Dallas McCarver: who was the bodybuilder who inspired Ganley's project

Dead last Saturday (23), bodybuilder and influencer Gabriel Ganley, just 22 years old, had nicknamed his preparation to compete "Project Dallas", in reference to fellow bodybuilder Dallas McCarver, an American who died in 2016, after a heart attack while eating.

Currently, Ganley was preparing to compete in the Musclecontest Brasil, which will take place in July this year, in Curitiba (PR).

In November last year, Ganley had published a video on his YouTube channel with the title "Cruz will help me with the Dallas project", mentioning his coach Marcelo Cruz, who accompanied him during the preparations.

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Gabriel Ganley, bodybuilding athlete and influencer, passed away this Saturday (23) - Reproduction/@ganleygabriel

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Gabriel Ganley, bodybuilding athlete and influencer - Reproduction/Instagram/@ganleygabriel

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Gabriel Ganley and Ramon Dino, bodybuilding athletes - Reproduction/Instagram/@ganleygabriel

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Léo Stronda (left) and Gabriel Ganley (right) - Reproduction/Instagram/@ganleygabriel

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Gabriel Ganley, bodybuilding athlete and influencer, who passed away this Saturday (23) - Reproduction/Instagram/@ganleygabriel

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Gabriel Ganley, bodybuilding athlete and influencer who was found dead this Saturday (23) - Reproduction/Instagram/@ganleygabriel

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McCarver's autopsy showed that he had an enlarged heart, weighing around 800 grams, compared to a normal heart weighing an average of 300 grams.

He was married to Dana Brooke, a professional wrestler, and was 26 years old when he passed away.

In competition, the American won the overall titles and Super Heavyweight categories at the North American Championships in 2012, where he earned his professional athlete card at the age of 21.

As a professional, he stood out by winning the California State Pro in 2015 and the Chicago Pro in 2016

The athlete also suffered from atherosclerosis, a condition where there is an accumulation of fatty plaques (cholesterol), calcium and other substances on the walls of the arteries, which makes blood pass with greater difficulty, bringing less oxygen to the body.

In addition, Dallas also had hypertrophied kidneys, which could lead to kidney failure, as well as heavier lungs, weighing around 600 grams each, and hepatomegaly, a term used to describe the abnormal increase in the size of the liver.

In the document, "chronic use of exogenous steroids and hormones" were posited as conditions that contributed to McCarver's death.

On CNN, endocrinologist Juliane Baptista Braziliano warned that the recreational use of hormones by bodybuilding athletes for performance purposes is not safe and can lead to serious consequences such as death.

Also according to the doctor, the damage caused to the organs is irreversible.

"These medications are not safe for these purposes (...) many people are using different medications, without medical recommendation and monitoring, just with the intention of

performance tweet, risking his own health and life", he said.

Ganley's death
The young athlete's early death generated great repercussions on social media and in the bodybuilding world after being confirmed by Integral Médica, a sports supplement company of which he was part.

A phenomenon on social media, the athlete had more than a million and a half followers and gained notoriety among young audiences by sharing his training routine and diet.

Before starting to record videos for the internet, the athlete studied Physical Education at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

To date, the official cause of what led to Ganley's death has not been disclosed.

However, an audio from a friend of Ganley revealed the behind-the-scenes that preceded the young man's death.

In the recording that CNN had access to, Ganley's friend says that the athlete took insulin on Friday night (22), leading to hypoglycemia - a condition in which blood sugar (glucose) levels fall below normal.

Still in the audio, this friend comments that after that the athlete fell asleep and never woke up.

"He administered insulin last night. And he started having hypoglycemia. And then he slept. And you can't, okay? (sic) He slept, he didn't wake up", he said.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control glucose, and exogenous use, in injection form, is only recommended for diabetic patients.

However, the medicine is commonly used by bodybuilding athletes due to its highly anabolic power, facilitating the transport of glucose, amino acids and creatine into muscle cells. Therefore, associated with diet and training, post-workout muscle recovery is maximized, along with the storage of energy (glycogen) in the muscle, promoting faster growth and preventing the loss of muscle mass.

The death is being investigated as suspicious, according to the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat.

In a statement, the SSP stated that the victim was located by a friend, and that "no apparent signs of violence were found at the scene".

An examination was carried out at Ganley's apartment and the case was registered as "sudden death - suspicious death".

In situations like this, the registration of a suspicious death does not necessarily mean evidence of a crime, but rather a classification used when the cause of death is not yet clear, depending on expert examinations to be determined.

Source: CNN