theguardianuk--2019-11-21--Olympics blow for Russia after officials charged with doping obstruction

Russia’s efforts to lift its suspension from international track and field before next year’s Olympics suffered a damaging blow on Thursday when its top athletics officials were charged with trying to obstruct a doping investigation into a high jumper.  The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) confirmed it had charged and suspended the Russian Athletics Federation president, Dmitry Shlyakhtin, and the executive director, Alexander Parkin, for “serious breaches of anti-doping rules” – including forging documents in an attempt to explain “whereabouts” violations committed by the 2018 world indoor gold medallist Danil Lysenko.  The now 22-year-old was one of the Russians initially cleared to compete internationally by World Athletics but was then provisionally suspended in August 2018 for missing doping tests. A subsequent 15-month AIU investigation then found that Russian officials had given false explanations and forged documents in order to explain Lysenko’s missed tests.  The cover-up included fabricating documents to show Lysenko was too ill to provide his whereabouts. Those documents came from fake doctors operating from a bogus clinic based in Moscow, according to reports.  Five others associated with Russian Athletics, including Lysenko and his coach, have also been charged with “tampering and/or complicity under the anti-doping rules” and provisionally suspended. Russian Athletics, which has been suspended from the membership of World Athletics since November 2015, has also been issued with a notice of charge for failing to comply with its obligations as a member federation.  The news means the chances of Russian track and field stars being able to compete under their country’s flag at Tokyo 2020 look increasingly bleak.  The AIU said its investigation was based on 22 witness interviews and an extensive digital forensic analysis of more than six terabytes of electronic data. It also confirmed it had acquired 14 electronic storage devices – including mobile phones and computer hard drives – and had approximately 7,000 documents translated from Russian to English. Those charged will have until 12 December to respond. The president of the IAAF, Sebastian Coe, is likely to address the issue after its executive board has met in Monaco on Friday.  This latest charge will put wider pressure on Russia, which also faces the prospect of missing out on the Olympics and Euro 2020 football if the World Anti-Doping Agency finds doping samples were tampered with at the Moscow laboratory. Wada’s executive committee will meet on 9 December to assess the latest findings of its independent compliance review committee.


theguardianuk--2019-11-26--IOC calls for ‘toughest sanctions’ over deleted Russian doping tests

The International Olympic Committee has demanded the “toughest sanctions” against those responsible for deleting Russian doping tests in data handed over to the World Anti-Doping Agency – calling it “an attack on the credibility of sport and an insult to the sporting movement worldwide”. However, the IOC left the door open for Russian athletes to compete at next year’s Tokyo Olympics – provided they can show that they are clean.  That provoked a hostile reaction from the US Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart, who urged Wada to ban all Russian athletes from the 2020 Games after its compliance review committee found that the Moscow lab files, which were handed over to it by the Russians in January, had been manipulated.  “Russia continues to flaunt the world’s anti-doping rules, kick clean athletes in the gut and poke Wada in the eye and get away with it time and time again,” said Tygart. “Wada must stand up to this fraudulent and bullying behaviour as the rules and Olympic values demand.”  Russia was banned from last year’s Pyeongchang Winter Games as punishment for state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics but 168 Russian athletes with no history of doping were cleared to compete as neutrals – a situation Wada’s compliance committee said may be repeated at Tokyo.  Tygart warned: “The response is inadequate, especially given the deceit perpetuated by the Russian sport system which is controlled by the government. Wada must get tougher and impose the full restriction on Russian athlete participation in the Olympics that the rules allow.”  The IOC maintains that “natural justice” requires them to punish any perpetrators but allow clean Russian athletes to compete. It also says there was no evidence that Russian Olympic Committee members were implicated in the “flagrant” manipulation of the Moscow lab data.  But the IOC was accused of being soft on Russia by lawyers for the whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, who used to run the Moscow anti-doping laboratory before fleeing the country. “The Russian gangster state continues to deploy a predictable and deplorable policy of deception, evidence tampering and lying to cover up its crimes,” they said.  “The Kremlin must think the people of the world are idiots to believe this shameless and transparent stunt. Wada should be applauded for revealing Russia’s latest crime, but if the IOC and the international sports regulatory framework gives Russia yet another free pass, other countries will simply follow in their footsteps.”


theguardianuk--2019-12-09--Wada acts on Russian doping but has it gone far enough?

It makes for an alluring headline: Russia finally banned from international sport for four years by the World Anti-Doping Agency, including the 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Cup, after an institutionalised conspiracy so breathtaking it would surely make even John le Carré’s jaw drop.  Yet in the small print of Wada’s decision in Lausanne there are caveats and compromises, along with brightly lit pathways for Russian athletes to continue competing on the global stage.  What is printed in big clear letters today might look altogether more squished and blurred in the months ahead. This is a delicate truth. It might yet change.  After all, Russia will still be able to host Euro 2020 matches, and play in the competition, because Wada’s ruling applies only to global events, not continental ones. And while there will be no raising of the Russian tricolour, or full-blooded cries of “Rossiya – svyashchennaya nasha derzhava!” at the Tokyo Olympics next year, hundreds of Russian athletes are likely to be given the all-clear to participate if they can prove they are not linked to their country’s doping programme.  Informed sources in the Olympic movement and Wada have already suggested that a similar solution to the one imposed for the Pyeongchang Winter Games in 2018 is on the cards, with Wada – and then the court of arbitration for sport – being the ultimate arbiters over who can compete in Tokyo. Remember that Russia was officially banned from Pyeongchang. And yet what happened next? 168 athletes clad in Russian red marched into the Olympic Stadium, acknowledged the crowd’s applause at the opening ceremony and heard the announcer cry: “Ladies and gentlemen, the Olympic Athletes from Russia!” And if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it usually is a duck.  Meanwhile, Fifa says it will “clarify the extent of the decision” with Wada before saying anything about Russia’s potential participation at the 2022 World Cup. But given the supreme reluctance of football’s governing body to criticise Russia before it hosted the 2018 tournament – even after the Canadian law professor Richard McLaren found overwhelming evidence that more than 1,000 athletes in 30 sports had been involved in a state-sponsored doping programme – don’t hold your breath.  Tellingly Russia’s sports minister, Pavel Kolobkov, has already indicated that his country will appeal against the decision of Wada’s executive committee, saying he believes their “prospects are quite good”.  Who knows what Cas will decide? But we can say this for certain: its legal judgments often wrong-foot perceived wisdom.  Before the 2018 Winter Games it overturned the lifetime Olympic bans of 28 Russian athletes – prompting widespread angst and outrage – with even usually stoic figures in anti-doping worried about the consequences for elite sport.  No retreat, no surrender: that has been the Russian way from the start. Pretty much everyone now accepts the country was engaged in extraordinary levels of deception and manipulation when it comes to doping – except, of course, the Russians themselves.  It started in 2011 and led to hundreds of Russian athletes being given a cocktail of banned substances including methenolone, trenbolone and oxandrolone – which were mixed with alcohol (Chivas whisky for male athletes and Martini vermouth for women) to improve the absorption of the steroids and shorten the detection window, and then spat out. Grigor Rodchenkov, the former head of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory who later turned whistleblower, even had a name for his concoction: “The Duchess”, after the popular Russian cocktail.  It was Rodchenkov who also revealed how Russia corrupted the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi – after the FSB, its security service, developed a method to open anti-doping bottles surreptitiously. After each day’s competition tainted samples from Russian athletes were passed through a mouse hole into an adjacent room where they were opened and switched for clean urine in the dead of night.  It allowed the Russians to continue to use steroids during the Games, handing them an even bigger advantage. And they would have got away with it, too, but for Rodchenkov, who fled the country in 2015 with hard drives containing thousands of pieces of evidence.  The latest twist in this sprawling drama came in January when Wada’s executive committee was finally able to extract a database from the Moscow anti-doping laboratory to help it prosecute individual Russian athletes. But that database was recently found to have been manipulated to conceal failed drug tests – leading to the four-year ban.  Unsurprisingly Rodchenkov, who is now in a witness protection programme in the United States, feels vindicated. But he also wants Wada to go further.  “As usual Russia has disregarded all of its promises and obligations to clean sport,” he said on Monday. “The Moscow database from my laboratory was manipulated. Tons of files and results were deleted. After all of this, who can say whether there are any clean athletes in Russia if the crucial data is lost? The results of the London and Sochi Olympics should be reanalysed and reconsidered with the new knowledge available today. We need to take the strongest action to bring justice back to sport.”  Unsurprisingly Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency and a vocal critic of Russia, agrees, saying Wada had not gone nearly far enough.  “To allow Russia to escape a complete ban is yet another devastating blow,” he warned. “There is no disputing that Russia has committed the most intentional, deep and broad level of corruption on the entire sports world that has put money over morals, abuse over health and corruption over the Olympic values and all athlete’s dreams.”  Yet the approach of the International Olympic Committee and Wada is to try to punish Russia the country, while preserving natural justice for athletes who have not failed any test or been implicated in any wrongdoing. As one influential onlooker put it: “There is quite rightly a big desire to see punishment. But it seems that it is not so easy to punish the guilty.”  Meanwhile, of the few Russian athletes to speak out against doping the world high jump champion, Mariya Lasitskene, recently lamented the situation in her country, saying: “Clean athletes are still defenceless and not sure they’ll be able to compete tomorrow.”  And despite the apparently emphatic nature of Monday’s verdict, the fate of Russia – and by extension Lasitskene and the country’s other athletes – remains in an uneasy limbo.


theindependent--2019-01-07--Wada claims breakthrough in doping crisis as Russia allows lab access

