Yes it might seem absurd when we think about a giant green Hulk leaping across buildings
and causing mayhem in his path. Yes an average Joe would die of exposure to intense gamma
radiation if exposed directly to it. But despite the real world limitations, there are very
much real life Hulks that prove you don’t have to rip your pants during transformation
and being green is not part of the resume requirement to become the Hulk. Grab your
popcorn because here are the top 10 real life Hulks you don’t want to mess with.
Romario Dos Santos Alves
Romario Dos Santos Alves is a Brazilian bodybuilder who wanted to bulk up, starting at the age
of 15. Due to lack of seeing any results, Romario started depending on injections filled
with mineral oil to achieve the exaggerated bulked up features of the character Hulk.
He pumped mineral oil in his body to such an extent that he ended up getting 20 inch
arms, along with being addicted to the oil for nine months straight. Romario aspired
to be big and wanted people to give him respect, which is why he started injecting himself
with it. As he started seeing results, which he wanted, he became more addicted to it.
With high volumes of the oil going in him, in time Romario started seeing abnormal changes
in his body. He started feeling sick and got breathing problems as his energy levels dropped.
In his abnormal transformation endeavours, his wife Marisangela Marinho got worried for
her husband’s health and gave him an ultimatum that she would leave him if he didn’t stop.
On the news of his wife’s pregnancy, Romario decided to turn a new leaf and go drug free
as he considered his wife and child more important than being the real life Hulk.
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The Iranian Hulk
Sajad Gharibi is 24 year old Iranian weightlifter. The big guy has taken up the title of the
‘Iranian Hulk.’ Looking at this physique, it’s no surprise why. He is also known as
the ‘Persian Hercules.’ Standing at 6’1”, Gharibi has an imposing
physique and can lift up to 400 pounds. The 350-pound man has a huge following on social
media as everyone is in awe by his impressive physique. With around 60,000 followers on
Instagram, there is no stopping him. With a lot of attention also comes along scepticism
and some people have suspected his photographs to be doctored. That is still debatable. Gharibi
has strong aspirations to join wrestling and in one of his social media posts, he has warned
famous WWE wrestler Triple H that he is coming soon. The guys on the arena better watch out.
The man has a lot of self-confidence and his massive arms could sure throw a good punch
or two. While some of us hit the gym to look good for the next Instagram photo, the ‘Iranian
Hulk’ has made it a mission to become the biggest and best possible version and the
next time if we see the man doing signature moves in the WWE ring, we sure hope that he
goes easy on his opponents.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
We all know about this Austrian-American actor and his Hollywood popularity. Starring in
action movies like True Lies, Terminator, Conan the Barbarian, The Predator, to name
a few, Arnie has come a long way since his professional bodybuilding days. You walk in
a gym and see the man’s pictures of his prime decorating the walls, flexing his biceps.
He has been the persona in the bodybuilding business that everyone looks up to. Arnold’s
story is a true rags to riches kind and he has become an iconic image when you think
of big action movie stars and bodybuilding. He’s synonymous with both mediums. Lifting
weights since the age of 15 and going on to win the Mr. Universe title at the age of 20,
Arnold has been skilled in whatever he does, especially during his time working on every
muscle of his body. His attention to aesthetics in bodybuilding has been important for other
bodybuilders and people in general, who want to look and feel good or compete. Many exercise
programs are blueprints of his regime. Lifting heavy weights like a piece of cake, Arnold
made good use of his physique later on when it came to being a badass cyborg in The Terminator
series or an alien butt kicking soldier in The Predator. Arnie actually auditioned for
the 1970s Incredible Hulk show, but was turned down for actor Lou Ferrigno. Never fear Arnie,
because in our eyes you are the real life Hulk one surely shouldn’t mess with.
Strongman Brian Shaw
The American professional strongman Brian Shaw proudly sits in this list of real life
Hulks. The winner of 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016 World’s Strongest Man competitions,
he is a sight to behold. Standing proud at 6’8, Brian isn’t green, but he sure is
mean when you look at his size and the amount of weights he lifts as if they were jelly.
He is known for being the first to win the World’s Strongest Man and the Arnold Strongman
Classic competition in the same year, in 2011 and 2015. Holding many strength records under
his belt like the 820 pound squat and the 880 pound deadlift, his strength is as much
unrivalled as his diet that is required to maintain it. During trips to the grocery store,
he shells out about $622 and the food lasts him approximately five days. This also includes
14 kg of meat for himself and that doesn’t even occupy a lot of space on his shopping
list. His 12,000 calorie diet consists of cereal, eggs, peanut butter, ground beef,
breadsticks and pasta, to name a few, and Brian indulges in seven meals a day to fulfil
his diet goals. The day in the life of a strongman is never easy and you see that in a number
of video series of the athlete, showing off his intense training that goes into him preparing
for the competitions and being at peak perfection to take on anyone who crosses his path.
The Asian Hulk
Looking at pictures of Hwang Chul Soon, one would imagine him to be buffed since he was
in diapers. But what's in common between him and Hulk’s alter ego Bruce Banner? You guessed
right. He was skinny and a victim of bullying. Taking matters into his hands and running
on the road towards immense physical transformation, he got what he wanted. Weighing in at 220
pounds at 5’9”, Soon became bigger and meaner like we all see him today. He is also
known as the Korean Conan, Asian Aesthetics and the Seoul Swole, but we can also coin
him as the ‘Asian Hulk.’ He is an example of someone facing his fears of bullying and
using that to alter his body into pure muscle, which required his dedication of 12 years.
