Tuesday 2 August 2022 01:51 PM 'Brazilian Hulk' who injected himself with OIL to create 23-inch biceps, dies ... trends now
A Brazilian bodybuilder and TikTok star who gained 1.6 million followers by injecting himself with life-threatening oil to create 23-inch biceps has died on his 55th birthday in Ribeirao Preto.
Valdir Segato had been using synthol injections for years despite risking strokes and infections to produce hulking biceps, pectorals and back muscles.
Segato, originally from Sao Paulo, previously said he was inspired by the physiques of Arnold Schwarzenegger and fictional characters like The Hulk, and spoke of how he was proud to be known locally as 'the monster' in the street.
Six years ago he was warned he faced amputation, or at the very least nerve damage and muscle disfigurement if he continued to use the injections.
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Valdir Segato (pictured) had been using synthol injections for years despite risking strokes and infections to produce hulking biceps, pectorals and back muscles
Segato, originally from Sao Paulo, previously said he was inspired by the physiques of Arnold Schwarzenegger and fictional characters like The Hulk, and spoke of how he was proud to be known locally as 'the monster' in the street
As a youth Segato (pictured left) was an emaciated skinny drug addict and lost so much weight he was known as 'Skinny Dog'
But Segato, previously a construction worker, said in 2016: 'They call me Hulk, Schwarzenegger and He-Man all the time and I like that. I've doubled my biceps but I still want to be bigger.'
He proudly posted images and videos to social media, calling himself 'Valdir Synthol' on Instagram. But according to local media, by the time of his death he had few friends of visitors - and lived an isolated life - despite his huge following.
One man named Moisés da Conceição da Silva said the bodybuilder had rented a property built to the rear of his family's house in Ribeirao Preto, in southeast Brazil, for more than 15 years.
Moisés said on the day Segato died, he had asked Moisés' mother for help - complaining about a shortness of breath.
'It was around 6 am, more or less. He came crawling through the back house and came to the front. Then he knocked on my mother's window, knocked, knocked, then she woke up and he said 'help me, help me because I'm dying,'' Moisés said, according to Brazil's Globo news publication.
He was taken to the North Emergency Care Unit (UPA) - a medical