World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) experts will return to the Moscow laboratory at the centre of the Russian doping scandal on Wednesday to extract testing data that could lead to the prosecution of hundreds of drugs cheats.  Access to the lab's secrets was a condition of the deal the Russians struck with Wada in September to lift the Russian Anti-Doping Agency's (Rusada) near three-year ban.  But that agreement was plunged into doubt when a five-strong team was prevented from carrying out its mission by the 31 December deadline because its technical equipment had not been certified by the local authorities.  This led to howls of protest from national anti-doping agencies and athletes' groups, many of whom were already angry about the decision to reinstate Rusada.  But Russian sports minister Pavel Kolobkov and Wada bosses, most notably president Sir Craig Reedie, have been in regular contact ever since the first group of experts left Moscow empty-handed on 21 December and a three-man team is now scheduled to arrive on 9 January.  In a statement, the Montreal-based agency said the certification issue has now been "resolved" and explained why it is so important to gain unfettered access to the lab, which has been sealed as a crime scene ever since the scandal erupted in late 2015.  "Access to, and subsequent authentication and analysis of, the data remains crucial in order to build strong cases against cheats and exonerate other athletes suspected of having participated in widespread doping on the basis of previous Wada-backed investigations led by Richard W. Pound and Professor Richard H. McLaren," said Wada, referring to the two main inquiries that uncovered Russia's state-sponsored doping programme.  Noting that the first deadline was missed, Wada said its independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC) is scheduled to meet on 14-15 January to consider if Rusada should be declared non-compliant again - a move that would have major repercussions.  The CRC's recommendation will then be debated by Wada's executive committee, via teleconference, as soon as possible, with the agency now able to issue more wide-ranging sanctions than it could in 2015, thanks to the increased powers it has under beefed-up compliance rules.  CRC chair Jonathan Taylor QC, the man who drafted the new International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS), explained Wada's stakeholders "were very keen" that declaring a signatory non-compliant should be a last resort and the signatory in question should be "given every opportunity to comply".  "As a result, the CRC regularly receives late information from signatories ahead of its meetings, which may or may not demonstrate compliance with the outstanding requirements," said Taylor.  "It will treat this case no differently, reviewing in detail all information submitted by: Rusada and the Russian authorities; the Wada audit team that visited Rusada mid-December; the Wada extraction expert teams; and Wada's internal compliance taskforce. It will then make its recommendation to the Wada ExCo, entirely independently and without any outside influence, as we have always done."  Taylor has already defended this process in letters to several athletes who have strongly criticised Wada's approach to Russia, saying he is following "due process" so the Russians cannot claim they have been singled out or unfairly treated.  That, however, has not satisfied those who are still angry that deadlines do not appear to matter for one of international sport's so-called superpowers.  In his statement, Reedie has tried to reassure those concerned that the prime suspect is the one deciding the course of justice, by saying Rusada could still be declared non-compliant again, regardless of whether the experts are able to carry out their work.  "This week's mission to Moscow is not only about us following due process and precedent. If the mission is successful in acquiring the data, it will break a long impasse and will potentially lead to many cases being actioned," he said.  "Regardless, in the short-term, the ExCo will be considering whether Rusada should maintain Code-compliance status alongside anti-doping organizations of other major sporting nations that enjoy the same."  If Wada suspends Rusada again, Russia would not be able to host any international sporting events and would almost certainly have to send a neutral team to the World Athletics Championships in Qatar this autumn.  Follow the Independent Sport on Instagram here, for all of the best images, videos and stories from around the sporting world.


theindependent--2019-03-01--Max Hauke Austrian skier caught doping mid-police raid at Nordic World Cup Ski Championships

Max Hauke: Austrian skier caught doping mid-police raid at Nordic World Cup Ski Championships

An incredible video has surfaced exposing Nordic skier Max Hauke midway through a blood transfusion as part of a series of anti-doping raids.  Austrian police busted the cross-country skier at the Nordic skiing world championships with Hauke appearing dejected whilst being filmed sitting down administering the blood transfusion as part of the act of blood doping.  Hauke is a cadet in the Austrian police and is one of five skiers arrested in the Austrian resort of Seefeld.  The video, released by Austrian publication Vorarlberg Online, shows Hauke being asked if anybody else is at home, to which he shakes his head before looking away.  Fellow cross-country Dominik Baldauf has also been arrested, as have three others from Kazakhstan and Estonia.  “Athletes have been caught using unauthorised methods or substances. Unfortunately, it shocks me, two of our athletes are among them," the federation’s sporting director for cross-country skiing and biathlon, Markus Gandler, told the APA news agency.  "They have been taken into custody, Baldauf and Hauke."  The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed the raids were successfully implemented as part of a large scale operation to tackle doping and use of performance-enhancing drugs in the sport.  A WADA statement read: “The raids were part of a wider police operation targeting criminals from a number of European countries, and Wada’s intelligence and investigations department has been providing information and other assistance to the authorities in the course of their operation."  "It's not nice," Young told NRK. "It is difficult. There is no room for it in sports and I did not realise that he was doing it.  "It is difficult to describe what you feel after seeing a friend cheating. I don't hate him, but at the same time I don't want him back in the cross-country circuit. You can't come back after you've done that."  Keep up to date with all the latest news with expert comment and analysis from our award-winning writers


theguardianuk--2019-05-28--Where machismo meets tiny gold pants the bodybuilding art of Alix Marie

Where machismo meets tiny gold pants: the bodybuilding art of Alix Marie

As you enter Roman Road Gallery in London’s East End, the noise from a pair of speakers in the foyer is almost overwhelming: grunts, exhalations and the thud of heavy metal weights landing on the floor. Recorded in a bodybuilder’s gym, this is an introductory soundscape for Alix Marie’s show, Shredded.  “I want the viewer to enter an environment that is immediately uncomfortable, almost scary,” says the Paris-born artist, whose work merges photography and sculpture and tends towards the grotesque. “I have amplified what the novelist Kathy Acker, herself a bodybuilder, called ‘the language of the body’ as it undergoes this extreme transformation and essentially breaks down.”  In the main gallery, the noise is different but no less relentless. Fans pump air into three inflatable polyester torsos – all bulging biceps, veiny skin and straining muscle – that stand erect and quivering on a raised shelf. As a metaphor for extreme bodybuilding, the pumped-up photo-sculptures are both disturbing and surreal. Likewise the images in the light boxes below, more close-ups of bulging bodies that seem to be sweating under bright spotlights. On closer inspection, they are mounted on shallow vitrines half-filled with liquid. On the opposite wall, cut-out silhouettes of pumped-up bodies are arranged in a row – arms, chests and necks, thighs as big as tree trunks. The combined effect of the noise and image overload in such a confined space is claustrophobic, ultra-masculine, almost intimidating. But also oddly camp.  “Good,” says Alix Marie, laughing. “Bodybuilding is a performance of extreme virility but, in competition, it also comprises huge men almost naked except for tight gold pants. For me, the contrast of the machismo and the campness is fascinating. When they perform they become moving sculptures, as much Auguste Rodin as Arnie Schwarzenegger.”  It was the young Arnie who, in the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron, famously likened the ritual of professional bodybuilding to having sex with a woman: “I am coming day and night. It’s terrific, right … I’m in heaven.” For Alix Marie the fascination was more about the ways in which masculinity is exhibited and performed in extremis in an enclosed, all male world. The bodies that feature in her exhibition belong to three men she photographed in gyms in Bethnal Green, Ealing and Tottenham. “I used to live opposite the one in Tottenham,” she says, “After some persuasion, they let me in to their boxing room for a total of five minutes to shoot the model. I guess they didn’t want to freak out the clientele with a female presence.”  Shredded – the term describes someone with extremely low body fat and very well defined muscles – continues Marie’s interest in “body, gender and sculpture.” In the past, she has cast her own body parts in grey concrete and printed the images on glass, fabric, paper-mache and PVC. For one show, she draped images of nude torsos on metal scaffolding and, for another, plastic pipes of fluids snaked along the gallery floor, erupting out of sculptures that looked like mutant sexual organs straight out of a David Cronenberg movie. She cites the aberrant film-maker as a prime influence alongside the surrealists. Her most powerfully unsettling work seems to come from a similar source – the realm of the unconscious and irrational, but it is tempered with a consistent formal discipline and a desire to somehow meld two creative practices that do not tend to sit together easily.  “It is challenging to work with photography as sculpture, but it is what has always fascinated me,” she says, “I never wanted to chose between the eye and the hand. In a way, I want to go inside the photograph, which is, of course, impossible. Also, I need physical contact in the making of the work, but as a big part of the viewer’s experience of it.”  A small survey of Marie’s work was on show earlier this month at Photo London. It included a ceramic sculpture in which an image of a human eye was continuously drenched in absinthe from a perspex fountain. (The tableau refers to a French wedding night tradition in which the groom places an icon of an eye in a bidet used by the bride.) Visitors could kneel and drink from the absinthe fountain if they so wished. In the context of her recent work, it was a user-friendly piece. Across town, in a group show called Apparatus, at Peckham 24, things were more brutally physical with outsize inflated polystyrene sculptures of muscular arms rotating on a contraption that called to mind a kebab skewer. “I like the idea of the viewer being simultaneously fascinated and repulsed,” she says. “The environments I create are often uncomfortable. They demand a reaction.”  Alix Marie is part of a generation of young mostly female photographers, including Juno Calypso and Maisie Cousins, whose work explores notions of femininity, eroticism, gender and body image. In contrast to the uninhibited physicality of Cousins’s more sensual close-ups of brightly-lit, glistening bodies, lips and tongues, Marie’s work is often defined by her interest in the grotesque. Fluids, flesh-coloured tubing and rubber sculptures that resemble mutant sex aids have all featured in her work. She cites the transgressive writings of Georges Bataille as another abiding influence alongside the still-shocking fetishistic doll sculptures of Hans Bellmer. “As a feminist,” she muses, “I have to ask myself why is he one of my favourite artists?”  French film, too, is a touchstone. At Photo London, an image printed on fabric of male hands buried in female hair rippled just above ground level in the artificial breeze created by a hidden fan. It could have been taken from a French nouvelle vague movie.  “I was raised watching a film a day,” she says of her childhood in Paris. Born in 1993, her mother was a screenwriter and her father a film theorist, historian and lecturer. “They really don’t get what I do, but they are hugely supportive,” she says.  Alix Marie has lived in London for 11 years, studying fine art at Central Saint Martins before completing an MA in photography at the Royal College of Art. She says: “One of the things that most interests me is the clinical aspect of analogue photography that somehow links it to medicine – the technicians, the laboratory, the baths, the gloves, the scalpel. For me, it is essentially a laboratory process and I approach it as such, as a place of experimentation and exploration.”  What has she learned from her immersion in the world of extreme bodybuilding? “I don’t think I have ever been in a more self-conscious environment,” she says. “It’s about looking strong, about poise and pose. Being ripped, as they call it, is increasingly popular, but the bodybuilders still feel they are treated like freaks. It is a very enclosed world.” She pauses for a moment, “I would describe it as being very formal, very repetitive, an activity that lies between science and art.” She breaks into laughter. “Then again, I could just as easily be talking about photography.”  • Shredded is at Roman Road Gallery, London until 2 June.