The guy doesn’t just show off his physique, but he has also taken part in many fitness
and bodybuilding competitions. Soon has taken up first place in the 2012 Musclemania World
Championship and the 2014 Musclemania Universe. Like many others in the bodybuilding business,
he adheres to a high protein diet and other supplements along with fruits and vegetables.
Even though he has been suspected of taking steroids, Soon denies it and is sticking to
his guns. Looks like he won’t be ditching his Hulk mode avatar anytime soon.
The Great Khali
Dalip Singh Rana, also known by his stage name “The Great Khali,” is a force to
be reckoned with. Coming from a small town in India, the 7 foot tall Hulk has made a
name for himself in the WWE world. He is the first Indian wrestler to enter the WWE ring
in 2006 and looking at his built and rough physical exterior, he is one intimidating
guy. Before entering the wrestling arena and smashing people’s heads with his bare hands,
the giant was involved in a bodybuilding career. The wrestler suffers from Gigantism, a condition
under which the pituitary gland produces more growth hormone, leading to unstoppable growth.
Because of Khali’s unique physical prowess, an fellow Indian bodybuilder recognized his
talents and thus he used the opportunity to take part in domestic and regional level competitions.
With a swap in career choices, he joined WWE and with that he became a popular face in
the wrestling sport. Defeating the likes of WWE superstars like The Undertaker, John Cena,
Kane and Shawn Michaels, the “giant from the East” has proven time and again that
he is not to be messed with. We will take him for his word and kindly oblige him by
staying away, especially during his angry moments.
The English Hulk
Edward Hall ‘strongman’ is an English professional lifter. Similar to Brian Shaw,
this guy is another beast that teaches us that we don’t have to subject ourselves
to freak accidents in order to take the mantle of the next real life Hulk. He has officially
taken the crown of Britain’s strongest man title. Looking at Eddie, it's easy to jump
to thinking that aggression and a lot of testosterone are flowing through his body. But in person
Hall is a gentle giant.
Following a strict routine and feeding himself copious amounts of food, serving himself 10,000
calories a day, he uses that fuel to train hard and hone is body for the purpose of being
the strongman. With the nature of the tournaments, Hall mentions how strongmen have to shake
up their training as well and tailor it to every event. It is never constant. The man
gives credit to strength in the strongman competitions, but he emphasizes a lot more
on technique itself. This mean green machine has a lot of aspirations and wants to try
other things like Olympic bodybuilding and weightlifting, once he gets a hold of the
World’s Strongest Man title. Compared to other strongmen, Hall wants to reach a point
where he is considered a role model in a sense that children get inspired to follow their
dreams, especially when others deem them as impossible.
Becca Swanson
Who says being the Marvel gamma radiated green goliath is restricted to men. Becca Swanson
is the real life She-Hulk, the cousin of Bruce Banner who got an emergency blood transfusion
from the scientist, which explains her transformation. Swanson is an American powerlifter who has
set many records. She is the only woman to squat 854 pounds, benchpress 600 pounds and
deadlift 683 pounds. She is so good at her game that many of her feats are unrivalled.
She was operating in the late 90’s and the early 2000’s and she has an impressive resume
of bodybuilding, professional wrestling, powerlifting and strong woman competitions. With a height
of 5’10 and weighing no less than 242 pounds, and added to that Swanson’s strength and
muscles mixed in together, she is the She-Hulk one would never cross. Her physical prowess
and ability to remain unmatched in various competitive events clearly makes her the winner
in the strongwoman category.
She defines what it truly means when it comes to girl power and she sure means business.
Big hands Denis Cyplenkov
If you picture Hulk as someone who smashes whatever he comes across with his massive
hands, then Denis Cyplenkov is the perfect contender to replace the green fighting machine.
The Ukranian-born arm wrestling champion happens to have big hands and knows what to do with
them. He has taken part in many competitions and won as well, like the Nemiroff World Cup
in 2010 and 2011. Along with that, he also has several Russian Arm Wrestling Championship
titles. Known for the biggest biceps (64 cm circumference) and ginormous hands (24 cm),
one could easily imagine Cyplenkov creating sonic blasts like the Hulk. When you compare
his hands to normal people, everything is dwarfed next to him. It’s no wonder that
many have fallen to dust in arm wrestling events when they are competing against Cyplenkov.
He has gotten attention by many thanks to his abnormally large hands.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
You all might be wondering why the ‘Brahma Bull’ has taken a spot on this list. When
you look at Dwayne Johnson and his irresistible charismatic demeanour, you simply just can’t
ignore the guy. His bulging biceps and toned physique are a sight to behold and he is no
less than the Hulk. We all know Johnson as ‘The Rock,’ his stage name during his
career in WWE as a pro wrestler in the 1990s and 2000s. We have seen the man do his signature
moves and his wrestling entrance theme has been ingrained in our minds. We have been
exposed to many of his Hollywood ventures and reality shows. His infectious personality
has gone with him a long way since his wrestling days and like the green giant, he is unstoppable.
Did you know his family was in the wrestling world before Johnson stepped in the ring?
He carried forward the lineage by taking part in wrestling and the rest like everyone knows,
became history.
The Rock takes part in mindboggling meal plans and workouts, which only make sense because
they apply to him. The range of products in association with him have proven super successful.
‘The bull’ just doesn’t know how to stop, and because of his relentless passion
to reach higher goals, his net worth tag of $220 million as of 2018 comes as a no brainer.
We are all waiting for that imminent call from Nick Fury to make sure Dwanye Johnson
is part of the Avengers. He can sure knock Thanos senseless and not turn into dust in
the process.
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