- Half sport and half art, bodybuilding sees giant, oiled
up demi-gods and goddesses flexing hard on stages around the world. It's a competition dedicated
to determining which of them looks biggest and best
without an ounce of body fat. Getting to those sizes
takes years of hard work and dedication by the bucket load. But for those who want
all gain and no pain, there are a few under-the-table options that provide quick results
which can also have disastrous consequences. So, let's take a look at some of the weirdest fake bodybuilders ever. Romario Dos Santos Alves How far would you go in a
bid to be the real-life Hulk? If you're Romario Dos Santos Alves, this mad bid for a giant body will almost cost you both of your arms. The now 30-year-old
Brazilian started training to become a bodybuilder
when he was in his teens. But at the age of 22, a couple
of his bodybuilding bros introduced him to synthol. This substance is a toxic mixture of alcohol, oil and painkillers, and when injected
directly into the muscles, gives them an enlarged appearance. Romario claims that the results
quickly became addictive and he started injecting regularly into his biceps, triceps and traps. But as you can imagine, substances like this
don't stay fluid forever. It slowly began to
congeal in Romario's arms, forcing the muscle to
harden and become rock-like as his biceps measured
in at a giant 25 inches. Despite being in constant pain, loosing his job and getting
abuse out on the street, Romario continued injecting. It wasn't until he
visited a doctor who said they may need to amputate
both of his arms, did the severity of
what he'd done hit home. Fortunately, Romario has
since stopped using synthol, but the only thing this wannabe-Hulk will ever get to smash again
are those rocks in his arms. Is it just me, or is he
looking a little green? Brazilian Hulk Brothers Working out is more fun if you find someone to do it with you. Unfortunately, drug use appears to work on the same mechanic. This is Tony Geraldo and Alvaro Pereira, more commonly known throughout
their city of Rio De Janeiro as "The Hulk Brothers". Since the age of 15, they've
been regularly injecting their muscles with a substance
known as Potenay B12, a mephentermine-based multi-vitamin drug usually given to sick horses. When injected into the muscle,
it acts as a stimulant, driving unprecedented levels of growth when combined with exercise. Alongside stimulant use, the
two gents, now 51 and 52, claim to work out together
for four hours a day and eat a up to 6,000 calories. I find that hard to believe considering they don't tend to lift
particularly impressive weights on their social media, and
any muscle they do have has evacuated their chest. Their resulting 28-inch and 25-inch biceps have been a point of concern for doctors who have insisted they stop injecting as their skin cannot
stretch to accommodate any more muscle growth. Did they say "Hulk Brothers"? To me, it just looks like the Michelin Man and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man got together for a workout session. Brad Castleberry Fitness influencers will
do just about anything to get a handful more subscribers, including faking their content. Brad Castleberry is an ex-footballer, bodybuilder and powerlifter who has over 780,000
followers on Instagram from mainly posting photos
of his gargantuan form and video clips of his
impossible looking workouts. But internet sleuths are
claiming that Brad is faking the amount of weights
he's using in his videos in a bid to get more
social media followers. The main criticism comes
when comparing old videos to recent posts which show no improvement, despite a clear increase in muscle mass. Like this 2018 video of him
dead lifting 630 pounds, which is impressive until you
see his first video in 2007 showing him dead-lifting 675 pounds. Nine years and he's gotten
bigger, but somehow worse? That seems strange. Or this video of him squatting
a supposed 765 pounds. Aside from the fact that his spotter may be doing a lot of the lifting, that would put this record up there as a Power Lifting World
Record for his weight class under drug testing rules. And yet, Castleberry can't be
found in any of the listings. Not only that, the bar doesn't seem to be bending as much as it should. Look at 8 Time Mr. Olympia
winner Ronnie Coleman squatting just 35 pounds more, and you can see the bar
is bouncing like a slinky. There's no doubt he's
an incredible athlete, but in my books, you
can't spell "incredible" without "credible". Gracyanne Barbosa On the topic of "fake weights", it's obviously not just guys
trying to show off at the gym. This is Gracyanne Barbosa, a
bodybuilder and Instagram model who, like Castleberry, has come under fire for the supposed use of fake
weights in her viral videos. A video posted to her Instagram in 2017 shows Gracyanne squatting
ten 45 pound plates. Without wearing any kind
of professional equipment, or even breaking a sweat, she effortlessly squats
10 reps of 450 pounds. That's unbelievable. Especially when you compare her to the female Powerlifting
Champion of the time, Wei Ling, squatting a similar
amount and clearly showing that the struggle of just
one of these reps is real. Looking back at Gracyanne's video, you'd certainly expect the bar to be bending under all that
weight, even just a little. But here it couldn't be straighter
than a redneck at NASCAR. But that's not the only fake thing about this Instagram model. Photos from 2013 have
emerged of Gracyanne's unique-looking behind. I suppose that's one way
to inflate your assets. Arlindo De Souza Some people get into body building to achieve their ideal body shape, but for Arlindo de Souza, that
ideal shape was a croissant. Also known as 'The Mountain'
in his home country of Brazil, Arlindo is famous not only
for his super-human name, but also for openly
admitting to synthol abuse. He didn't really need to admit it though, I think we can all tell from those calves. Ever heard of leg day? Clearly not. According to Arlindo,
he started bodybuilding and injecting around the age of 21, which, over the years
has developed his biceps into 29-inch mounds. But now, almost 50, Arlindo
is suffering from the consequences of repeatedly