thesun--2019-02-27--Mystery as bodybuilding legend Jeff Everson is found dead after complaining of leg and foot pain

Mystery as bodybuilding legend Jeff Everson is found dead after ‘complaining of leg and foot pain’

BODYBUILDING legend Jeff Everson has died at the age of 68 after reportedly complaining of pain in his legs and feet.  The competitive weightlifter, who founded Planet Muscle magazine, was found dead on Monday at his LA home by his roommate and former fiancee, according to TMZ.  Authorities reportedly believe that he may have died days earlier of natural causes as there were no signs of foul play and it did not appear that he had taken his own life.  TMZ reported that family members told them that Jeff had recently complained of pain in his legs and feet.  But he dismissed the discomfort and suspected the pain was a result of the years of powerlifting.  Jeff had been open about his steroid use in the past - but he is not understood to have used in a number of years.  He was a former Mr USA and Masters Mr America titleholder and trained with Hulk Hogan during his career.  Jeff was married to six-time Ms Olympia winner Corinna Everson-Donia, who is one of the greatest female bodybuilders of all time.  They appeared in numerous muscle magazines together.  Although the couple divorced in 1996, they remained close.


sputnik--2019-08-25--I Feel Ageless Fit Grandmother Reveals Why Boys Do Love Girls With Muscles

'I Feel Ageless': Fit Grandmother Reveals Why Boys Do Love Girls With Muscles

The sexy grandma from Melbourne, Australia, revealed that her perfect body is a result of her desire to look and feel younger.  "I had always had a keen interest in fitness and health and I was determined to find a way to nourish my body to look and feel younger," she told The Sun.  Lesley's way of becoming a fitness influencer is quite unusual and even unique as she became a personal trainer at the age of 48 and only then did she fall in love with the wellness world. One year later, when she was 49 - Maxwell won her first fitness figure competition. However, she claims that her interest in healthy living and strength training has been lifelong.  "I used to love being strong and winning bets with boys that I could lift more than them," she said. "My mom used to tell me 'Boys don't like girls with muscles' - but I know they did!"  As of today, Lesley has over 30 bodybuilding titles. The fit grandma claims that she has never felt more "ageless". It's not a surprise that Lesley is popular among younger man, who are attracted not only to her stunning body but also to her confident personality.  "I'm always approached by younger men, I feel ageless so it works," she said. "All of my partners have been younger than me, including my ex-husband, whom I had a 13-year age gap with." "I'm much happier and confident in myself now than when I was younger, especially since I have made many friends through the gym and competing," Lesley continued.  The grandmother of three continues to work hard in the gym and keeps a diet routine. She said that she wants to inspire women of all ages to improve their body and spirit with the help of a fitness-focused life.  "All I'd say is — don't wait! I think every woman would like to bring their sexy back," Maxwell said.


thesun--2019-06-26--Ex-Man Utd star Nani looks ripped as he shows off bulging muscles after gym workout while at Orlando

Ex-Man Utd star Nani looks ripped as he shows off bulging muscles after gym workout while at Orlando City

FORMER Manchester United star Nani is clearly taking the MLS seriously - judging by his muscle popping gym snap.  The[ Portuguese winger](https://www.thesun.co.uk/who/nani/) looks in incredible shape for a 32-year-old.  ![ Nani showed off his hard work in the gym on Instagram]()  3  Nani showed off his hard work in the gym on InstagramCredit: Instagram @luisnani  In his Instagram post, in which the topless star shows off his six pack and bulging arms, Orlando City skipper Nani wrote: "Trying my [#bodybuilding](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/bodybuilding/) moves ?? ? ??".  And his hard work in the gym is paying off on the field with the ace racking up eight goals in his first 13 MLS games since joining Orlando City in February.  Nani also has eight assists and has impressive form has seen him included in next month's MLS All-Star Game Fan XI.  He is the only the fifth Orlando City player to be included in the All-Star Game - following in the footsteps of Kaka, Cyle Larin, Dom Dwyer and Yoshi Yotun.  A fan vote picked the first 10 footballers with the 11th jersey handed to the player started most often by Fifa 19 players.  The MLS All-Stars face Atletico Madrid on July 31.    ![]()  3  ### Latest Manchester United news  And Nani - who quit United in 2015 - will hope to show he has not lost it Stateside.  The 2008 Champions League winner will soon have a familiar face as a neighbour with[ David Beckham working on his Inter Miami franchise.](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/9363549/david-beckham- inter-miami-starting-xi-ronaldo-pique/)  Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney are among the names linked with the start-up team.  ![ Nani has been in brilliant for for Orlando City]()  3  Nani has been in brilliant for for Orlando CityCredit: AP:Associated Press  Lukaku ‘wants to leave Man Utd,’ claims agent Federico Pastorello after Inter talks in Milan


liveaction--2019-12-15--Bodybuilder with rare chromosomal condition inspires millions worldwide

Nick Santonastasso is a bodybuilder from New Jersey. Given that, his quote, “Living a healthy lifestyle is not as hard as you think it is, especially if I can do it,” might sound run-of-the-mill… until you see one of his videos.  Santonastasso is one of four known people in the world living with a chromosomal condition called Hanhart syndrome, which manifests as undeveloped internal organs or limbs. In Santonastasso’s case, he was born healthy but was missing legs, and he has just one arm with one finger. Those realities led to understandable struggles — even suicidal thoughts — during his middle school years as he questioned why he wasn’t like the other kids.  Ultimately, though, the same things he lacked fueled his interest in both bodybuilding and inspirational speaking. In high school, he joined the wrestling team, and couldn’t understand why people would cheer when he lost. Over time, he realized that by showing up each meet with what he did have, he was encouraging others to do the same. He went on to pursue bodybuilding, initially drawn to the persona of muscular guys with fast cars doing incredible things in the gym. Now, he uses his passion for fitness to show others that by embracing failure rather than shrinking from it , they can grow to reach their goals. “I look at motivating and inspiring (people) as a duty,” says Santonastasso, now 23.  Through his Instagram account, Youtube videos, and speaking engagements, he reaches people all over the world. One mom in the UK wrote to him that one of her children had to have his leg amputated. He watched Santonastasso’s videos and told his mom, “He’s like me, mom. He’s like me.”  Santonastasso strives to be a role model for others, so that when they say, “I don’t know how to do this,” they can they say “let me look at Nick’s page.” He’s also written a song specifically to combat suicide:  Santonastasso could easily have become a statistic, given that typically, our society looks down upon personal limitations. We abort children with Down syndrome or other life-limiting or life-altering diagnoses at alarmingly high rates. Nick Santonastasso’s story challenges that narrative. His parents told the TODAY Show in 2014 that they learned about his condition while his mom was in her third trimester. His dad said, “We figured, let nature take its course, and we would prepare our children for what their brother would be and put it in God’s hands.”  “Like” Live Action News on Facebook for more pro-life news and commentary!


newspunch--2019-11-24--‘He Picked the Wrong House’: Lady Bodybuilder, 82, Beats Up Break-In Intruder

An 82-year-old Rochester woman who can deadlift 225 pounds found herself in danger after a man broke down her front door and entered her home – until she took matters into her own hands, picked up a table and “went to work on him.“  Willie Murphy says she was getting ready for bed Thursday night, just after 11 p.m., when a man began pounding on her front door.  “He was outside and saying, ‘Please call an ambulance,’ saying, ‘I’m sick, I’m sick,’” she said.  13WHAM report: She called the police, but wouldn’t let him inside. That, she says, is when he became angry.  “I hear a loud noise,” she said. “I’m thinking, what the heck was that? The young man is in my home. He broke the door.”  What the suspect didn’t realize is Murphy is an award-winning bodybuilder who works out at the Maplewood YMCA almost every day.  “He picked the wrong house to break into,” she said.  Murphy says it was dark, so she was able to hide as the suspect walked through her house. She acted quickly and grabbed the closest thing she could find.  “I picked up the table, and I went to work on him,” she said. ‘The table broke.”  “And when he’s down,” she continued, “I’m jumping on him.”  She says, once the suspect was injured, she ran and grabbed a bottle of shampoo – and started pouring it on him.  “I grabbed the shampoo,” she said. “Guess what? He’s still on the ground. In his face, all of it, the whole thing.”  “I got the broom,” she continued. “He’s pulling the broom. I’m hitting him with the broom.”  Finally, officers arrived. The man was sent to the hospital and Murphy was applauded by first responders.  “The officers that came wanted to go on my front porch and take selfies with me,” she said.  Friday, she returned to the YMCA and got a hero’s welcome.  For the record, Murphy weighs just 105 pounds and says she can deadlift 225 pounds. She hopes this story inspires people of all ages.


