Firefighters spent three hours using power tools to free a man with his penis trapped in a gym weight.

The crew used an angle-grinder and a circular saw to prise the 2.5kg dumbbell disc off the unfortunate weight-lifter at a hospital in Worms, Germany.

They also employed a hydraulic emergency tool more often used to free trapped car crash victims.

The man reportedly had to be sedated as firefighters cut through and smashed the weight.

Worms fire department posted a picture of the shattered disc on social media following the rescue operation on Friday.

"One person had a very sensitive part of the body trapped in the hole of a 2.5 kg dumbbell disc," it said on Facebook, describing the call-out as "somewhat different".

Perhaps wisely, the department offered no details on how the man became trapped. But it cautioned: "Please do not imitate such actions."