When Brazilian bodybuilder Arlindo de Souza flexes his biceps, he looks like a modern-day Hercules.
Truth is, he's not as strong as his 29-inch biceps would have you believe, because they're not solely the result of pumping iron.
De Souza, 43, gets his massive musculature by injecting a concoction of mineral oil and alcohol into his body.
The man known as "The Mountain" can't lift any more weight than before he began with artificial enhancements two years ago, according to Barcroft TV.
De Souza, a bricklayer, wanted to become the big man at his local gym in Olinda, Brazil.
He had already been taking steroids, hormones and horse vitamins when a gym buddy suggested he try a "site enhancement oil" for an extra advantage.
"The guy gave it to me. He said, 'Take this, it will make you grow in days'," de Souza said according to the Mirror. "I loaded the syringe, put it in my arm, injected it and it swelled me up right there and then. To tell you the truth, I didn't feel a thing. There was sometimes a bit of dizziness but nothing apart from that.
"I was working out the same so my strength stayed the same -- nothing changed."
The injections pose great potential risk to bodybuilders.
Doctors claim frequent injections play havoc with muscle tissue and can result in the formation of multiple abscesses which can lead to amputation or death, the New York Post reports.
De Souza says those problems are because people don't know how to properly inject the fake muscle-building concoction.
"Most people who take it do not know how to apply it. They will use just any old blood vessel. Some will end up losing an arm, another needs an operation, some may even lose their lives," he said, according to the International Business Times.
That's what happened to de Souza's deceased good friend, Paulinho.
"I felt his death a lot. He took it, I took it, but he went beyond the limit," de Souza said, according to the Daily Star. "I advise no one to take this oil."
De Souza claims he is no longer injecting, but admits the desire to start back up is always in the back of his mind.
Though he's sought medical attention, he said doctors won't operate because he "did it to himself."
"If I get ill, if my arms burst, that's when I can go and see the doctor," he said. "But for me that's normal and something I've accepted."
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