newyorkpost--2019-11-15--These transgender bodybuilders can kick your ass

When Josey Lynn Davis returned to bodybuilding this year after a 10-year hiatus, there was one big change.  The now 45-year-old had previously competed as a man in the top five in 15 National Physique Committee competitions. In 2017, she came out as a transgender woman.  “I didn’t know what would be said about me, so I was scared,” Davis, who lives near Knoxville, Tenn., tells The Post.  But after a bit of Google searching, she found an organization where she would feel comfortable showing her stuff: the International Association of Trans Bodybuilders and Powerlifters (IATBP), an organization that puts on a competition every October in Atlanta. Not only was Davis the first trans woman to compete, but she also won first place in the women’s bikini division.  “It was like being born,” she says of her experience in last month’s show. “Working toward this was such a goal: to come out of my shell, to prove to myself that I can be confident.”  People across the transgender spectrum are increasingly finding their foothold in bodybuilding, a sport long stereotyped for a macho and intimidating culture. Whether they choose to compete in trans-specific circuits, like Davis, or non-trans competitions, they aim for the same goal: to be strong.  “I want to push it and encourage other people to give it a shot,” says Davis.  For the athletes who prefer to participate in the trans-specific circuit, competing in a welcoming environment is a priority.  “The atmosphere is great for an individual like myself who doesn’t feel like they fit in,” says 29-year-old Brooklyn resident Wes Phills, a trans man who competed in last year’s IATBP (then known as IATB) show and won first place overall. “Having that kind of platform is awesome.”  IATBP got its start in 2014 under the name FTM Fitness World Bodybuilding Competition. The show has anywhere between six to eight competitors every year, and the organizers aim to grow that number in the future, potentially bringing the competitions abroad.  “We’re trying to support trans people around the world to compete in bodybuilding and powerlifting,” says Bucky Motter, a 58-year-old former bodybuilder who organizes the event — and who identifies as trans and gender nonconforming.  A key to acceptance is visibility, Motter says. Each year, the show takes place in a venue where there’s professional lighting and music pumping through speakers — showing the participants that they’re celebrated.  “The audience participates,” adds Motter. “They’re cheering everyone on. If that doesn’t make you feel safe, I don’t know what does.”  It’s not just the audience, but also the other bodybuilders in competitions that can inspire others to join in.  “I like seeing [bodybuilders] being happy — they’re competing, but they’re not really competitive,” says 53-year-old Manhattan resident Bo Headlam, who plans on competing in the 2022 Gay Games, set to be held in Hong Kong.  That said, not all trans bodybuilders are making their impact in the trans-specific circuit.  “I’m just as much a man as every other guy on the stage — maybe I have to work a little harder, but that’s fine,” says Alex Tilinca, an 18-year-old Long Island resident who began his transition at 12. He won awards in three classes at the Victor Martinez Legends Championships — a non-trans-specific show held in The Bronx in August. He snagged first place in teen classic physique, and second in the junior and novice divisions.  “It felt like the world was telling me ‘You’re on the right track, keep going,’ ” says Tilinca, now a freshman at Hofstra University. “It was a confirmation that what I’m doing isn’t for nothing.”  Tilinca got his start bodybuilding at 16 just to put on some weight, and began working out at Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym, a famed bodybuilding gym in Syosset, LI. There, mentors encouraged him to take his progress further and compete.  “I was under the impression I couldn’t because I’m trans,” he says.  These days, Tilinca is taking a few years off to bulk up more muscle, which takes time, and focus on his studies. But he’s found a community and plans on taking his competitions even further.  “Bodybuilders, they get it,” he says. “You come from a place where you’re trying to better your body and feel better in your body. They don’t judge you for being trans.”


skynewsus--2019-11-24--Bodybuilder gran, 82, fights off burglar with table and shampoo

Bodybuilder grandmother, 82, fights off burglar with table and shampoo  Bodybuilder grandmother, 82, fights off burglar with table and shampoo  A burglar in New York got an unexpected reaction when he broke into the home of 82-year-old Willie Murphy.  Ms Murphy, a retired social worker from Rochester, New York, told local media that she was getting ready to go to bed when a man began banging on her door, demanding to be let in.  He was reportedly asking Ms Murphy to call an ambulance, claiming he was hurt.  She then decided to call the police but refused to the let the man in - which is when the intruder became angry.  Ms Murphy said: "I hear a loud noise, I'm thinking, what the heck was that? The young man is in my home. He broke the door."  But being a bodybuilder, Ms Murphy had no trouble in reacting quickly, and grabbed the closest thing to her to retaliate against the unwelcome visitor - a table.  She told ABC News: "He picked the wrong house to break into."  "I picked up the table, and I went to work on him."  However, the table quickly broke, so she started jumping on him and then once the man was down, she squirted shampoo on him.  Once she'd doused him in hair product - she picked up a broom and took to hitting him with it.  Eventually, the police arrived and took the man to hospital - but not before applauding Ms Murphy for her actions.  She said that police officers wanted to take selfies with her on her porch when they met her.  :: Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and Spreaker  Ms Murphy trains most days at the local YMCA, where she was given a hero's welcome the next day,  A report by NBC's Today Show in 2018 said that Ms Murphy took up power-lifting eight years ago as a way of staying healthy and enjoying life.  She says she can dead-lift 225lbs (102kg) and holds records at state and national level.


sputnik--2019-02-19--Chinese Female Bodybuilder Threatened With Legal Action for Posting Bikini Clip

Lara Zhang, a China-born female bodybuilder currently living in Australia, has been lambasted for promoting pornography online by Chinese web police after she flaunted her angles on social media, Supchina reported.  Police claimed Ms Zhang violated the Public Security Administration Punishments Law in China and she “is using the internet to publish and spread pornographic and obscene information,” adding she may face legal action.  The bodybuilder herself referred to the short clip, which she said dates back to June 2017, as part of her weekly arrangement with her coach to report her progress online, including on Chinese social media platform Weibo.  In the 23-second video, a smiling Ms Zhang is seen striding in a living room in a green bikini, wearing heels, thereby making her muscles even more visible.  READ MORE: Instant Karma? Police Kill Bodybuilder After He Attacks His Tinder Date  While the police have only now reacted to the video, threatening to take the issue to court, months after its publication, Zhang’s online subscribers earlier expressed their criticism over the “vulgarity” of her content.  Having heard the accusations, Ms Zhang responded on Weibo, insisting she was just demonstrating her regular bodybuilding poses, going on to say she is determined to protect her rights in a court of law, winning the support of many internet users outraged by the police’s “ridiculous” stance.  According to Chinese news outlet btime.com, the Maoming web police have retracted their comment and apologised to the woman following the backlash.  Ms Zhang is a bikini bodybuilding competitor and has attended competitions organised by the respective governing body, the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBF).  Ms Zhang began partaking in professional tournaments in 2016, seven years after she started doing it as a hobby following the birth of her now 10-year-old son, and has since grabbed quite a few prizes, namely second place in the IFBB Australian national Open in 2017 and second place in the IFBB All Female Classic Open in 2017.  Chinese authorities have been clamping down on what they view as “inappropriate” trends on social media platforms, with a string of new regulations being introduced in central China last month stipulating a new dress code for live hostesses. In particular, they are now banned from wearing lingerie and revealing uniforms, including see-through, nude and tight-fitting garments.


sputnik--2019-11-01--Body-Building Veteran Air Marshal Nails Pull-Ups on his 90th Birthday, Video Goes Viral

The inspirational video, shared on the 90th birthday of P.V. Iyer, is giving major fitness goals to millennials.  Shared by the IAF’s official website, the video has racked up over a 100,000 views since being posted.  The veteran is known as the Running Air Marshal in the Air Force for having clocked 120,000 kms in his 50-year running career.  Some netizens were left stunned at the fitness of the 90-year-old, saying they can't feel more ashamed for finding excuses to not do basic exercises.


sputnik--2019-12-11--What’s It Like to be More Ripped Than Your Husband? This Russian Bodybuilder Has the Answer

Her hubby’s name is not ‘Bruce’ and he is not green, as one might surmise.  Nataliya Kuznetsova, Russia’s biggest name in the bodybuilding world, has managed to build a healthy relationship despite having a bicep bigger than her spouse’s.  Nataliya, 28, is married to Vladislav Kuznetsov, 42, a Russian freestyle wrestler and businessman. The two met a decade ago when she was an aspiring powerlifter.  Vladislav helps his wife build her workout routine and accompanies her at all events and competitions.  In an interview with Golder’s News and Sport, the muscle-bound woman said she doesn't care that her husband’s biceps are smaller than hers because their relationship is based on “mutual love and support”.  Nataliya hails from the city of Chita in Zabaykalsky Krai, a region in the eastern part of Siberia. She started hitting the gym at the age of 14, on the advice of her coach at school. She weighed 40 kilos at the time – now she is up to 90.  Nataliya said she had been timid as a teen, and went into powerlifting in part to improve her low self-esteem. She went on to become a regional champion at 15.  The powerlifter doesn’t conceal using steroids, which, coupled with hours-long work-outs and never-fading dedication, helped her achieve international success.  She bagged world bench press and arm-lifting titles in 2014, breaking world records in both disciplines, and set the world record for bench press and deadlift in the European championships the following year. This year, she came second at the IFBB Romania Muscle Fest Pro 2019.


theblaze--2019-11-25--Burglary suspect breaks into 82-year-old female bodybuilder's home. He immediately regrets the choic

Burglary suspect breaks into 82-year-old female bodybuilder's home. He immediately regrets the choice after she unleashes impressive torrent of attacks.


thedailyrecord--2019-04-15--Nurse who lost 3st and gained a husband wins at first body building competition

A Motherwell nurse has scooped gold in her first ever body building competition.  Adele Farrell had been working hard for months to compete in the PCA bikini show in Stafford last weekend.  And with help from her personal trainer, and fiancé, Robbie MacGillvray she picked up the title.  The 24-year-old mental health nurse started working out in 2016 after feeling down about buying bigger clothes every time she went shopping.  At a size 16, Adele had been doing classes for about six months. She wanted to up her workouts and that’s when she met Robbie in Motherwell’s PureGym.  Since then, they have been working hard together prepping for the show and also preparing for their wedding in Cyprus this weekend.  They made the journey down to Stafford with friends and family to watch Adele strike gold.  And Adele, who is now a size six and leaner than ever, said: “I would just like to thank everyone who supported me through prep and loved me in times I was hard to even like!  “The support I’ve had from friends and family and other bikini girls has been insane! Thanks so much to Robbie for nailing my diet and training plan to a T.  “Massive thanks to Marguerita Vonral for my Skype posing sessions and my amazing bikini, to Lorna Rogen for my posing session and my big sister Alanna and my mum for pushing me daily and supporting me from start to finish.  “And of course my friends and all the other bikini girls who have kept me motivated throughout it all – I couldn’t have got through it without you. I’m literally on cloud nine!”  Robbie said he was so proud of his wife-to-be, adding: “I’m absolutely delighted with how amazing Adele has been throughout this whole 16-week prep I’ve had her on.  “She’s stuck to my plans 100 per cent and when we got to peak week she nailed her water overload and carbing up to perfection. As you can see by her pictures on stage, she looked full. In body building terms that means her muscles are full as they are so pumped up.  “That’s exactly why you need a good coach to get this right, as it can cost you dearly on stage. I’m so proud of Adele and it makes it even more special as I’ve coached Adele from day one on this journey. Now we’re on to show two, where we will be going for first place overall, so fingers crossed.”  Adele and Robbie will tie the knot on April 19, and Robbie can’t wait to call her his wife. He said: “I’m very excited. It’s been the best year ever so far and everything has went to plan perfectly. I cannot wait to marry Adele!”  To check out Adele’s progress visit bobmacfitness on Instagram and Facebook.


