Teen gets potentially deadly condition from overexercising

GENESEO, New York -- There is a new warning for anyone looking to restart their workout routine, after a college student learned the hard way that while exercise is important, too much too fast can be dangerous.

David Lippman is a 19-year-old SUNY Geneseo student who got quite a scare last year while working out with a trainer.

"I told them I hadn't worked out in a while, but he didn't take that too much into account," he said. "I just got pushed a little too past my limits."

In the days after, Lippman noticed he was more than just sore.

"My arms just started to balloon up," he said.

Brown urine tipped Lippman off that something was wrong, and he soon learned he was dealing with Rhabdomyolysis.

"It's basically a breakdown of your muscle tissue," a doctor said. "It can cause kidney failure and can be deadly, if it goes untreated.

"It is easily treated once a patient comes to a hospital," the doctor said. "You can be treated with IV fluids."

Rhabdomyolysis can be triggered a few different ways, and a common one is over-exertion.

"The key is to build up your endurance," the doctor said. "Don't go from not exercising to all of a sudden doing a 30 mile bike ride or doing three hours of a spinning course."

People exercise to stay healthy, but as Lippman learned, going from 0 to 60 can cause health problems.

"I definitely never thought it was something that would have me in a hospital bed for almost a week," he said.

He and his mother Rita want everyone to know that too much exercise too fast can lead to health problems

"Make sure if you ever see anything like this, you go to the hospital immediately," Rita said.

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