Illia “Golem” Yefimchyk, known as “the most monstrous bodybuilder” and “Mutant”, died on September 8, his wife Anna announced on social media. He was 36 years old.
The 6-foot, 340-pound Belarusian athlete — who famously maintained his 25-inch biceps through intense exercise, steroid use and a “monster diet” of 16,500 calories a day in seven daily meals — suffered a heart attack on Sept. 6 before falling into a coma, Australia’s 7 News reported.
According to CNN, he was airlifted to a hospital, where he died two days later.
“I spent every day with him, hoping, and his heart started beating again for two days,” Anna told local media, 7 News reports. “But the doctor told me the terrible news that his brain had died,”
“I thank everyone for their condolences,” she added. “I am very glad to realize that I am not left alone in this world, and so many people have offered me help and support.”
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Bodybuilding Instagram account @whoisthebestbb led the tribute to Yefimchyk, calling him a “340 LBS beast.” and wrote next to his photo: “Rest in peace ♥️🙏🏻.”
Despite not competing professionally, Yefimchyk boasted more than 300,000 followers on Instagram and regularly spoke to fans about his daily lifestyle as a bodybuilder in YouTube clips.
He earned praise from his audience for being completely transparent about his process, including the supplements and growth hormones he would be taking. Back in 2020, he spoke to a bodybuilding magazine Muscle development about his transformation.
Just two years ago, I was eating 7,000-8,000 calories a day and I was sure it was impossible to eat more than that, Yefimchyk said at the time. “My goal was to eat 10,000 calories a day, but I doubted I could do it.”
Ilija Jefimčik.
Illia Yefimchyk/Instagram
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He said that as a teenager he wanted to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. “I watched movies like Terminator and Ramboand I wanted to be big and muscular like them. I wanted to be the Hulk, to be so big that everyone would notice,” he told the news outlet.
“I had no books or magazines to look at, and [the] At that time, the Internet was just coming to our premises, so it was too expensive for most of us. All I knew was that I wanted to have Arnold’s chest and biceps,” Yefimchyk added.
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Speaking about his workouts, Yefimchyk said: “My sets can range from three to six reps or even 20. One day my workouts will be more like a bodybuilder with more reps and a faster pace, another day I might be more rest and go more for lower reps like a powerlifter.”
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Source: HIS Education