pumping his muscles with oil. Because of the threat to his health has been repeatedly self-inflicted, doctors have reportedly
refused to operate on him unless it's a medical emergency. Which is a wake-up call,
seeing as his friend Paulinho died from complications
resulting from synthol abuse. He has reportedly
stopped using since then, but the damage is already done. And with that, croissants
have been ruined forever. Egyptian Popeye Substance abuse for aesthetic
gain is a fine line, as just a little too much can tip you over into looking obviously fake. But even when the jig is up, some people just refuse
to admit the truth. Like Moustafa Ismali, once
known around the world as "Egyptian Popeye". Moustafa stood out for one
main bulging feature: his arms. Unlike the rest of his average body, the biceps and triceps on this man looked like they could barely be contained and measured in at a staggering
31 inches in circumference. In 2012, the Guinness
Book of World Records entered him in as having
the largest upper arms in the world. But clear drug use like
this shouldn't be glorified, should it? Well, according to Moustafa back in 2012, this is an all-natural gun show. Either he thought the rest
of the world was blind, or he was delusional enough to believe that the rest of his body
matched up in proportion to those bizarre camel-hump arms. Since having the title rescinded amidst this obvious drug use controversy, Moustafa disappeared from
the public eye in 2016. But don't worry, he's
probably off saving Olive Oyl. Nataliya Kuznetzova It takes a lot of work and
commitment to get swole, but if you're a lady reaching for those muscle-bound heights, it's even harder thanks to natural elements like
hormones and body structure. But if you remove those
barriers using drugs, anything is possible. Just ask Nataliya Kuznetzova. At just 28, this Russian
bodybuilder measures in at five foot seven and
weighs in at 225 pounds. For context, that's the
same competing weight as Arnold Schwarzenegger. She claims to hold world
titles for ladies arm-lifting, as well as records for the
bench press and deadlift, although the details here are vague as she's been incredibly
open with journalists about her use of anabolic
steroids and estrogen blockers. Estrogen is a universally present hormone associated with more feminine
physical development, but it's presence can
also affect muscle growth. Blocking the hormone all
together and taking steroids is more likely to give you a
stronger, male-coded physique. Not forgetting a more baritone voice. (male voice-over speaking Spanish) Whilst Nataliya's development
is incredibly impressive, it's definitely not
natural and is hardly fair to other female competitors
in her categories playing by the rules. It should be mentioned
that she's also a fan of plastic surgery,
which fuels the question of what implants she has had for her more muscular, aesthetic gain. Remember ladies, in
Russia, body builds you. Gregg Valentino Not injecting yourself
with potentially dangerous, unknown substances seems
like an obvious decision, but if you ever needed warning against it, then Gregg Valentino is your man. The once-bodybuilder became famous for injecting steroids like
Testosterone Propionate and Equiposie directly into his arms, transforming his 21-inch biceps
into 28-inch rocks of flesh. He also injected many
other parts of his body with the substances and became
something of a poster boy for steroid-use-gone-wrong. But being incredibly
irresponsible with the needles saw Gregg give himself a bicep infection. After developing a hematoma
in one of his arms, Gregg attempted to self-operate. When the pain became too much, Gregg was admitted to
hospital where his arm burst. Although doctors were able
to save most of the muscle, the obvious dent in his arm
served as a severe reminder for this man of steel and steroids never to dabble in drugs again. Valdir Segato We've established that nothing good comes from injecting yours muscles with synthol, but some people still believe
that bigger is always better. Valdir Segato is one of these people. Discovering synthol 4 years
ago, this Sao Paolo citizen went out of his way to gain
a balloon animal physique. He's injected synthol into his
upper arms, back, and chest in an effort to make himself
look like the ultimate gym bro. But unlike many others, he's incredibly proud of his synthol use, even changing his Instagram
handle to "Valdir_Synthol_". In his youth, Valdir revealed he was once a stick-thin teen and drug addict, leading to the nickname "skinny dog". But now in his mid 50's, his
addiction to injecting synthol means his doctors are worried
about potential nerve damage, disfigurement, stroke and heart attacks. Unfortunately, finding internet fame in his unique appearance
has only spurred Valdir on, with multiple media interviews
and 30,000 followers on his Instagram account. He's blowing up, literally. Kiril Tereshin MMA fighters follow some
of the most intense, gruelling fitness regimes
on the face of the planet, and most of them have
the body to prove it. Although Kirill Tereshin
attempted to fast track this training with
disastrously freaky results. This now 24-year-old also
known as "Russian Popeye" has injected more than
three liters of synthol into each of his arms. The size of his weirdly
known "bazooka arms" increased by over ten
inches in just ten days, and at their peak, these mutated muscles reached a huge 24 inches. Finding internet fame in
his bizarre appearance, Kirill began training for
his very first MMA fight against Oleg Mongol. But having arms heavy with
oil didn't weigh in his favor and he lost in under a minute. In a bid to show how hard he
was, he also tried his hand at the International Slapping
Championship in 2019, where he failed spectacularly and almost had all the
oil knocked out of him like a soaked sponge. But by the end of 2019, the
pain growing in Kirill's arms was unbearable and he
elected to have surgery to remove the damage he'd injected. 6 litres of the petroleum
jelly-like substance needs to be removed from his arms, which will take a further
four surgeries to complete. That was a weird flex, buddy. Which of these did you
think was the weirdest? What do you think about
the extreme lengths these bodybuilders went to? Let me know in the comments
below, and thanks for watching.