thedailyrecord--2019-06-29--I didnt want to die Mums horror as Tinder bodybuilding brute launched cocaine-fuelled attack

'I didn’t want to die' Mum's horror as Tinder bodybuilding brute launched cocaine-fuelled attack

A serial domestic abuser has been spared jail for attacking his fifth victim — after a judge ruled he would pose less of a risk to women if he was on the streets.  Paul Anderson met Carly McCabe on Tinder and went on to attack her during their six-month relationship.  He carried out the brutal assault while abusing steroids and cocaine ahead of a bodybuilding show.  Miss McCabe, 38, had no idea Anderson, 41, had a host of previous convictions for mistreating four former partners, including assaults, breaches of the peace and stalking.  And the thug stayed true to form, turning the mother-of-four into his fifth victim — and attacking her so savagely she thought she was going to die.  He assaulted while he was taking steroids in a bid to help him drop weight for an amateur bodybuilding show.  Anderson expressed remorse for his shameful antics in a phone call to Miss McCabe, where he begged for her forgiveness, blaming his actions on steroids and cocaine.  But the callous brute refused to accept responsibility for his actions at Paisley Sheriff Court, pleading not guilty to the charges he faced.  Miss McCabe said Anderson grabbed her by the hair, kneed her in the face and dragged her from her sun room into her kitchen and smacked her head off her worktop.  He then threw her to the ground and punched and kicked her on the face and back.  She added: “He said something to me like, ‘You’re a vile piece of s***. I’ve never done anything like this to any woman before’.  “I was screaming for my kids and I was telling him to stop.  “I didn’t want to die and I thought I was going to die.”  Anderson, of Barmill, Ayrshire, claimed he had not done anything wrong at her home in Paisley — insisting he had acted in self-defence.  He admitted breaking his bail conditions by speaking to Miss McCabe in a phone call a few weeks after the attack.  Unaware that Anderson had convictions for abusing four former partners, including three assault convictions, a domestic stalking and breaches of the peace towards his ex-girlfriends, the jury deleted the majority of the assault charge against him, convicting him of assaulting Miss McCabe by pushing her.  They also convicted him of behaving in a threatening or abusive way towards her and breaking his bail conditions by contacting her.  Sheriff Frances McCartney previously called for background reports to be prepared ahead of sentencing and warned Anderson he would probably be jailed when he returned to the dock.  She said: “You have six previous convictions for domestic offences and custody is at the forefront of my mind.  “You should not take the fact that I am releasing you on bail as any indication of my willingness to impose a custodial sentence.  However, when Anderson returned to the dock yesterday to learn his fate, the sheriff ruled he was such a danger to women that jailing him would do no good.  She explained: “I accept the submissions in the report that work requires to be done in terms of your behaviour.  “You are assessed as a high risk of further domestic abuse offending, and a high risk of further spousal assault.”  She placed him on a three-year-long Community Payback Order which will see him supervised by social workers, ordering him to attend the Caledonian domestic abuse programme, saying that was “due to the information in the report about the risk you pose to future partners”.  He was also told to carry out 250 hours’ unpaid work, fined £200, and was made the subject of a five-year-long Non-Harassment Order, which bans him from approaching or contacting Miss McCabe, entering her street or posting about her on social media.


theindependent--2019-09-02--Franco Columbu death Italian bodybuilder and regular Arnold Schwarzenegger co-star dies aged 78

Franco Columbu death: Italian bodybuilder and regular Arnold Schwarzenegger co-star dies, aged 78

Franco Columbu, the Italian bodybuilder, actor and close friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger, has died aged 78.  The star died in hospital after being taken ill during a swim in the sea near his home of Sardinia.  Columbu appeared alongside Schwarzenegger in classic films The Terminator, Conan the Barbarian and The Running Man.  Schwarzenegger paid tribute to his friend on Twitter.  He wrote: “I love you Franco. I will always remember the joy you brought to my life, the advices you gave me, and the twinkle in your eye that never disappeared. You were my best friend.”  As well as enjoying a successful athletic career, in which he won Mr Olympia in 1976 and 1981, Columbu appeared in several TV shows and films, including The Streets of San Francisco and Tales from the Crypt.  In 1986, Columbu was Schwarzenegger’s best man at his wedding to Maria Shriver.  Schwarzenegger will next be seen reprising one of his most famous roles in Terminator: Dark Fate, which will be released in the UK on 23 October.


theindependent--2019-11-25--'I'm alone, I'm old, but guess what I'm tough': 82-year-old female bodybuil

'I'm alone, I'm old, but guess what I'm tough': 82-year-old female bodybuilder beats up man who broke into her home

An 82-year-old bodybuilder said an intruder “picked the wrong house to break into” after she beat him up using a chair, broom and bottle of baby shampoo.  Willie Murphy was home alone getting ready for bed on Thursday night when a man began banging on her door asking for someone to call an ambulance.  She refused to let him inside and instead called the police, but the man allegedly broke through the door to her home in Rochester, New York.  The award-winning bodybuilder said she was able to hide in the partial darkness as she looked for something to defend herself with, eventually grabbing a nearby table.  Recounting her story in front of friends at the YMCA, where she works out most days, Ms Murphy told local station WHAM-TV: “I’m alone and I’m old, but guess what? I’m tough.  “He picked the wrong house to break into; I took that table and I went to working on him.”  Ms Murphy said the table eventually broke so she began jabbing the man with its metal legs instead.  “When he’s down, I’m jumping on him – and the telephone is still on for 911,” she said.  “I’m running in the kitchen, there’s a bottle of baby shampoo on the table. I grab the shampoo and guess what? He’s still on the ground. In his face, the whole thing.  “He’s trying to get up and I’ve got the broom and he’s pulling the broom and I’m hitting him with the broom.”  She added: “He wants to get the heck out of there and I’m trying to help him get out of the house but he’s too heavy, I can’t move him. He’s dead weight.”  At that point, police officers arrived and detained the man, who had to be taken to hospital.  “I really did a number on that man,” said Ms Murphy. “I think he was happy when he went in the ambulance, because I sent him in the ambulance.”  According to ABC’s Wham-TV, Ms Murphy, who is about five feet tall and can deadlift 225 pounds, does not intend to press charges against the intruder.


themanchestereveningnews--2019-08-21--He picked the wrong house to rob - Former body builder describes moment he put man attempting to s

'He picked the wrong house to rob' - Former body builder describes moment he put man attempting to steal car keys in a headlock

A former body builder has described the moment he placed a man attempting to burgle his house in a headlock before police arrived.  Mohammed Samsul, 26, tussled with the burglar after he broke into his home on Rosefield Crescent, Rochdale, in the early hours of Tuesday morning (August 21).  The man said he was carrying a gun, but Mohammed bravely grabbed him by the arm and managed to find his brother's stolen car keys in his pocket.  Mohammed, a United Utilities worker, came across the burglar when he went downstairs at around 5am before starting an early morning shift at work.  The offender, who was covering his face with a black balaclava, screamed at Mohammed who rushed upstairs to get his brother.  They both went downstairs and the burglar told the brothers he was carrying a gun.  Mohammed, who has previously entered body building competitions, said: "As soon as I turned he jumped and screamed at me.  "The lights were off. He was covered in black, a black balaclava, black jacket and black pants. My heart rate went to 100, adrenaline was rushing. I ran upstairs. I went to my brother's room.  "I doubted he had a gun he had his hands in his pockets pointing, he would have pointed a gun at my face if he had one.  "I thought he might have a knife or another weapon, but not a gun. My 10 month niece, my brother's daughter, was also upstairs.  "I grabbed his arm and saw there was nothing in his pocket. I apprehended him, I grabbed hold of him and stopped him getting out of the door.  "He was trying to get off me, we were in a struggle.  "I got him into a headlock whilst my brother called the police."  Mohammed checked the man's pockets and found his brother's car keys.  It is understood the man climbed into the house through an open kitchen window.  Police officers arrived within the next five minutes.  A man was later arrested by Greater Manchester Police.  Mohammed said it was lucky he was in the house at the time to protect his two brother's, brother's wife and baby niece, who were sleeping upstairs.  He added: "I used to do body building competitions, I go to the gym and I do keep fit.  "He picked the wrong house to rob, once I got him into a headlock he wasn't moving anywhere. I have never been in a situation like that before."  Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that an arrest has been made, on suspicion of burglary,


thespoof--2019-03-20--Vegan Bodybuilder Annoyed at Being Called a Beefcake

"Stop calling me that!" railed handsome and inordinately well-muscled vegan bodybuilder Jack Henry Chadwick after one of his friends - for the umpteenth time - referred to him as a "beefcake."  "It's not funny!" he added, only accelerating the chuckles of his meathead buddies.  Jack Henry's long-time buddy Raydell Piedmont just wouldn't let up. "But you're just such a prime, grade-A hunk of goodness," simpered Raydell. "Tell me, please, exactly what kind of beefcake are you? Are you a ribeye?"  Jack Henry, whose health and professional bodybuilding success have skyrocketed since he made the shift to plant-based living over three years ago, has done his best not to lose his sense of humor along with the animal products. Nevertheless, he admitted that his buddies and their "beeefcake" jokes sometimes do manage to get to him - to the extent that he's tempted to use his greatly superior strength and agility to end his friends' "ribeye" ribbing once and for all.  "I'm tempted to tell them I'll squash them like a bug," said Jack Henry. "Except I don't squash bugs anymore. I'm a vegan."  Instead, Jack Henry generally responds to comments like Raydell's ribeye remark with a quick and pithy comeback that nevertheless effectively gets across his point about the benefits of plant-based living. "If, by that, you mean am I loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol, and cancer-causing animal protein, then no, I'm not a ribeye," Jack Henry told Raydell this time.  "My cholesterol's 118."  Fortunately for Jack Henry, his girlfriend, Charisse Lawrence, also helps him see the lighter side of things.  "It's all right, my little chickpea," cooed Charisse, caressing his bicep. "They're just messing with you. Why don't we go somewhere quiet, just the two of us, and you can show me where you get your protein."  Jack Henry's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Oh, I'll show you, baby. I've got no issues with protein - no issues whatsoever. You'll see."


