Bodybuilder, powerlifter, and arm wrestling ace Larry Wheels recently shared a health update related to his heart health. Wheels is best known for his record-breaking heavy lifts in the gym. He is also one of the most famous fitness stars on social media. The 27-year-old is currently in the middle of a training camp to prepare for Middle-East’s Strongest Man competition that will take place in August 2022.
PED usage to build an individual’s abilities beyond their natural potential has become an integral part of the fitness industry, particularly in the sport of bodybuilding. The years 2021 and 2022 have witnessed the deaths of many bodybuilders (Shawn Rhoden, Cedric Mcmillan, and George Peterson) that were relatively young. While the reasons varied from Covid-19 induced complications to heart failures, a lot of these deaths were attributed to long-term PED use. Larry Wheels has been open about using PEDs. In the light of these tragic deaths, Wheels felt the need to speak on the topic.
“With recent events in the fitness industry – bodybuilders dropping dead to the heart attacks – it has left many of us concerned with our health. I’m talking about those of us who abuse PEDs and I have been abusing them for ten years straight now,” Larry Wheels said.
Related: Women Bodybuilder Stacey Cummings Tragically Passes Away, Cause of Death Unknown
Larry Wheels’ heart health update
The 27-year-old admitted that he has been using PEDs since he was 17. This was enough for him to be worried about his heart as well as other major organs’ health. Wheels further stated that he had got himself checked for every other health indicator except for his heart until now.
“He (Justin of autonomic coaching) did a very comprehensive diagnosis of all my major organs excluding my heart. I’ve taken medication ever since and regulated everything and I am in good health regarding that,” Larry Wheels said.
Curious to find out the extent to which his heart might have been affected due to long-term PED use, Larry Wheels recently went through the Electrocardiogram (ECG) on a treadmill and Echocardiogram (ECHO) tests. ECG on treadmill diagnoses heart issues by identifying irregular heartbeats or unusually high heart rates. On the other hand, ECHO test looks for indicators like blockages in arteries and enlargement of the heart. The results of these tests were a pleasant surprise for Larry Wheels as he said:
“All of that checked out okay! I am shocked, I can’t believe myself after ten years of, well I guess not abusing as much as I thought I was… PEDs, my heart is – from what the doctor said – a perfectly normal healthy heart for a young man of my age.”
The doctors told Larry Wheels that his cardiac muscles were a little bit thicker than an average individual. However, an athlete’s heart tends to undergo physiological changes due to intense activity. Thicker than usual heart muscles is one of those changes and therefore it is not something that he should be worried about.
“You can imagine that this has given me a lot of peace of mind,” Larry Wheels said.
The fear of the results kept Larry Wheels from checking his heart health so far
Wheels reiterated that the recent bodybuilder’s deaths had left him worried for his own heart health. Therefore he went through a heart check-up to get reassurance and peace of mind. The 27-year-old admitted that he did not check his heart health so far due to the fear of adverse results.
“I was worried what the answer may be, worried what my heart health may be. I did not want to hear from the doctor, ‘Larry you’ve got to stop lifting. Larry you’re in poor heart health.’ So, you can imagine what a relief it has been today to hear that it is a perfectly normal, healthy heart.
The perfectly normal heart health is good news. However, Larry Wheels is aware that he cannot be less careful with using PEDs. He closed the video with a message to every PED user and said:
“This is a message for all those out there who might be using PEDs and who decided not to get checked up. You may not be as lucky as me. The problem is that if you wait too long and you have the symptoms, you have the pain in your chest or you have irregular heart rate then maybe too late.”
Courtesy of Larry Wheels’ YouTube channel, you can watch the full video here:
[Related: 21 Bodybuilders Who Died of Heart Attack]
