Russian ‘Popeye’s Massive Arms Are Hard to Believe

A former soldier has given himself Popeye-like arms after injecting himself with dangerous chemicals.

21-year-old Kirill Tereshin has been sharing pictures and videos of his 24-inch biceps on social media, leading to him being slammed by both critics and doctors, who warn that his actions could have serious side effects.

Tereshin, from Pyatigorsk, Russia, began the risky injections after leaving the army this past summer, the Daily Mail reports. He began injecting enhancement oil, commonly known as synthol, into his biceps and triceps to enhance their appearance. In just 10 days, his biceps grew 10 inches, but it came with a cost.

“In order to reach such a size, you need to inject liters into your arms,” Tereshin, who first began by injecting 250 mL into his arms, said “I was doing it and getting a fever of up to 40 degrees, I was lying in bed, feeling like I was dying, but then it all turned out fine.”

Since starting his regimen, which includes the injections and working out, he said that his body weight has increased from 137lbs to 150lbs. But doctors and fellow bodybuilders are urging Tereshin to stop the injections now before he causes permanent damage.

“He could lose movement in his arms, the muscles could turn into ballast that he won’t be able to use to lift things. He could end up disabled,” Doctor Yuriy Serebryanskiny warned.

Doctors have also stated that synthol injections can lead to paralysis, pulmonary embolisms, nerve damage, infections, sclerosing lipogranuloma, stroke, and oil-filled cysts and ulcers on the muscles.

“You can see it in his face, there is something unhealthy about it,” professional powerlifter Kirill Sychev said. “This is a person who needs complex medical help. Not just to drain his arms and detox his blood, but also psychiatric help.”

Synthol, which is made up of 85 percent oil, 7.5 percent lidocaine, and 7.5 percent alcohol, is not illegal and is easily available online despite the dangerous side effects. It is commonly used by bodybuilders to help enhance muscles before competitions.