thespoof--2019-03-20--Vegan Bodybuilders Friends Mess with Him by Calling Him a Beefcake

Vegan Bodybuilder's Friends Mess with Him by Calling Him a Beefcake

"Stop calling me that!" railed handsome and inordinately well-muscled vegan bodybuilder Jack Henry Chadwick after one of his friends - for the umpteenth time - referred to him as a "beefcake."  "It's not funny!" he added, only accelerating the chuckles of his meathead buddies.  Jack Henry's long-time buddy Raydell Piedmont just wouldn't let up. "But you're just such a prime, grade-A hunk of goodness," simpered Raydell. "Tell me, please, exactly what kind of beefcake are you? Are you a ribeye?"  Jack Henry, whose health and professional bodybuilding success have skyrocketed since he made the shift to plant-based living over three years ago, has done his best not to lose his sense of humor along with the animal products. Nevertheless, he admitted that his buddies and their "beeefcake" jokes sometimes do manage to get to him - to the extent that he's tempted to use his superior strength and agility to end his friends' "ribeye" ribbing once and for all.  "I'm tempted to tell them I'll squash them like a bug," said Jack Henry. "Except I don't squash bugs anymore. I'm a vegan."  Instead, Jack Henry generally responds to comments like Raydell's ribeye remark with a quick and pithy comeback that nevertheless effectively gets across his point about the benefits of plant-based living. "If, by that, you mean am I loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol, and cancer-causing animal protein, then no, I'm not a ribeye," Jack Henry told Raydell this time.  "My cholesterol's 118."  Fortunately for Jack Henry, his girlfriend, Charisse Lawrence, also helps him see the lighter side of things.  "It's all right, my little chickpea," cooed Charisse, caressing his bicep consolingly. "They're just messing with you. Why don't we go somewhere quiet, just the two of us, and you can show me where you get your protein."  Jack Henry's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Oh, I'll show you, baby. I've got no issues with protein - no issues at all. You'll see."


thesun--2019-01-21--Bodybuilder 22 who suffered from anorexia and saw her weight plummet to under 5 stone shares shock

Bodybuilder, 22, who suffered from anorexia and saw her weight plummet to under 5 stone shares shocking pics of her recovery in bid to inspire others

A WOMAN who exercised for eight hours a day told how her weight dropped to five stone in just two years.  Mhairi Stewart's mum Rosemary, 60, used to sleep on the floor beside her daughter, so scared was she that she would die at any moment.  But her breaking point was in July 2015 when she was admitted to an eating disorder clinic critically ill, with potentially days to live.  Now well, Mhairi, 22, from Glasgow, has told her story to the Daily Record.  She revealed how at her worst she would eat around only 300 calories a day.  "I was paranoid about burning off every calorie. I walked everywhere, spent at least four hours in the gym every day doing cardio, weights, the lot," she said.  “My diet consisted of 20g of porridge, a protein shake, an apple, egg whites and a salad. That was it.  "To think my mum snuck into my bedroom every night to make sure I didn’t die or fall ill in my sleep shows how scared she was.”  In July 2015, with her body mass index at 12 - when it should be between 18 and 25, Mhairi was admitted to hospital.  A month later she was discharged and began her recovery.  In July 2017 she completed a qualification in health and fitness and started work as a personal trainer.  Now in a relationship with Adam, 26, she takes part in power-lifting competitions.  Writing on Instagram, she said: "It won’t happen over night, there will be ups and downs.  "I certainly had mine. That’s normal, but it will happen.  "I did not do this alone, I had support from some very special people, friends and loved ones. There is nothing wrong with asking for help."  What is anorexia nervosa and what are the signs and symptoms? Anorexia nervosa, often known as just anorexia, is a very serious mental health condition which causes the person to restrict the amount they eat. The sufferer of the eating disorder aims to keep their body weight as low as possible by avoiding food, vomiting or exercising excessively. The condition usually affects girls and women, however, recently it has started affecting more boys and usually it develops at around 16 or 17 years old. Despite being less common than some other conditions, anorexia is one of the leading causes of mental health-related deaths - as a result of malnutrition or suicide. Usually, a sufferer will go to great lengths to disguise the fact they are not eating or pretending they have eaten already. But if you suspect someone is battling the condition there are a few signs to look out for, according to the NHS. These include: Missing meals, eating very little or avoiding eating any fatty foods Leaving the table immediately after eating so they can vomit Taking appetite suppressants, laxatives, or diuretics (a type of medication that helps remove fluid from the body) Repeatedly weighing themselves or checking their body in the mirror Physical problems, such as feeling lightheaded or dizzy, hair loss, or dry skin. Around 50 per cent of people with anorexia will continue to have some level of eating problems, even after treatment. For more information, or to seek help, please visit eating disorder charity Beat's website.  We previously told how a woman who developed anorexia at EIGHT, shrunk to just 4st 8oz and tried to take her own life five times was saved by her girlfriend.  And a former anorexic whose weight dropped to under five stone overcame her eating disorder to become a mum.


thesun--2019-01-26--I was homeless at 18 and dropped to a skinny size 4 but now Im a professional bodybuilder after g

I was homeless at 18 and dropped to a skinny size 4 – but now I’m a professional bodybuilder after gaining three stone

A WOMAN who was once homeless has turned her life around, becoming a professional bodybuilder at the age of 28.  Charli Allardyce, from Essex, was brought up in the care system and attended just one day of high school before becoming homeless at the age of 18.  Now, the construction development manager has transformed her lifestyle, in a bid to prove that women can body build just as well as men.  Almost three years ago, Charli joined the gym and has since gained three stone, changing from a UK size four to a size 10.  Eating a healthy diet and working out five times a week, Charli has sculpted her body, admitting she's gained "so much confidence".  Passionate about bodybuilding, Charli has even fractured her humorous bone in an arm wrestle with a male colleague, determined not to admit defeat.  "I was brought up within the care system from a young age (11-18) which led me to only have attended one day of high school," Charli explained.  "I left school when I was 13 due to being moved across the country to different care homes.  "I left care when I was 18 and found it challenging to live independently with lack of support and this left me to be homeless, sofa surfing and living in hostels.  "My unstable life at the time led to my previous weight, due to stresses, worries and money constraints, as I was unable to support a healthy diet and lifestyle.  "I felt good about myself even then because I thought I looked great.  "I knew I was slim and though that's how you should look as that is what is portrayed on social media."  Charli explains that after joining the gym to get toned for an upcoming holiday, her confidence grew and it "became an addiction".  However, it did come at a cost.  "For me to achieve this physique I had to sacrifice nights out with friends, I would and still do spend my weekends in the gym, I eat big, lift big and train big," she explained.  "I travel on four buses to and from the gym every day even after a long day at work.  "I also have a gym buddy to help motivate me and spot me when I am lifting heavy.  "I eat three to four thousand calories alongside two-hundred grams of protein a day.  "I always go up in weight every session, it takes dedication, consistency, patience, routine and positive mindset."  The 28-year-old now hopes that bodybuilding could lead to her fulfilling her dream of becoming a TV personality.  "It has opened a lot of doors and opportunities that are helping me towards my dream of becoming a TV personality and pro bodybuilder," she explained.  "I also love the challenge that comes with being female in a male-dominated sport.  "I have gained so much confidence by facing my fer and just going for it in the gym without having full knowledge of how to correctly use all the equipment.  "I feel even more motivated to come back bigger and stronger. I completed my first competition called Pure Elite last year in the fitness model category.  "I coached myself through the whole process and gained so much experience to come back wiser, bigger, stronger."  And while most people are happy for Charli, others can be negative towards her physique.  "Some people are happy for me and others can be quite negative about it," she explained.  "The most common comments I get normally is 'why do you want to look muscly?' or 'you don't want to get too big do you?' My answer to them is why not?"  "In order to be the ONE per cent, you must do what the other 99 per cent WON'T.  "I didn't pay any attention to what others thought because how others see you is not important, how you see yourself means everything."  Earlier this week, we told you about the woman, 81, who finds biological mother still alive after 61-year search.  We also revealed writer has had 16 jobs in 14 years and built up skills from bar work to promo girl — as report claims millennials flit from one career to the next.  And we showed you the bar sign which compares beer to women and jokes about oral sex blasted for being ‘sexist’.  Book a holiday from £9.50 with The Sun! FANCY getting away from it all? Our Hols from £9.50 are back! This means you could book a break at one of 333 holiday parks across the UK and abroad, for under a tenner! All you need to do is collect TEN Sun Savers codes or TEN tokens or codewords printed in The Sun. This round is running between Saturday, January 5 and Tuesday, January 29. If you’re collecting Sun Savers codes: ENTER YOUR CODES HERE If you're collecting tokens or codewords use the booking form or book online at thesun.co.uk/holidays Price per person based on four sharing. Subject to availability. Terms and conditions and date restrictions apply. For full T&Cs see thesun.co.uk/holidays.


thesun--2019-02-09--Bodybuilder who beat cancer twice reveals inspirational transformation after battling back to full h

Bodybuilder who beat cancer twice reveals inspirational transformation after battling back to full health

