138 lbs — career low weight
Ben Askren's lowest recorded weight during hospitalisation was 138 lbs, compared to a fighting weight of 170 lbs and a walking weight of around 195 lbs in retirement.
Snapshot · Modern Wisdom
Raw Truths From The Brink Of Death - Ben Askren - #1116
Explore episode
Jun 27, 2026
Where this was said
How to Stay Strong Through Illness
At 23:36 · chapter starts 21:35
The physical reality of Ben's recovery is sobering. He lost approximately 60 pounds of mostly muscle during hospitalisation — dropping to 138 lbs from a retirement walking weight of around 195 lbs [1] — Ben Askren "60 lbs of muscle lost: Ben Askren lost approximately 60 pounds — mostly muscle — while unconscious in hospital, dropping from around 195 lb…" 14:39 — rendered there partly by forced immobilisation (he was periodically strapped down to prevent movement that spiked his heart rate and crashed his oxygenation), partly by the muscle-wasting side effects of prednisone, which he will take for the rest of his life as an immunosuppressant. When he woke, he could not stand from a toilet without assistance. He did not walk independently for approximately two months, beginning with four steps to a counter and building from there [2] — Ben Askren "2 months before walking independently: Ben Askren did not begin walking on his own until approximately 2 months after waking from his trans…" 15:20 . His approach was rigidly disciplined: even on bad days, he would do something — an 8-minute walk, some breathing exercises, whatever his body allowed — because sitting on the couch was the one guaranteed route to not getting better. He was also the first lung transplant patient at his hospital to be sent home with a chest tube still in, having insisted on discharge, which subsequently got infected and returned him for a further two weeks.
Athlete's Discipline as a Recovery Tool
Ben Askren credits his athletic career with giving him exactly the mental tools he needed to recover. Even on days he felt terrible post-transplant, he refused to skip his breathing exercises, physical therapy, and workouts — the same discipline he'd built over decades in wrestling and MMA.
60 Pounds of Muscle Gone
Ben Askren's lowest weight during hospitalisation was 138 pounds — down from a retirement walking weight of around 195 pounds. He lost roughly 60 pounds, almost entirely muscle, while paralysed and strapped to a hospital bed for over a month.
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