A scary video of a man fainting after deadlifting has been explained by an NHS doctor who compared it with how Elvis Presley tragically died on the toilet.
In the clip, Dr Karan Rajan who is on TikTok as @dr.karanr winces as he reacts to the footage of the gym buff picking up the hefty weight only to be overcome with dizziness and crash to the floor.
The weightlifter then sits up immediately after the fall and looks confused.
Dr Karan says: “When a weightlifter holds their breath and strains like they are on the toilet they are actually doing something called a Valsalva maneuver.
“This raises the pressure in the chest and compresses the heart.
“This also compresses the veins that fill the heart so there is less blood flow to the heart.
“Less blood flow to the heart causes a drop in blood pressure and can lead to fainting.”
The clip was watched more than 800,000 times on the video-sharing app and curious viewers had a lot of questions.
“So it is possible to faint on the toilet?” asked one fan.
Dr Karan, who is also on YouTube, replied: “Yep one of the contributing factors to Elvis Presley’s death – severe constipation and straining on top of a heart condition.”
Someone else commented: “So how do you prevent this? I’ve never fainted but I’ve felt dizzy while deadlifting.”
“Me too and sometimes my sight goes black,” said a third user.
“I fainted while running a few weeks back,” shared another user.
Dr Karan reassured people that weightlifting was good for their health as long as they progressed carefully and had the correct form when breathing.
The surgeon added: “The collapsing itself isn’t the bad part it’s the collateral damage you might sustain when falling.
“Head injury, other body part injuries etc.”