Two young women hospitalised after attempting a 1,000 squat challenge

In the most relatable news we've heard in a while, two women were hospitalised after trying to complete an extreme squat challenge.

The women, a pair of best friends from China, were reportedly competing with one another but managed to end up in hospital after exerting themselves. They went head to head while on a video call as they wanted to see who had better stamina, 19-year-old Tang, one of the women, told Chinese media. She and her friend took it in turns to do squats for three hours, aiming to get to 1,000. Tang wasn't in the habit of exercising regularly, she admitted. Both of the women managed to hit the target, reports the Daily Mail, but three days afterwards they each began to feel unwell.

"I didn't feel right as soon as I woke up. First of all, my legs felt achy and sore. What's more, I couldn't bend them," Tang said.

"Afterwards, I went to the toilet and saw my urine was as dark as tea."

She went to a local hospital in Chongqing with her boyfriend and was transferred to the city's Emergency Medical Centre. Tang was found to be suffering from a syndrome called rhabdomyolysis.

It occurs when muscle fibres break down and release their contents into the bloodstream.

Her level of myoglobin, a protein in the blood, was at 3,833. In a healthy person to should be at between 70 and 80.

She remained in hospital for ten days while she recovered from the potentially fatal condition. Tang's friend who had also completed the challenge went to hospital with the same symptoms and was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis too.