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.
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.
"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.