The young man with the charming expression to the left of this text is nine-year-old Giuliano.
Like many boys his age, Giuliano wants to be big, strong and tough. But unlike most boys his age, Giuliano is already big and strong. In fact, his lean little figure is as close as the human body gets to actual ‘pure muscle’.
Giuliano and his younger brother Claudiu Stroe, seven, are from Romania. The two little boys have recently become an internet phenomenon, with photos of their mini body building efforts going seriously viral.
Their father, Lulian Stroe, has had his sons doing four-hour weight training sessions since they were in nappies. And now dad has taken to posting their training and successes on YouTube and Facebook in the hope they’ll become famous.
And it’s working.
Giuliano’s Facebook page has over one million fans and his official YouTube video channel has huge growing audience numbers too.
The nine-year-old’s muscles aren’t just for online show either; he holds the world record for 90 degree push-ups and for doing chin-ups on a vertical pole.
But – as I’m sure you can probably imagine having seen the images for yourself – not everyone is comfortable with the sort of strain these little guys are putting on their bodies.
Many commentators are weighing in, saying that they are worried it’s cruel and unhealthy to make such young boys train so hard every day. And also that initiating a body-building obsession in kids so young isn’t the best thing for their mental health.
Top Comments
What I find sad about this is that children across the globe are enduring such grotesque poverty, some literally starving to death, while a handful of people hoard more money than they can spend in a lifetime.
This is really sick. Poor ignorant people pushing their children to profit from them. This is child abuse.