Bodybuilder with 23-inch biceps risks life by injecting oil into his muscles to look like the Incredible Hulk
Valdir Segato (YouTube)
A bodybuilder has risked his life by injecting oil into his body, despite the health warnings.
Valdir Segato, 48, has been pumping his body full of synthol injections for five years in a bid to gain bulbous muscles, although the unnatural method could kill him.
Despite the health risks Valdir has admitted his new frame, which has seen him gain an extra 25 kilograms in body mass, is a "dream come true."
Speaking to The metro newspaper, he said: "This is a dream come true that I searched for and conquered.
"You look at your body and see that it's growing and you're going to want more."
The construction worker - who lives in Brazil - has revealed his aesthetic has drastically changed from his younger days, which saw him lose weight after battling a drug addiction. He explained: "There was a time in my life that I got involved with wrong things. I decided to change my life."
Beefcake Valdir Segato's huge biceps measure a staggering 23 inches as a result of painful synthol injections.
The 48-year-old's arms have doubled in size from 12in after he began injecting the potentially lethal oil substance five years ago - and now he wants to get even bigger.
Valdir, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, is inspired by the physiques of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Hulk and is proud to be known locally as 'He-Man' and 'the monster' in the street.
Valdir Segato flexes his huge biceps after growing them to 23 inches with oil injections
A bodybuilder inspired by the Incredible Hulk is risking his life by injecting oil into his arms in a bid to make his muscles bigger.
Beefcake Valdir Segato's huge biceps measure a staggering 23 inches as a result of painful synthol injections.
The 48-year-old's arms have doubled in size from 12in after he began injecting the potentially lethal oil substance five years ago - and now he wants to get even bigger.
Valdir, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, is inspired by the physiques of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Hulk and is proud to be known locally as 'He-Man' and 'the monster' in the street.
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Valdir injects potentially lethal synthol into his arms to make his muscles bigBarcroft
Valdir is inspired by the physiques of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the HulkBarcroft
Valdir said: "They call me Hulk, Schwarzenegger and He-Man... and I like that."Barcroft
Valdir joined a gym but wanted more extreme effects than he could achieve from exercise aloneBarcroft
Valdir said: "I've doubled my biceps to 60cm but I still want to be bigger"Valdir, a construction worker, said: "This is a dream come true that I searched for and conquered.
"You look at your body and see that it's growing and you're going to want more.
"They call me Hulk, Schwarzenegger and He-Man all the time and I like that.
"I've doubled my biceps to 60cm but I still want to be bigger."
Despite his humongous proportions today, Valdir hasn't always been muscly.
In his youth, he was addicted to drugs and lost so much weight that people would call him 'skinny dog' and 'little skull.'
Valdir said: "There was a time in my life that I got involved with wrong things.
"I got involved with drugs and I started losing weight because you don't eat, you lead a wrong life.
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Valdir pictured in the days before he started inflating his bodyBarcroft
In his youth, he lost so much weight people would call him 'skinny dog' and 'little skull'Barcroft
Valdir said: "People started giving me nicknames like 'Skinny Dog'... so I decided to change my life""I started to look skinny and people started giving me nicknames like 'Skinny Dog', and 'Little Skull', and so I decided to change my life."
Valdir joined a gym but wanted more extreme effects than he could achieve from exercise alone.
He was first offered synthol by a fellow gym-goer and soon became hooked on the muscle-enhancing substance, injecting it regularly in his biceps, chest and shoulders.
Valdir joined a gym but wanted more extreme effects than he could achieve from exercise alone.
He was first offered synthol by a fellow gym-goer and soon became hooked on the muscle-enhancing substance, injecting it regularly in his biceps, chest and shoulders.
He said: "The oil is mostly aesthetic, it models the body and makes the muscle swollen - it doesn't affect strength."
But Valdir's obsession with bulking up could cause serious problems - including amputation - and he has had close shaves with his health in the past
Valdir said: "There was a time that I injected a larger dosage of anabolic steroids and I ended up in the hospital.
"I mixed a cocktail of anabolic steroids that I was using at the time and I used it to excess.
"I was admitted for several days.
"It was a difficult time
"The doctors tell me to stop it, the advice they give me is to stop using.
"But it's my decision to use it because I want to, because I like to."
Valdir's inflated muscles have also made it difficult for him to find love, as potential partners are too intimidated by his brawn to approach him, he says.
He said: "At the moment, I am alone, I don't have anyone.
"He thinks it's good and I'm a friend so I stay quiet, but deep down I want to tell him to stop but he doesn't want to. He's happy like that.
"It's the risk he takes - he wants to look good and wants to be famous."
Now Valdir is aiming to pump up his biceps by a further 10cm and hopes his muscles will lead to stardom.
He said: "My dream is that with my musculature I try can achieve something - make a career from my body.
"I don't have any regrets. I look at myself in the mirror and I like the way I look."