Fitness enthusiast Chuck “Kali Muscle” Kirkendall has had enough of performance-enhancing drugs. In a recent YouTube video with the Anabolic Doc, he reflected on his heart attack, using steroids, and discussed why he chose to try out bodybuilding.
Turning his life around as a young adult, Kali Muscle overcame a prison stint to find success online. He boasts huge followings on YouTube and Instagram, where he routinely walks fans through his unconventional ways of dieting and training.
As a bodybuilder, Kali Muscle made waves at contests with a ripped build but received even more notoriety for his eccentric personality. In 2021, Muscle suffered from a heart attack as a result of a 100% clogged artery. In the wake of his health scare, he’s made it a mission to warn fans and competitors about the dangers of PEDs.
Following the late Cedric McMillan’s death at 44 last year (2022), Kali Muscle hopes to see changes in the sport, most notably in regard to steroid abuse. Similar to Seth Feroce, Muscle urged competitors to stop taking excessive amounts of drugs. He went as far as to call out Andrew Jacked and Nick Walker, stressing, “All heart attacks are preventative.”
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Kali Muscle Talks Health Issues, Recaps Moment Before Heart Attack: “I Woke Up from the Dead”
Despite taking 3-4 months away from gear annually, Kali Muscle still had a heart attack and believes poor diet/steroids had something to do with it.
“I was always scared of health issues. I’ve always had a problem since I was young. My right ankle and foot would retain water. So, I was always concerned with that, and scared, really. Even when I did shows, I would take diuretics or whatever, and I would look at that foot and it wouldn’t be shredded and hard like I wanted it.”
He added that he was on Stan Efferding’s Vertical Diet at the time of his heart attack.
“I ate a vertical diet by Stan Efferding. It’s beef and rice with broth. I do something I never do – I’m lactose intolerant and I don’t eat ice cream but this night I had an ice cream sandwich, went to sleep at 12am, it was like I woke up from the dead. I was dead asleep. I just popped up. Hold on, what’s going on it feels like I have heartburn. I told my wife to get me some heartburn medication.”
“The only way I found it felt better is if I sat on the couch on my knees, it relieved the little burning sensation. After about 30 minutes of being in that position I got cold sweats and I started vomiting like I’ve never seen in my life,” said Kali Muscle.
“Don’t think it won’t happen to you. I thought, you know what I mean, I didn’t think it would happen to me because I was taking off every 3-4 months out of the year. I thought I was eating healthy but I look back, I wasn’t. It’s unnecessary. If your testosterone is not low, if you’re 35-40, and your test is normal, don’t even get on it. There’s no need. All you have to do is eat healthy.”
Considering his low testosterone levels, Muscle shared that he planned to get back on testosterone replacement therapy.
“I feel good, but I’m going to hop on some TRT though because you see my test is at 280. I’m dealing with a wellness clinic now.”
Kali Muscle Reveals Flex Wheeler, Ronnie Coleman, and Shawn Ray as Bodybuilding Influences
Before he committed to bodybuilding, Muscle shared that his early inspirations were Flex Wheeler, eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, and Shawn Ray.
“You know how nattys say about guys on roids, I was one of those guys. So, I understand. Them all juice heads! I don’t need no roids, I’ve binged more than them. They don’t even lift heavy. Yeah, that’s how you know. I was anti-steroid, anti-drugs, then it just took from my mentor to tell me that I got what it takes. I thought there was a lot of money in it, so that was my reason for getting into bodybuilding.
Flex Wheeler, Ronnie, Shawn Ray, they put up this image – I’m like wow, Arnold. I’m like man, I’m going to try to get some of that money,” shared Kali Muscle. “I had did the West Coast Classic in 2014. I would look good, you know at this point I said I was done before then. I looked good. There’s a show next week, I’m going to go do it. I just dropped my carbs a little bit went in and won superheavyweight and the overall show,” said Kali Muscle.
Aside from steroids and bodybuilding talk, Kali has been open with fans about some of his obscure diet plans. Over the last few weeks, he took on an all-watermelon diet, and updated fans on his ninth day of eating like a ‘fruitarian.’ Ultimately, Muscle revealed that the nutrition plan helped him drop down to 188 pounds.
That was far from Kali’s first downsized physique update. In July, he showed off a trimmer build, which he credited to living a life without performance-enhancing drugs. Given that his testosterone levels are low, Muscle intends to hop back on TRT in the months to come.
As for cardiovascular health, Kali Muscle continues to warn the younger generation about the dangers of steroids. With bodybuilders dying at an alarming rate, he hopes his message is well received.
RELATED: Kali Muscle Says Steroids ‘A Waste of Time, ‘I’m a Natty Right Now, My Testosterone Level is 280’
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