A GYM owner from Atherton who's organising a strongman competition next month has revealed how the sport changed his life

Kev Nield will take part in the contest himself, which he is running alongside DJ Paul Eden at the Unity Brook Inn in Kearsley, Bolton on September 5.

But five years ago Kev’s life changed forever when he suffered from several cardiac arrests.

In 2015 Kev was teaching kickboxing when he came home one night complaining of extreme tiredness.

The Bolton News:

Kev, 46, said:"I came home one night and felt a bit rough. I went for a lie down upstairs and three days later I was in a coma. Turns out I had started fitting on the bed and my wife had to call 999.

“The ambulance crews came and they had to electrocute my heart to get it going again. I suffered from three cardiac arrests.

“I kept dying then coming back to life each time they restarted my heart.

“I ended up suffering from brain hypoxia which is when you don’t get enough oxygen from your brain. At one point they didn’t think I would make it.

“For a whole year I felt terrible, I didn’t want to go out, I lost all my confidence.

“Then one day I just woke up one morning and I was feeling better and I wanted to go back to the gym.

“I decided to take up strongman, I always wanted to be a big guy and get into shape.

“It’s definitely a lifestyle and I enjoyed it so much I began teaching it.

“I definitely recovered quicker thanks to strong man. Six months later it felt like it had never happened. ”

The Bolton News:

Kev now teaches others strongman at his gym KN Strongman and Kickboxing in Swinton and its proved to be popular.

He said: “It’s something people can learn to do quite quickly and it’s a great way of getting in shape, you see results fast.

“At my gym I teach young kids all the way to people in their 70s. It doesn’t matter how old you are and what shape or size you are.

“Doctors have told me I’ve now got the heart of a 30-year-old, I’ve got it back to where it should be and I’ve boosted my fitness.”

Paul is helping Kev organise the competition in Kearsley. He said: “It will be a family day, I’ll be playing music throughout and the carpark will be cleared for the contestants.

“There’ll be a hog roast too but everyone will be kept separate in line with social distancing.

“We’ll have under 105kg and over 105kg categories, and there will be trophies for the winners. It will be quite a spectacle.”

Tickets will be available to buy on the door at the event.

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