A BRAVE bodybuilder who beat cancer TWICE has shared his inspirational transformation on social media.  James Kearsley, 22, from Tasmania, Australia, was first diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in February 2014 and underwent three rounds of chemotherapy before he went into remission four months later.  It was during this time that he decided to share his journey on Instagram - a platform where he now has 23,800 followers.  As soon as he felt better, James hit the gym to regain the two-stone of muscle lost during treatment and competed in his first bodybuilding show in September 2015.  But three months later in December, James was once again diagnosed with Leukaemia and had to undergo two more cycles of gruelling chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow stem cell transplant.  The brutal treatment led to side effects such as tiredness, vomiting, aching bones.  He said: “I’m a firm believer that any given situation is how you perceive it.    “Obviously, a cancer diagnosis is a scary thing but I was not going to let it break me. I was determined to fight and to win.  “I was unable to do any form of exercise during my intensive treatment, much to my disappointment.”  James was finally announced in declared healthy in July 2016 and has now been cancer free for 13-months.  It was at this point when the Aussie fitness fanatic decided to rebuild his body to its former glory.  And because of his dedication to training and healthy living, James now offers personal training and coaching services to others.  James trains at the gym six days a week and can squat 180kg, deadlift 220kg and bench press 140kg.  He said: “I cannot stress the importance of taking care of your health.  “This means having regular blood tests, knowing your body, checking your body for anything unusual, and talking to someone if you have something on your mind.  “I receive many messages from people experiencing their own cancer journey, or having a friend or family member experiencing one of their own.  “They tell me how my story and my posts have brought inspiration, motivation or hope to themselves and that is something that motivates me to keep doing what I’m doing – because I can see the positive effect it is having with people, and I can see how many people it helps.”  We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours


thesun--2019-04-08--Man loses 176 pounds to become champion bodybuilder after car crash

Dean Koenig's incredible transformation came after doctors told him he might never run again  A MAN dropped an astonishing 176 pounds to become a champion bodybuilder after he nearly lost his life in a deadly car accident.  Dean Koenig from Cabramatta in Australia was told he might never run again and his weight ballooned up to a whopping 341 lbs after the crash.  Ex-military man Koenig was riding his bike to work at a sports club one day in 2010 when he was hit by a car.  Doctors told him after one surgery that his days of running could be over and may not be able to lift weights above his head in the wake of the collision.  Koenig told Men’s Health: “It took surgery, rehab and a lot of physio to recover after the accident.  “That led to depression and a lot of time spent at home eating, drinking and not being able to move much.”  He said he didn’t realise how bad his physical health had gotten until he bent down one day to tie his shoes and broke out in a sweat.  Koenig added: “These were some very dark days mentally, as prior to the accident I was in prep to be a personal trainer.  “So I decided I wasn’t going to take the doctors’ advice as gospel and was determined to do everything I could to prove them wrong.”  He started by walking, then running, and then finally doing a weights routine.  And Koenig also ditched chips and burgers and all the comfort foods he’d started indulging in after the crash.  He eventually dropped a full 176 pounds to his new weight of 165 and started work as a personal trainer.  Despite the damning diagnosis about his ability to run, Koenig went on to complete a half marathon – just over 13 miles.  And not satisfied with his progress up to that point, he decided he would enter a bodybuilding competition.  In 2015, he took part in the under 80kg category at the ANB Victoria Fitness Mania Body Building Competition in Melbourne and came in third place.  He also won prices for being the Most Inspirational and having the Most Potential.  Koenig has since competed in nine competitions in two years and won one in 2017 in the under 90kg category.  We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.


thesun--2019-04-24--Psoriasis sufferer branded pizza face by cruel trolls has last laugh with stunning transformation

Psoriasis sufferer branded ‘pizza face’ by cruel trolls has last laugh with stunning transformation after turning to bodybuilding

Lucas Castillo, 28, has suffered from the condition that causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin for the past 15 years  A MAN who was bullied for suffering with the skin condition psoriasis has had the last laugh after undergoing a stunning body transformation.  Lucas Castillo, 28, who was cruelly called “pizza face” by mean trolls, has finally found confidence in himself through bodybuilding.  The Nomad traveller, from Maryland, USA, has suffered from the condition that causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin for the past 15 years.  Lucas revealed that he first noticed a spot appear on his forearm when he was just 13-years-old and knew he had psoriasis as his mum has the same condition.  He said: “I believe my skin began attacking my face once my acne seemed to lose control. I was fifteen. I had a spot below my left eye about the size of a quarter, and then it eventually spread all over my face.  “Wherever there was acne, psoriasis seemed to grow in its place. Any open wound or cut would also turn to psoriasis.  “It was probably one of the harder times in my life; I had a rough few years being bullied before my psoriasis appeared.  Lucas’s confidence became shattered growing up shy and depressed after constant vicious taunts and jibes from trolls, some of whom were his own friends.  He added: “I had actually gained new friends and the bullying ceased but once the psoriasis took over, even my closest friends were bullying me about my skin. It made me shy, depressed and feel less of a person.  “I was in a period of already trying to fit in and have friends in my teens. I grew up in a Christian academy for a few years and then joined public schooling, so things were already difficult growing up.  “So, getting bullied, then to gain popularity, and then to fall down again with a chronic illness made me feel like I would be battling myself for the rest of my life. My heart broke. It was like no matter what I did, I would somehow always feel like a loser.  “Everyone’s reactions are pretty much the same; shocked, surprised, scared, and full of questions. Growing up I always made sure to avoid attention but strangely enough, strangers were always polite.  “It was my so-called ‘friends’ that were being nasty with their comments. I can only remember one negative comment that angered me the most and that was ‘pizza face’ from a close friend. I forgave him. We are still friends.  The American’s insecurities led to him having the last laugh however as he began to pursue bodybuilding when he was 23-years-old.  AN ITCHY SKIN CONDITION THAT CAUSES RED, FLAKY PATCHES Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin covered with silvery scales. These patches normally appear on your elbows, knees, scalp and lower back, but can appear anywhere on your body. Most people are only affected with small patches. In some cases, the patches can be itchy or sore. It affects around two per cent of the UK population. People with psoriasis have an increased production of skin cells. Skin cells are normally made and replaced every three to four weeks, but in psoriasis this process only lasts about three to seven days. The resulting build-up of skin cells is what creates the patches associated with psoriasis. It is thought to be a problem with the immune system and can run in families. There’s no cure for psoriasis, but a range of treatments can improve symptoms and the appearance of skin patches. In most cases, the first treatment used will be a topical treatment, such as vitamin D analogues or topical corticosteroids. Topical treatments are creams and ointments applied to the skin. If these aren’t effective, or your condition is more severe, a treatment called phototherapy may be used. Phototherapy involves exposing your skin to certain types of ultraviolet light. In severe cases, where the above treatments are ineffective, systemic treatments may be used. These are oral or injected medicines that work throughout the whole body.  He said: “Keeping fit has always kept my mind in a good place. I started training to build my confidence actually.  “The early trauma of being bullied and my psoriasis I guess triggered me to pursue bodybuilding when I was twenty-three.  “I trained in high school and participated in football and track and those were my outlets in high school, but once I turned twenty-three, I started taking the training much more seriously.  “I’d say my training is something I’ve come to live for. I love how much bodybuilding has become an art form in my life and it’s quite meditative.  “To this day I am still working on overcoming my insecurities. There are good days and bad days. Growing up I honestly kept it a secret from most people somehow.”  Lucas now reveals that his new-found confidence has opened him up to more activities, after overcoming the shyness that held him back.  The bodybuilder said: “I found ways to keep my psoriasis covered and unseen. My strength has honestly grown the most since advocating for psoriasis earlier this year on Instagram.  “I was humbled to find others like myself sharing their stories so openly, so I knew it was time to step out from the dark after pretending my psoriasis didn’t exist for so long.  “I was honestly unaware of the triggers until this past autumn when my worst flare-up began. Today we have so many scientific and holistic approaches that it is difficult to figure out exactly what the triggers are.  “Food certainly dictates most chronic illnesses and the ‘no’ list is quite long, but I am currently still in the process of healing my gut.  “We all know that stress is the number one most common trigger. Though I also believe that psoriasis and other chronic illness is psychosomatic.  “Illness can certainly develop by just going against our belief system. I find it quite fascinating since right now, I am making progress on my very own.  “Once I embraced my illness, I have received nothing but love and it has been overwhelming. You know, if anything, I believe my skin has been a blessing in disguise.  “My psoriasis has taught me lessons. It’s taught me gratitude. It’s taught me how important health is. There are days that I want to give up.  “I’ve had days where I thought I wouldn’t see tomorrow but damn am I proud of myself for becoming who I am today.  “Even when the odds are against you, never back down from the fight. Psoriasis is more than skin deep. It’s the biggest lesson of our lives.”


thesun--2019-08-29--Bodybuilder tracks down thief who stole his bank card and posts pictures of him covered in blood

Bodybuilder tracks down ‘thief who stole his bank card’ and posts pictures of him covered in blood – but insists he suffered bike crash

A BODYBUILDER who tracked down the thief he claims twice stole his bank card shared pictures of him sprawled on the pavement covered in blood.  Max Barnett warned "don't ever tempt fate twice guys" in the viral post but insisted he didn't hurt the man - instead claiming he suffered a "harsh bike crash".  The pictures show a man lying on the ground with blood gushing from his head without any shoes on in Grimsby, Lincs.  He can be seen clasping his hands to his head wound alongside a photo of a shattered car window - which Max claimed he broke into.  Max also posted images of two syringes with the caption: "That's what you find in your thief's pockets.  "Absolute smack needles after he robs your car twice. That's what you've been f****g been doing this morning in it. Riding around on this f****g bike."  The gym-goer had tracked down the alleged thief after claiming he performed a smash-and-grab on his car two weeks ago.  He says the man then returned yesterday to steal his credit cards before racking up £300 worth of purchases.  Max tweeted: "When I tweeted two weeks ago that somebody robbed my car, well today he came back and robbed me again.  “This time spending £300 on contactless cards. Leaving an online trail but, I caught him as he went onto his final spend. Don’t ever tempt fate twice guys, have a good day.”  But he later issued a second video clarifying he didn't injure the man himself after being praised for "taking the law into his own hands".  He explained: "For everyone who keeps asking me. He's obviously bleeding because he fell off his bike.  "No violence was used in the redemption of my cards."  Viewers still took to Twitter to praise the bodybuilder for his actions.  @stevenhudson2 said: “Fair play for catching the rat looks like he fell over running away and banged his head.”  @OxfordUnderwood wrote: “Karma has come round and kicked his ass, well done lad and hope you get your car and the money you lost sorted out soon.”  While @haro2209 said: “I am all for this. The police are too occupied and short staffed. However I would expect another visit from him or his mates in due course.  “In our days you took a beating and that was it, nowadays these scumbags come back with gangs and knives. Stay safe man.”  The Sun Online has contacted Humberside Police for comment.


thesun--2019-09-25--Men think bodybuilders like me and Olly Murs girlfriend are sexier than skinnies and were better

