A Russian fitness trainer has died in his sleep after undertaking a dangerous experiment that involved binge-eating fast food to demonstrate the effectiveness of his personal weight-loss programme.
The Fatal Challenge
Dmitry Nuyanzin, a 30-year-old coach and social media influencer from Orenburg, spent several weeks consuming massive amounts of junk food. He documented this 'marathon' challenge online, hoping to inspire his clients by first gaining a significant amount of weight before showing them how quickly he could lose it.
His daily diet was staggering, reportedly containing up to 10,000 kilocalories. He shared his meals with thousands of followers on a Russian social media platform, which typically included pastries and cake for breakfast, 800 grams of dumplings covered in mayonnaise for lunch, and a burger with two small pizzas for dinner, supplemented by crisps throughout the day.
A Tragic Outcome
Nuyanzin's goal was to gain at least 25kg before his planned transformation. By 18 November, he had already reached 105kg, having gained over 13kg in just one month. As part of his challenge, he promised participants who weighed over 100kg a cash prize of 10,000 rubles (approximately £100) if they could lose 10% of their body weight by the New Year.
Tragically, the trainer never got to complete his demonstration. According to the Ostorozhno Novosti channel, his heart failed as he slept. The day before his death, he had cancelled training sessions, telling friends he felt unwell and intended to see a doctor. Three days later, he was laid to rest in his hometown of Orenburg.
Legacy and Previous Incidents
Nuyanzin was a qualified professional, having graduated from the Orenburg Olympic Reserve School and the National Fitness University in St Petersburg. He had spent a decade working as a personal coach for elite clients.
Friends and followers described him as a 'bright', 'positive', and 'amazing person', with tributes flooding Russian social media. His death echoes that of another fitness figure, Belarusian bodybuilder Ilya 'Golem' Yefimchuk, 36, who also died of cardiac arrest in September after consuming 16,500 kilocalories a day.
The married trainer, who had no children, had previously served an eight-month sentence in a Russian penal colony for drug possession in 2022 before rebuilding his coaching career. His sudden death serves as a stark warning about the severe risks of extreme dietary practices.
