The story of Arlindo Anomalia is a very sad one because of the fact that many people are offended at the very notion that this man was a bodybuilder. The fact of the matter is he did not lift like a bodybuilder, did not eat like a bodybuilder and did not have the physique of a bodybuilder. What he had was huge arms which were the product of a home brew concoction of what is known as “synthol.” Ironically, Synthol is an actual product that’s been trademarked and uses a completely different oil-based product than what a lot of the guys that you see from Brazil and Eastern Europe call “synthol.”
At the end of the day oil is oil right? Well not exactly. There is a difference but it’s not a significant one. The bottom line is that Synthol covers a wide gamut of different substances that are used by bodybuilders, but not the “bodybuilders” like Arlindo.
The difference between those guys and the guys that we see competing for top titles at the amateur and professional level is that the guys that are competing for pro cards generally are also abusing anabolic steroids as well and have developed a foundation in muscle that is enhanced by chemicals. To an outsider the previous statement would almost seem nonsensical. It would seem as if we are comparing one group of drug addicts to another group of drug addicts. But that’s not what I’m saying. The loyal readers of IronMag understand the difference. I’m still going to take a little bit of extra time to explain it a little bit to some of our newer mainstream type readers. Because with our publication we reach a very wide audience and the last thing I want to do is seem like I don’t care about people new to the sport. We always care about people new to the sport because we want them to stay awhile and help us grow bodybuilding and strength-based training.
There are guys that rely solely on oil to develop body parts. Those people are people like Arlindo was. It’s sad because it’s so abundantly clear that they are oiling up their body parts – their body parts don’t really move. There’s no difference between – for example Arlindo’s arms cold and Arlindo’s arms flexed. There is no pumping-up to be had, either, because we’re not talking about muscle. We’re talking about oil. So the arm looks the same at all times. And what makes the situation worse is the fact that the oil can burst at any point in time. Its effects are not limited to creating scar tissue, but they can also cause infection. A lot of the time guys like Arlindo are not using sterile syringes, they don’t understand the very serious risks involved when it comes to injecting concoctions into their arms, and oftentimes it’s too late before they seek medical attention.
We have seen some of these alleged bodybuilders have arms amputated, legs amputated, and even die. And that’s exactly what I suspect happened to Arlindo. Again, it’s very sad because people like Arlindo come from very poor countries with very few resources. This was possibly the only way that he could become famous. I mean why on Earth they would put him on television is beyond me. His physique looked comical and almost stupid. But at the end of the day he was such a freak that for that very reason a lot of these stupid TV shows put him on the air. They weren’t admiring him, they were probably making fun of him, and to his face.
I really hate to talk about the dead this way but guys like Arlindo are often ridiculed on the message boards. Nobody wants to look like that. And what’s sad is that they know it. They can read the feedback but they’re just so enthralled to have attention that they just keep doing it to themselves. It’s not a question of injecting yourself once or twice, but these guys have to inject this crap on a pretty regular basis.
And unlike the more sophisticated site enhancing oils that are used in moderation by some top bodybuilders today, what guys like Arlindo are using are essentially homebrewed concoctions. Not only are the ingredients a lot more dangerous, but they are mixed in unsanitary type places, they are injected in unsanitary type fashions, and after years and years of this reckless behavior, their lives are pretty much over. Again I don’t know what Arlindo died from, but who dies at 51 years of age? And who would want to look like this?
Arlindo had no teardrops in his quads, he didn’t have ripped abdominals, he didn’t have any kind of pec development, he just had oil in his arms, pecs, delts, and whatever muscle group he wanted to make look huge. Why anyone would call that bodybuilding?
At the end of the day I think Arlindo’s life must have been very sad. And if anything, it angers me that the media of his country not only gave him attention but pretty much encouraged him to continue doing this to himself. Some people might say that he lived on his own terms and that he was very happy with whatever life he had but I think that’s a cop-out. I think that a lot of these talk shows and news shows are guilty of taking advantage of simple-minded people from very humble origins that will do anything to feel like stars. They will lie to their face and they will totally exploit them. Something tells me that these stupid shows probably didn’t pay him any money and certainly didn’t help him change his way of life. They preyed on him and they used him! They got what they wanted and then when they were done with him – he died. That’s basically how I see it. And Arlindo’s is not an isolated case. There are countless other synthol freaks waiting to take his place. People with very little education, very little opportunity, looking for any way to go viral.
I mean what supplement company would want to have Arlindo as a sponsored athlete? Who in their right mind would pay a guy like Arlindo to train them or help them take charge of their lives? It’s absurd. Nobody would.
At the end of the day everybody made fun of him and if you want to call that fame, I guess you could, but I call it depressing. Maybe the people in his immediate circle with the same level of education and the same lack of opportunity thought he was something to talk about, but in reality it’s a very sad tale. And it also speaks to a larger issue. This desire that people have to go viral and be influencers is surreal. They might not have a pot to piss in or know how they’re going to buy their next meal, but because they have a big following on Instagram and because people are double tapping on their posts, that’s the highest sense of achievement.
It’s certainly a very sad part of what we call reality. People’s sense of priorities are totally out of whack. I mean who would inject cooking oil, rubbing alcohol and whatever else they can find into their muscle with the hope of making it look huge? it’s just such a sad state of affairs. These guys would NEVER have been included in the magazines.
What do you think of these oiled up goofballs? I know that site enhancing oils are used by bodybuilders and I know that things like pmma are used as well, but nobody in their right mind would ever confuse a top amateur or top professional athlete with guys like Arlindo Anomalia. I guess everybody that enhances their physique is being used to a certain extent. I guess that is a subjective type analysis but at the end of the day I think that we can see a pretty glaring distinction between the two groups of people.
I can’t say that Arlindo inspired anyone to do anything positive in their life. I would love to be able to conclude this article with a positive message and something endearing for Arlindo’s family and friends and fans to read but there just isn’t anything. I would simply say that Arlindo was a victim to the times. He was a victim of the insatiable desire of some people to be famous and how the media exploits people and gets everything they want out of them and then throws them away. That’s how I would describe this very sad tale of a man of humble origins with little resources who wanted to strike it big.
And what did striking it big actually get him? Did he have a nice car, a nice house? I don’t think he had any of that. I think all he had was what he thought was fame and he paid with his life for it.
What do you think of these Synthol freaks? Do you think this trend will ever end? As always , thanks for reading my article here at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It is guaranteed to generate lovely conversation.
Author Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the owner http://StrengthAddicts.com , a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for Iron Magazine, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.
