Two Chinese girls end up in intensive care after attempting ‘1,000 squat challenge’

In the latest instalment of ‘viral fads gone wrong’ phenomena, two Chinese teenage girls exercised their way into intensive care, having taken part in the truly hellish-sounding ‘One Thousand Squat’ challenge’.

What started off as an innocent competition between two friends had very serious consequences for 19-year-old Tang and her pal as the pair battled to out-squat each other in Chongqing, China.

The teens took turns doing one squat at a time via video call and their obstinance quickly saw them rack up impressive numbers. “We both did not want to lose and so we kept trying to beat each other, resulting in us completing 1,000 squats,” Tang told China Press.

As unappealing as it may sound, doing 1,000 squats in a row has become a trend among fitness fans and videos of people attempting the challenge have generated millions of views on Youtube. 

The teenager felt a bit sore in the aftermath of the grueling session but she managed to go to work as normal the next day. It wasn’t until the following morning that the true impact of the workout hit her and she realised that something was drastically wrong.

“First of all, my leg was not only sore but I couldn't bend it,” she said. "Then I went to the bathroom and found that [my] urine was brown.”

Tang’s boyfriend rushed her to hospital where she was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition in which the kidneys can’t process all the waste content floating in the blood because of the rapid breakdown of muscle. The illness can cause serious kidney damage and can even be fatal.

Luckily for Tang, doctors successfully managed to rehydrate her with a drip and she was released after her condition had cleared up. A phone call to her friend revealed she was also hospitalized in the aftermath of the workout, highlighting how close the girls came to causing serious damage to themselves.

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