A man claims pushing too hard at the gym nearly killed him - when he suffered two 'widowmaker' heart attacks that only 10% of victims survive. Ryan Mickleburgh was regularly lifting up to 100kg and training for the first of four marathons when he had a double heart attack during a gym class aged just 32.

As a chef, the 33-year-old enjoys a good diet - primarily consisting of whole foods with high protein and fibre as well as some processed carbs for training. However he regrets 'shrugging off' symptoms such as numbness and chest pain for several months before he 'nearly died'.

But the chef knew he was 'in trouble' when he felt a strange pain and noticed his heart rate had soared at a gym class on March 17. Mum Patricia drove him to hospital - but in the car he was unable to stay awake and became 'scared he was dying'. Panic struck again when Ryan had a second episode in the hospital, with his heart rate reaching 225 beats per minute.

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The Manchester-born runner later found out he had suffered two widowmaker heart attacks - named because so few people survive it. Widowmaker heart attacks involve a complete blockage of the left anterior descending artery, which supplies the heart with a large amount of blood.

Ryan wants to use his experience to educate other young men who think they are 'invincible' in the gym and encourage them to get heart screenings. Ryan said: "I started going to the gym around the age of 18, but over the last two or three years my fitness has really stepped up.

"I was doing Hyrox and functional fitness events - and training for four marathons this year. I was running up to 75k a week, plus three or four days of weight training, lifting up to 100kg on the barbell. I was burning the candle at both ends."

The 33-year-old says he ignored symptoms for several months before the heart attack and 'put it down to the gym'. He tried having massages to relieve the feeling but says this only moved the pain and numbness to other parts of his body. Ryan said: "I kept getting numbness in the left side of my body, but I thought it was just a trapped nerve - I put it down to the gym.

"It was happening consistently for 2-3 months before."

Things came to a head when Ryan had arrived back from a holiday and went to a gym class. During the session, he began to feel tightness in his chest and noticed his heart rate had rocketed. Later at home, Ryan realised he was 'in trouble' and called mum Patricia, who drove him to Royal Bolton Hospital.

Ryan said: "Midway through the session, I went down on the floor to do a burpee and when I stood up my chest was really tight. I looked at my watch and my heartrate had gone to 195 bpm. I had a rest and felt fine, but after the session I was driving home and I got pain in the left side of my jaw and my arm.

"When I got home, I started to get cold sweats - I knew I was in trouble. I rang my mum and said, 'I'm in a bad way here'."

He described the 'scary' moment he couldn't stay awake on the way to the hospital and became convinced he was 'dying'. Ryan said: "Mum drove me to hospital and in the car I fell asleep because my body was just shutting down. It was scary. I knew I was dying then."

Doctors gave Ryan liquid aspirin and monitored him as he waited to go into ITU - but then panic struck again. His heartbeat leapt to 225bpm and he realised he was having a second heart attack - just an hour and a half after the first one.

Ryan said: "I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I didn't fully understand what had happened. All of a sudden the same symptoms came again - the jaw aching, the feeling in my chest. I said to my mum 'get a doctor, I'm having another heart attack'."

Ryan was taken to Wythenshawe General Hospital for an emergency thrombectomy to remove the blood clot. He later found out he had an underlying health condition called a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), also known as 'a hole in the heart', which doctors believe may have allowed a blood clot to pass through, triggering the attack.

According to the NHS website, as many as 20% of the population could have a PFO, although they are usually harmless. Though Ryan is 'grieving' for the person he once was, he says being 'close to death' has changed his outlook on life to do more 'slow living'.

Ryan said: "It has made me more aware of who I am as a person and made me connect with friends and family a lot more. I do more slow living now, going out for walks. You appreciate life a lot more when you've been close to death.

"Anything that I do, I'll have to report my underlying health condition. In a sense it's like you're grieving for the person you used to be."

Ryan has received hundreds of responses from young men who have had heart attacks since he launched his TikTok page, @heartbeatvoicespodcast. Now he wants to warn other young men about the dangers of trying to 'be invincible' and point them towards charities like Cardiac Research in the Young (CRY).

CRY offer free cardiac health screenings for people between the ages of 14 and 35. Ryan said: "I'm shocked how many young people in their twenties and thirties have messaged me saying they've had a heart attack. Young men are taught to push through everything - pain, stress at work or home, exhaustion.

"I was like most young men - I thought I was invincible. I shrugged off the symptoms and put it down to tiredness and fatigue, but they're warning signs. The 'grindset' nearly killed me.

"If I knew there was something available like [CRY], I probably would've checked and they would've found this hole in my heart straight away."

Ryan has made major lifestyle changes Since the attack, Including cutting out alcohol and reduced training intensity. He is now sharing his recovery journey through his platform Heartbeat Voices podcast where he hopes men will recognise their symptoms earlier.