Everyone has got to start somewhere.
Even the biggest muscle sharks in the world probably started out as puny wimps with pea-shooter arms.
(With the exception of The Rock who we imagine was born with 20-inch biceps).
Yes, some might have great genes, the best personal trainers, and top dieticians, but seeing the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots of the top muscle guys gives us all a glimmer of hope that one day, with enough effort, we too could be hench.
The Rock
The Rock has always been pretty beefy. Photos of him looking sparrow-thin are pretty scarce to be honest.
But look at the Dwayne Johnson of 10 years ago and you can see how far his physique has come.
If anyone follows Johnson on Instagram you will see why. His workouts are insane.
The only time he’s out of the gym is when he’s filming, sleeping or eating one of his seven meals a day.
He’s added incredible thickness to his chest and arms – and he’s pretty shredded too.
Kali Muscle
Kali Muscle’s story is incredible. The man is billed as going from ‘ex-con to icon’.
The man-monster was a former gang-banger who was locked up in prison in the US for 11 years.
But he certainly didn’t sit on his a*se during that stretch – he was hitting the gym every single day.
Can you tell? Even when the guards confiscated the barbells, he would use human weights – squatting with fellow prisoners on his back.
Yes he’s a bodybuilder, but his physique is also incredibly functional – he’s 255lbs but can do 14 strict muscle-ups.
But look at Kali as a teen – what a transformation.
Eddie Hall
If you’ve ever seen Eddie Hall he’s an absolute monster of a man.
Despite being the tender age of 26, the strongman weighs a staggering 27st.
The man eats 10,000 calories a day to shift the kind of weight needed to be among the top 10 strongmen in the world.
And he just beat the world deadlift record too.
But he wasn’t always the hulking strongman we know and love. Here’s a photo of a teenager with some tiny dumbells. You can see those abs though.
Lazar Angelov
Lazar Angelov has one of the most recognisable physiques in the world.
You might not know the name, but somewhere along the line you will have seen that iron-clad six-pack.
He has been on TV, adverts, music videos and his Instagram boasts quite a few followers.
The Bulgarian used to be a basketballer before becoming a bodybuilder and physique model and says he has done it all without steroids.
You can see the transformation from 2010 – yes he had the size and raw potential, but the aesthetics and definition in the second shot are mind-blowing.
Rick Hall
As far as body transformations go, Rick Hall is up with the best of them.
Before, Rick was a self-confessed ‘pro gamer’ who loved to drink and party (as you can see from the ‘before’ shot on the left.)
But boozing, smoking and staying up until the small hours isn’t really compatible with making gainz. So Rick ditched the booze, joined the gym and four years later this is the result.
He packed on 100lbs of lean muscle.
Now Rick is a fitness model, business owner and boasts a set of abs you could grate a carrot on.
This should give everyone some motivation.
Ronnie Coleman
Ronnie Coleman is one of the greatest bodybuilders that ever lived.
You only have to look at his record.
He has an incredible eight straight Mr Olympia titles to his name – that’s even more than the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But this transformation didn’t happen overnight. Just look at the shot of Ronnie as a 165lb youngster and you can see the work he’s had to put in.
Building muscle is all about consistency – making small gains week in, week out add up to big gains eventually. No-one is a greater testament to this than Ronnie.
