Celebrities, influencers, and gymnasts like Aly Raisman and Olivia Dunne show what fitness can do for your health. Accidents and injuries happen, however. While personal trainers should know the dangers of improper lifting techniques better than anyone, sometimes they don’t. That was the case with 24-year-old Kristina Schmidt. Inspired by her favorite fitness influencers and the viral gym trend of “ego lifting,” Schmidt began incorporating barbell hip thrusts into her routine. At first, she saw rapid gains. Soon, however, her dream routine turned into a nightmare. Not long after hitting a personal best of 309 pounds in 2023, Schmidt felt an agonizing pain in her hip. That was only the beginning.
Injuries and the Viral Gym Trend of Ego Lifting
Healthy exercise can mean stunning photos. A bad gym trend (let alone a viral one) can mean horrific injuries. Schmidt’s mistake (one she’s quick to acknowledge) was “ego lifting” with bad form and too much weight. Overloading her body repeatedly in this way caused a stress fracture in the personal trainer’s hip. In the end, the hip snapped entirely. That led to blood poisoning, a bacterial infection, fever, and massive inflammation in the joint. The complicated situation eventually required surgery to correct.
Schmidt had “wanted to lift big numbers like the influencers” she followed, but her body wasn’t ready. She pushed too hard, too fast, neglecting proper form and her body’s signals. The consequences were severe. The personal trainer described the experience in stark terms, saying,
The space between my hip bone and femur shrank so much that my bones were grinding on each other—a pain so excruciating I can’t even put it into words 🥲🥲🥲
Now, Schmidt is using her experiences to speak out against the viral gym trend of ego lifting. Respecting the limits of one’s body and the time it takes to grow in a healthy way? That matters way more than internet flexing. If influencers are going to have an actual influence, they should take more care with the message they send as well. After all, it may not be their bodies that pay the price.
