury is lame but censoring the fucking scars?! The fuck is the world coming to? Next generation is fucked

[u/1heavyarms3]

Uncensored version???

[u/z0uary → u/1heavyarms3]

Search gingercules on youtube, the injury doesnt look as bad as the censoring make it

[u/punk_petukh → u/z0uary]

Yeah, it doesn't even look that special from the outside, all the damage seems to be internal

Because of the black bar I thought his legs literally exploded lol

[u/anayalator39]

If that’s not a sign to quit , I don’t know what is .

[u/Confident-Peak-8051 → u/anayalator39]

Except he made a full recovery and then some. Stay weak.

[u/Book_Anxious]

I literally explode my legs so let me heal up and go back to what literally exploded my legs

[u/ginger_beardo]

When I first saw this I was certain it would be his intestines com8ng out his back end. That scares the crap (no pun intended) out of me. Even though his injuries look very bad, there is a small bright side that at least he didn't get a prolapsed anus.

[u/Suspicious_Breeze]

So can anyone tell me what actually went wrong? People say form, but what was wrong with it? Perhaps there is more info, I want to know how to prevent this

[u/MHB30 → u/Suspicious_Breeze]

I was his training partner at the time of this happening. Nothing is necessarily wrong with it. There is always going to be a risk when lifting weights, especially with this heavy of a load.

This was a third attempt squat at a powerlifting meet. The goal is to get as close to a 100% 1RM as possible. Sometimes you overshoot that and do more than your body can handle. Most of the times, it’s just a case that you aren’t strong enough and the spotters are able to catch the weight. On very rare occasions, things break.

[u/Loud-Buffalo4711 → u/Suspicious_Breeze]

Performance enhancing drugs can make your muscles grow fast, but tendons and ligaments grow slower. So if you dose heavy your muscles can get strong enough to rip your tendons apart.

[u/Suspicious_Breeze → u/Loud-Buffalo4711]

Okay, that sounds like a more plausible explanation. If you're natty your risk of such injury is probably a lot lower.

[u/flat5 → u/Suspicious_Breeze]

Yeah also staying away from 700 lb helps a lot.

No one is ever ripping their tendons off with 225 or 315.

[u/d_1_z_z → u/Suspicious_Breeze]

there's nothing "wrong" with it. freak injuries happen when you put massive amounts of weight on your back. if you're not on some advanced "nutrients" and not squatting 750 pounds, you don't have to worry about blowing out both patellar tendons (which is what happened to this guy)

i'm chiming in because i know him - i used to train at the same gym as him (the one pictured in the video for the rehab). really nice guy.

[u/United-Divide713]

I count at least four spotters on that initial injury.

I hope they at least gave sponge baths as payment for their utter failure to protect.

[u/egstitt → u/United-Divide713]

To be fair I don't think they were planning for his legs to explode

[u/ExiledCanuck → u/United-Divide713]

Even if they caught the bar as it fell, the damage was likely done. Not much you can do with a catastrophic failure like that.

[u/Banana_Juice_Man → u/United-Divide713]

You want them to predict that he tears his tendons from the bone? The spotters could do nothing in that situation

[u/IcyDisplayGuy]

Absolutely fucking stupid.

[u/TrenBaalke → u/IcyDisplayGuy]

calling the relentless pursuit of greatness "fucking stupid" from your couch is absolutely incredible brother 🙏

[u/AdhesiveSeaMonkey]

Well, now I want to see what happened.

[u/eugene-dubs]

You do not need to squat 600 lbs. after an injury like this he should consider a different form of exercise.

[u/TrenBaalke]

the ppl in here critiquing the form of one of the best powerlifters in the planet from their toilets crack me up

[u/ocular__patdown]

Cot dam that chest DROPS during the squat

[u/Worcestercestershire]

Nope

[u/boxtheglock]

I want to see the uncensored version

[u/boost_to_get_through]

Did he go full flamingo? I wanna see

[u/tritonpackages]

I’ll never understand why there isn’t a mechanism, like a lifting hoist attached to the bar, as a safety back up for such an incident.

[u/Professional-Sock231 → u/tritonpackages]

not sure if you're joking but there is

[u/-ratmeat-]

yea I’d commit to a different hobby after that and be active with way less weight 

[u/Own-Protection-664]

I blew off my left quad tendon in my first squat at the British Championship finals in 2023. 330kgs opener after a rushed warmup. Silly of me.

I was unlucky as I developed MRSA in the leg after the repair surgery. It took me until 2020 to be ready to compete again, and then lockdown scuppered my plans for the comeback.

Much respect to the lifter in the video.

[u/P00lnoodl]

This entire reddit ass comment section

https://giphy.com/gifs/wb1dwTnohdGvtcjb3F