Yogesh of Menambedu in Ambattur, stayed away from the gym after his 2022 title win, but resumed preparation for a competition next month. He worked at the Korattur gym as a trainer. Hours before his death, Yogesh was training some of his clients while doing intense workouts himself.
After an hour of exercise, he left the floor informing his colleagues that he was tired and that he was going for a steam bath. After 30 minutes, his colleagues grew suspicious and checked on him in the bathroom that was locked from inside.
Since they did not receive any response, they broke open the door, only to find Yogesh lying unconscious on the floor. They rushed him to the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) where doctors declared him dead. Preliminary investigations revealed cardiac arrest to be the reason for the death.
Another body-builder, A Purushothaman, who won Mr Tamil Nadu title in 2018, and has been appearing for body-building competitions for nearly two decades, said potential contestants who do excessive workouts should not take steam bath immediately after such workouts.
“It would lead to extreme dehydration,” he told TOI. He said bodybuilders cut water intake to dehydrate the body, 24 hours ahead of competitions. Otherwise, muscle fibres and cuts will not be visually prominent, and instead get buried under a layer of subcutaneous water,” he said. In order to reduce water retention, they cut down salt consumption.
When contacted, senior cardiologist Dr G Sengottuvelu said exact cause of death could be known only if prior medical details are available. He said: “We know heavy exercise can worsen pre-existing heart diseases.
Extreme exhaustion from exercise and further dehydration from stream bath may have caused salt imbalance leading to pulmonary embolism (a blood clot that blocks and stops blood flow to an artery in the lung). Over- use of steroid or muscle-building agents may have also triggered arrthmia or improper beating of the heart leading to death.”
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