Widow says questions remain on gym death

A verdict of death by misadventure was recorded on 29-year-old Matthew Sperring at an inquest on Friday.

Coroner David Masters said gym enthusiast Mr Sperring died as a result of weightlifting at Chippenham's Olympiad Leisure Centre and not from natural causes.

Mrs Sperring, of Bythebrook, Chippenham, said on Wednesday that she was still trying to come to terms with her husband's death.

She said: "There were a lot of unanswered questions at the inquest, but what can I do?

"I just need time to think about it as I am still very sad. I have not had enough time to take it all in yet."

She is still trying to take in the meaning of the coroner's verdict and said she was still unsure whether or not she was satisfied with the outcome.

She said: "I don't know, I just need time to think about it all."

Mr Sperring had been in the Chippenham gym for 15 minutes when he collapsed at 7pm while using the dumbbells on April 29.

A post mortem examination showed the strain of lifting the weights had led to a heart rupture.

Mr Masters said at the inquest: "His death was not one of natural causes. He died because of a deliberate act which unintentionally led him to die."

At the inquest Mrs Sperring asked Adrian Jones, managing director of North Wilts Leisure, which owns the Olympiad gym, whether her husband would have had a proper warm-up before using the weights.

"Each person takes a different amount of time to warm up," Mr Jones said.

"Mr Sperring had an induction course before he was allowed to join the gym so he knew the warm-up procedure. There are also charts on all the walls on the gym."

Mr Masters said he believed the Olympiad staff had followed the correct procedure. He said: "The centre has the appropriate protocols in place and did a medical history check and induction course with Mr Sperring.

"They also receive weekly refresher training courses in first aid and resuscitation. Mr Sperring could not be resuscitated because of the damage that had already been done to his heart.

"This is a tragedy and a one-off isolated incident. My sympathy is with his family and friends."

Mr Jones told the inquest he was confident that staff supervision was correct. "We screen all our gym clients and refer them back to their doctor if necessary," he said.

"We have not changed our procedures since the incident because we already follow the correct protocol. We do everything we possibly can to make it safe and enjoyable for our clients."

He added that staff acted promptly and correctly when Mr Sperring collapsed because they were well trained.

But users of the Olympiad gym have raised concerns over the amount of individual supervision.

Zoe Evans, 19, was at the gym the night Mr Sperring collapsed. She said: "The staff are friendly and always willing to help and most of the time it is fine. But when it is busy in the evening they could do with more staff in each department as there is only ever one member of staff in the whole gym and they wander in and out of each area."

This week Mr Jones refused to comment further on safety provisions at the Olympiad.

Honesty is best policy in the gym

Stuart Dinwoodie, a qualified sports therapist and personal trainer based at the Natural Therapy Centre in Pewsham, said the key to safe training is being honest to instructors.

Mr Dinwoodie, who qualified through Premier Training in Trowbridge and set up his own business in December, said: "People need to be as honest as they possibly can when they are asked about their medical history.

"I find people hide things which are later revealed and it can cause them real problems."

He also advised people to take their time when training with weights. "Many people go at it like a bull in a china shop and they don't take their time. Things must be taken in moderation and people need to follow an instruction programme carefully so they don't over exert themselves," he said.

The correct warm-up procedure is also an essential precaution.

"When training with weights you need ten to 15 minutes cardio-vascular warm-up which means training on an exercise bike or a rowing machine," said Mr Dinwoodie.

The safest way to train is with a partner, he said. "If you train with someone you can keep an eye on each other and make sure you are using weights correctly and breathing properly.

"It is essential that people breath out when they lift a weight, but most do not do this because if they hold their breath their body is more rigid so they feel stronger," he said.

"If you hold your breath whilst lifting weights you can cause a brain haemorrhage, no matter how fit you are."

Mr Dinwoodie warned that no one could completely protect themselves from injury.

"All forms of exercise increase blood pressure and no-one is ever 100 percent safe," he said.

But following basic precautions can minimalise the risk.

He said: "Following your induction training, doing the correct warm-ups and breathing correctly are all very important."

Can keep fit kill you?

Coroner David Masters said gym enthusiast Matthew Sperring died at The Olympiad sports centre as a result of weight lifting and not from natural causes.

Mr Sperring, 29, had been in the Chippenham gym for just 15 minutes when he suddenly collapsed at 7pm while using the dumbbells on April 29 2002.

The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.

Mr Masters said: "His death was not one of natural causes. He died because of a deliberate act which unintentionally led him to die."

The verdict was based on the post mortem examination report carried out by Dr Janet Armstrong of Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon.

Dr Armstrong said the cause of death was haemo-pericardium a leak in the walls of the sac that envelopes the heart.

The strain of lifting the weights had led to a rupture. Mr Masters said: "The pathologist said that weightlifting can put pressure around the heart and there is a risk with this kind of exercise, no matter how fit someone is."

Mr Sperring, of Bythebrook, Chippenham, had been a member of The Olympiad's gym for four years and attended regularly.

He did not have a poor medical history and his doctor said that he was fit and well.

Mr Masters questioned the supervision given at The Olympiad.

Ian Hopkins, duty manager of the centre, said staff did not see Mr Sperring using the equipment incorrectly the evening he died. "There was a gym supervisor in the gym and Mr Sperring's exercise gave no cause for concern," he said.

Adrian Jones, managing director of North Wiltshire Leisure Limited which owns the gym, told the inquest he was confident that staff supervision was correct.

"We screen all our gym clients and refer them back to their doctor if necessary," he said.

"We have not changed our procedures since the incident because we already follow the correct protocol. We do everything we possibly can to make it safe and enjoyable for our clients," he said.

He added that staff acted promptly and correctly when Mr Sperring collapsed because they were well trained.

Fitness supervisor Caroline Sampson raised the alarm when another gym user told her Mr Sperring had collapsed. Ms Sampson made sure he was placed in the recovery position and checked he was breathing, according to her statement read by the coroner.

But after a few minutes, Mr Sperring stopped breathing and his pulse failed.

Staff were about to begin CPR when paramedics arrived and took over.

Mr Hopkins aided the paramedics. "I was asked whether I could perform CPR and I said yes, so they asked me to carry it out with my colleague," he said. Paramedics then took over with a defibrillator, but they were unable to resuscitate him. Mr Sperring was pronounced dead at 8pm.

At the inquest Mr Sperring's widow Julianna asked Mr Jones whether her husband would have had a proper warm-up before using the weights.

"Each person takes a different amount of time to warm up," Mr Jones said.

"Mr Sperring had an induction course before he was allowed to join the gym so he knew the warm-up procedure. There are also charts on all the walls on the gym," he said.

Mr Masters said he believed The Olympiad staff had followed the correct procedure. He said: "The centre has the appropriate protocols in place and did a medical history check and induction course with Mr Sperring.

"They also receive weekly refresher training courses in first aid and resuscitation. Mr Sperring could not be resuscitated because of the damage that had already been done to his heart.

"This is a tragedy and a one-off isolated incident. My sympathy is with his family and friends."