Men think bodybuilders like me and Olly Murs’ girlfriend are sexier than skinnies – and we’re better in bed

FEMALE bodybuilders have always had a bad rap, with people assuming that we're all manly, extremely muscular and not very attractive.  But one look at Olly Murs’ new girlfriend Amelia Tank tells a different story.  The city worker, who competes in the bikini class bodybuilding shows, is beautiful and it’s no wonder Olly fell for her.  And he’s not alone in falling for this new breed of strong, sexy women.  As a bodybuilder myself, I get approached on social media at least twice a day by men wanting to take me out – some of them half my age - as young as 18 or 19 when I'm 42.  Some of them are smutty, with comments like "I'd like to come and watch you train" or "Can I touch your biceps?" but mostly it is men wanting to meet me and take me out.  My Instagram poses are flooded with likes and, yes, I get some negative comments, with people saying "you're not feminine, you're too masculine" but I ignore them. Mostly they are from women.  On nights out, when I'm in heels and a nice halter-neck top to show off my shape, men comment on my big calves and muscular shoulders, asking me about my workout regime to chat me up.  Some even challenge me to an arm-wrestling contest to get close to me. The last one that did, in a bar on New Year's Eve, won the challenge... but he didn't get a date.  I’m single at the moment but previous partners have commented on my body shape and how my muscles turn them on.  Sex is better too, not just because I’m stronger and fitter but because I’m more confident and not hiding under the covers – and that is a turn on in itself.  And there are hundreds of girls like me - girls don't want to be size zero anymore - you only have to look on Instagram to see ripped women everywhere showing off their muscles using hashtags like #StrongNotSkinny and #GirlsThatLift.  We are sexy and we know it. Being able to take care of yourself is empowering.  Society so often expects women to shrink themselves, to be 'less' both physically and mentally - less outspoken, less muscular, less confident.  Bodybuilding is the opposite of that - there's more of us, and we're not afraid to show it off.  Twenty years ago, female bodybuilders did tend to look quite muscular.  But at shows today, the girls are very attractive and, while you are judged on your body, it’s also about the whole package – the hair and makeup and the overall look.  The sport is becoming incredibly popular with women – with more females competing in the shows than males – but men flock to watch because they find the competitors sexy.  When I was younger, everyone wanted the Kate Moss skinny look but now the clients who come to me for personal training want big bottoms and nice big legs.  My motto is strong not skinny – and lots of men love a strong woman.  I think some men look at bodybuilding women and know they’re going to be independent, strong-minded and they’re not going to take any crap.  There’s a lot more to competing in bodybuilding shows than whacking on a bikini and some fake tan and posing on stage.  I’ve been competing for three years now and started out just doing weights at the gym two or three times a week.  But the more my body shape changed the more motivated I got – and I upped the training to five or six times a week and started competing.  I won three shows in my first year and last year I went to Italy to represent Team GB in the World Amateur Body Building Association (WABBA) championship.  If you're that dedicated, and you can put your mind to the work the sport involves, it's not just your body, it's your mind that strong.  Perhaps that’s what attracted Olly. He has a lot of money and he is a very busy man so he obviously wants a relationship with somebody that is an equal.  And if she can train that hard it shows a real strength of character.  But there is a word of caution for Olly – it’s not easy dating a bodybuilder.  In the 16 week prep period before a show I don’t go out at all, I don’t drink any alcohol, I train five or six times a week, for an hour, and I follow a regimented food plan.  My diet consists of eggs, chicken, sweet potatoes and broccoli and I eat a lot - six meals a day – and  I have to cook my food in the morning or the night before and take it with me wherever I go.  I eat up to four chicken breasts a day and I weigh each portion meticulously.  I’ve even taken my scales to Nandos with my kids, so I can weigh my chicken.  Dating can be really hard because you do become quite selfish.  I have only dated one bodybuilder before, but it didn't work out because we were both too wrapped up in our own regimes.  But it’s hard to find someone that understands why I can’t just go out on a Friday night and drink with them or eat whatever they’re eating.  I've got a nice group of friends and even they don't bother asking me to go out when I’m on prep, so it can be a lonely sport.  Olly will have to be prepared for Amelia to go into hiding a bit during the ‘prep’ period because you have to be so disciplined to win.  I’m happy they are an item though, because she represents the feminine side of bodybuilding and proves that strong can still be sexy.  I wish them both luck.


thesun--2019-11-16--Russian bodybuilder with 24-inch oil-injected Popeye biceps has surgery to save arms after warnings

Russian bodybuilder with 24-inch oil-injected Popeye biceps has surgery to save arms after warnings he’d die

A RUSSIAN bodybuilder with 24-inch oil-injected Popeye biceps has had surgery to save his arms following warnings that he will die.  Kirill Tereshin, 23, was told he could die or face amputation if he failed to get rid of his fake muscles that are filled with petroleum jelly he used to bulk up.  Surgeon Dmitry Melnikov revealed that Kirill had injected three litres of a cheap Vaseline-like jelly and not synthol as he previously claimed.  The "bodybuilder" was persuaded to undergo urgent treatment by Alana Mamaeva, 32, a leading campaigner for victims of botched plastic surgery.    She is seen on a video calling him by his nickname "Bazooka" and describing how his artificial muscles were “horrible, horrible” compared to his “slim” body.  The campaigner raised funds for his surgery, which she attended, saying: "We are going to try and help this young man.”  Former army conscript Kirill told her before the operation: “I am ready, I am not even afraid."  Earlier, Kirill said he did not have money for surgery.  Dr Melnikov from Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, said: “For now I have removed the damaged tissues from one arm only. Petroleum jelly saturates the muscles, under skin tissues and the skin itself.  “All that has to be removed, but we need to keep the vein, nerves and other functions of the limb.”  He warned: “Petroleum jelly is not designed for injection, only external application.  “Kirill injected about three litres into each arm. It saturated the muscle tissues, blocked blood flow.  “As a result the tissue dies and gets replaced with a scar which is as tough as a tree, you can even knock on it and hear the usual sound. We have removed all this.  Kirill was “lucky” that the damage had remained only in his limbs and not spread to the rest of his body.  “Petroleum jelly affects the whole body, kidneys in particular," the doctor said.  “I think Kirill did not fully realise the consequences of what he had been doing.”  He underwent a complex two-hour operation and faces “several more surgeries”, said the medic.  The doctor warned that women are increasingly using petroleum jelly for cheap beauty fixes.  He added: “Unfortunately, this is not a rare case. In the whole our country women are often injected with petroleum jelly and so get disfigured.  “Instead of expensive plastic surgery, they agree to petroleum jelly injections and later come to us to remove it.  “We have seen petroleum jelly injected into breasts, buttocks, and other parts of the female body. We are warning that it is extremely dangerous.  “It is traumatic for the body, leading to huge scars and without medical treatment it ends even with death.”  Another Russian doctor had warned him he “very likely” faced amputation of his arms if if did not undergo surgery.  A video shows Kirill’s mother spoon-feeding him in hospital after the surgery.  Last month he was defeated in an MMA bout by Oleg Mongol, 43, a fighter twice his age.  It was a second humiliation for Kirill who earlier this year was floored by Russian slapping champion Vasiliy 'The Dumpling' Kamotskiy.  The ex-soldier has also lost his fiancée model Olesya Malibu, 28, who had urged him to enlarge his buttocks, according to Russian reports.


thesun--2019-11-22--MMA bodybuilder Popeye shows off his arm after gruesome surgery to have his rotting oil filled fake

MMA bodybuilder Popeye shows off his arm after gruesome surgery to have his rotting oil filled fake tricep removed

A RUSSIAN bodybuilder nicknamed Popeye is recovering after having six litres of vaseline surgically removed from his arms.  MMA fighter Kirill Tereshin, 23, was warned he could die or have to undergo a double amputation if he didn't get rid of his ludicrous implants.  He injected highly dangerous synthol directly into his veins but was warned his bodybuilding obsession.  Tereshin - who has received international attention for his fake muscles - will now go under the knife at least three more times.  He was persuaded to undergo urgent treatment by Alana Mamaeva, 32, a leading campaigner for victims of botched plastic surgery.  Tereshin uploaded a video of his arms after the surgery with lumps of flesh, he claims were muscle extracted from his body.  He said: “These are my treasures” and then added: “Get yourself a piece, it’s ‘sale’ time.”  He added: “It feels very weird, very unusual. My arm feels lighter.  "Now I am going through a rehab, soon we will proceed with the next surgery.”  Dr Dmitry Melnikov is extracted pounds of flesh and the petroleum oil the Russian injected to bizarrely bulk-up his triceps and biceps.  Holding one massive 3lb lump taken from one of Tereshin's 24-inch arms, he said: “Here it is, scar tissue with fragments of muscles.”  In one video, the failed MMA fighter is seen asking the surgeon: "How many muscles have I lost?"  Melnikov, from Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, earlier warned him that he could die if the dodgy implants stayed.  After the surgery the medic told him: “The problem is that this is the petroleum jelly.  "You injected this so thoroughly, that it spread in the muscle and killed it."  The surgeon later revealed: “We have done 25 per cent of the repairs.”  Afterwards, Tereshin will hopefully have arm movement but his fake muscles will be gone.  The Russian surgeon added: “Petroleum jelly saturates the muscles, under skin tissues and the skin itself.  “All that has to be removed, but we need to keep the vein, nerves and other functions of the limb.”  He warned: “Petroleum jelly is not designed for injection, only external application.  “Kirill injected about three litres into each arm. It saturated the muscle tissues, blocked blood flow.  “As a result the tissue dies and gets replaced with a scar which is as tough as a tree, you can even knock on it and hear the usual sound.”  The disastrous implants were causing him “high fever, strong pain, and weakness”.  He was “lucky” that the damage had remained only in his limbs and not spread to the rest of his body.  The doctor warned that women in Russia are increasingly using petroleum jelly for cheap beauty fixes.  “Unfortunately, this is not a rare case,” he said.  “In the whole our country women are often injected with petroleum jelly and so get disfigured.  “Instead of expensive plastic surgery, they agree to petroleum jelly injections and later come to us to remove it.  “We have seen petroleum jelly injected into breasts, buttocks, and other parts of the female body. We are warning that it is extremely dangerous.