DOES KALI MUSCLE USE STEROIDS?

Mention Kali Muscle among those who know something about the bodybuilding business, and you are certain to raise eyebrows. This is one of the most colorful figures in the bodybuilding area, so no wonder. This is the man who went from serving time for robbery to drawing more than 2 million on social media.

His story is a fascinating one that is packed with drama, grit, determination, and a generous dose of controversy. He probably evokes admiration as much as hatred among millions of watchers.

What is most interesting about Kali is that his career started out recently, yet he has rocketed his way up to be among the most talked-about champion. So what makes him tick? And more importantly, where is the truth regarding the rumors swirling about that his success rides on steroids? Is he really natty as he fervently insists? We are soon to find out.

Kali Muscle and his background 

Kali’s past is anything but conventional. He was born Chuck Kirkendall in 1975 in Oakland, California, a tough neighborhood teeming with crime and gangs. There is no certainty, however, if Chuck Kirkendall is his real name. Kali Muscle is the name he prefers to go by, but he states that for reasons of wanting his gang not to recognize him, he keeps his real name secret.

Kali and his step-dad didn’t get along very well, which is one reason he was drawn to bodybuilding. Apparently, his step-dad was violent towards him. Kali’s progress was rapid as he excelled in track and wrestling and even earned a football scholarship from Fresno State University. At this point, tragedy struck when his younger brother was killed when he accidentally shot himself.

Kali’s life took a downward spiral after this, and he veered into crime. He ended up serving 7 years at the San Quentin State University Prison for an armed burglary crime.

In the bleak prison years that followed, Kali took up his old love of bodybuilding and trained hard. He first trained with weights, and then the prison guards came and took it away. They suspected that the weights could serve as weapons. Despite the challenges, he had to devise new ways of training without weights inside the prison. The workouts were based on plyometrics, and they consisted of squats, burpees, crunches, and push-ups. Kali was consistent, unfailingly keeping to his exercises each day. He credits bodybuilding as what offered him a path of reforming his life and putting his criminal past behind him.

When he was finally released, Kali involved himself more intensely in his career and signed up for shows. He did quite well, winning the Mr. California title in 2012.

Evidence of steroids

What’s the evidence that Kali isn’t as natty as he claims? Let’s look at a few pointers.

• Vascularity – Kali has always been big from years ago, but when it comes to vascularity, this is a new thing altogether. If you look at some of his more recent photos, you will notice conspicuous veins that were missing in his earlier pictures. This is a strong hint that Kali could be using steroids.
• History of Gains – one of the most excellent indicators of whether someone has been on steroids is the gains over time. See any dramatic spike in gains at a particular point in time? Steroids could explain that one can’t make such gains naturally. When you work out and train naturally, the gains tend to come slowly with time. Kali’s gains can be seen on YouTube, and there seems to be a tremendous change between 2009 and 2015. One of the things that you quickly notice is the huge traps he has grown. Traps are one of the first places you will notice some change if you are running steroids. Another is the prominent rounded shoulders that Kali shows. He also displays a bloated or bigger waist is another effect of steroids.
• Bloated stomach? – It’s one of the signs that easily outs you as a steroid user. A distended stomach isn’t something that you get if you are natural. Kali does, have an enlarged stomach, as is evident from some of his latest photos. It’s yet another sign of steroid use.
• Didn’t he get drug tested? – NPC is supposed to be a natural organization where you compete to clinch your ticket to compete in the IFBB. Kali competed and won in it, so should we assume he is natural? Unfortunately, NPC does not live up to its billing as a drug-free platform for competitors. Their drug policies seem designed to make you actually use rather than to refrain from using PEDs (performance enhancement drugs). For example, they only test players after the contest.

There is no random testing that can help catch the competitors when they least expect it and dissuade them from using the substances. So it’s an open secret that guys who take part in NPC contests are taking all sorts of drugs and no one is stopping them. So does this mean Kali isn’t natty for competing and winning in NPC? Not necessarily, but it doesn’t leave us assured that he isn’t using steroids. Kali could have helped his case if he ran in competitions that provide strict testing protocols for natural competitions. Federations like IBNA or BNBF require you to go through random tests throughout the year as well as blood, urine, and lie- detector tests.

• High blood pressure – Does Kali show signs of high blood pressure? It certainly seems so when you are looking at some of the videos where he is featured giving interviews. When you have a blood pressure problem, you tend to make pauses when talking to catch your breath or as if gasping for air. This happens because not enough oxygen is reaching your body as the blood flow isn’t the best. So you show signs of strain as you exert yourself, even when talking. Some drugs are known to cause your blood pressure to jump, such as insulin. Kali’s performance suggests that he could be using insulin, yet he has denied taking any supplements. This, in turn, makes you doubt his steroid- use denials since it casts a shadow on his honesty in general. Keep in mind, however, that high blood pressure has lots of other causes besides insulin, so we can’t be sure about Kali using insulin.

• Synthetic appearance – what better evidence can you have against nattiness than this? It’s the best you can do, and Kali seems to show this in photos. If you look closely at synthetic muscle, you will see that it’s not the same as natural muscle. Some people compare it to a filled balloon.

• What does he say himself? – To the swelling tide of accusations that he is using steroids, Kali has a consistent answer. He says he didn’t use steroids and that his circumstances in prison made it impossible for him to have access to steroids. He even adds that this would be made even more difficult given he is black, and black people don’t get any privileges. Kali doesn’t just stop here. He also claims to have used no supplements after getting out of jail. Why? Because he had made all the masculine gains he needed while in prison, so he didn’t need help with the supplements. Kali claims that the bulk of his gains came during his prison time when he was doing 4,000 calories a day.

That came from tuna and ramen, which is Japanese noodle soup. This is a ridiculous claim which we need to examine carefully. No one thinks that Kali used steroids in jail. That part of his claims rings true as it is probably impossible to get steroids supplied to you in jail. However, we need to note at what point Kali experienced the turnaround in his physique that eventually won him fame and success. Visible changes have been observed in his body after he got out of jail, which suggests he may have started using PEDs (performance enhancement drugs) in his post-prison years.

Kali is probably not being honest in his denials of steroid use. But at least in one respect, he is refreshing. He doesn’t dodge or skirt around the issue when confronted about it, unlike other bodybuilders. His response is a firm no.

Is there evidence refuting Kali’s use of steroids? – Other than his own denials, there is no good evidence you will find showing that Kali doesn’t use steroids. So you can be sure that what we have got here so far is good enough to prepare us to give a verdict.

Verdict

To have a good guess at if someone is using steroids, you don’t have to do a blood test or get any of his body samples. Sure the tastes will get rid of any possible doubts but outward appearances can also help you tell whether someone is getting some “help”. Based on this, one has to conclude that Kali Muscle uses something and this could possibly be legal steroids.