Mesut Ozil SHOCKING transformation

You will go a long way as a newbie
I know the ways of the Cafe, was a reader long before signing up, I'm fine with 5 posts a day so a newbie I shall be forever. I just call things as it is, a simple point I made became some convoluted phycological breakdown by that poster deserved that response. Besides nothing wild about my response, it was mild, read some of the other posts on this thread if you're looking for extreme. Just seems stuff one side gets ignored but say something remotely on the ''other side'' and they descend. Next thing you're right wing and from the Andrew Tate school of thought etc, not my words, read previous posts. Anyways I digress before the quality control tag gets slammed. (It would be wrong to do so too).
 
People,

Can we cut the swipes at each other.

Broscience and all that comes with it, can still be discussed with decorum.
 
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Definitely isn't. It's not that you can't put on a dramatic amount of muscle in one year, because you can; and you can even put that much muscle on in one year............you just can't put on that much muscle and get that shredded at the same time in such a short period of time.

The giveaway is the side delts. They're too developed for a one year lifter.
Also, he is 35. My understanding is muscle mass peaks when you're a bit younger, so to make such progress at 35 just seems impossible. Granted he literally has all the tools at his disposal (unlimited gym time, proper full time trainers, personal chefs), but it just can't be natural - genetically speaking he used to be very skinny, never had a massive frame. He would literally need to be in the top 0.000001% of genetics for this to happen naturally.
 
Also, he is 35. My understanding is muscle mass peaks when you're a bit younger, so to make such progress at 35 just seems impossible. Granted he literally has all the tools at his disposal (unlimited gym time, proper full time trainers, personal chefs), but it just can't be natural - genetically speaking he used to be very skinny, never had a massive frame. He would literally need to be in the top 0.000001% of genetics for this to happen naturally.
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For reference here he is in 2014

This photo is from 2014. It’s quite possible he was bigger by the beginning of last year. He certainly wasn’t “very skinny” by any normal definition. He was a professional athlete, in decent shape. He’s put on, maybe, 5-10kg of muscle after a year of training hard and eating right and everyone is losing their mind. It’s very strange.
 
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Also, he is 35. My understanding is muscle mass peaks when you're a bit younger, so to make such progress at 35 just seems impossible. Granted he literally has all the tools at his disposal (unlimited gym time, proper full time trainers, personal chefs), but it just can't be natural - genetically speaking he used to be very skinny, never had a massive frame. He would literally need to be in the top 0.000001% of genetics for this to happen naturally.

I'm in my early 30s and regained 15kgs of largely muscle in less than a year. And it's not the first time that I have that kind of growth. People that rarely train underestimate how much you can gain or lose.
 
I'm in my early 30s and regained 15kgs of largely muscle in less than a year. And it's not the first time that I have that kind of growth. People that rarely train underestimate how much you can gain or lose.

The other thing I disagree with in discussions like this is the notion that it’s impossible to get bigger while staying lean. As though the only way to get muscular is by bulking and cutting cycles. If someone is naturally lean to begin with and hasn’t done any serious weight training before it’s perfectly possible to put on several kg of muscle without losing definition. In fact, that’s what most athletes do when they start to train seriously for their sport.
 
This photo is from 2014. It’s quite possible he was bigger by the beginning of last year. He certainly wasn’t “very skinny” by any normal definition. He was a professional athlete, in decent shape. He’s put on, maybe, 5-10kg of muscle after a year of training hard and eating right and everyone is losing their mind. It’s very strange.

I'm in my early 30s and regained 15kgs of largely muscle in less than a year. And it's not the first time that I have that kind of growth. People that rarely train underestimate how much you can gain or lose.
Did you ever think that a lot of people making these comments actually train, which is why they know what it takes to get to Ozil's level? When I started lifting, I also lost a shit load of fat and put on a lot of muscle in my first year. Then each year since, I've gained a little muscle but the first year is the most drastic change. However, the picture quoted above clearly shows that this isn't newbie gains - he has always been in the gym being an athlete. What we're seeing here though is another level.
The other thing I disagree with in discussions like this is the notion that it’s impossible to get bigger while staying lean. As though the only way to get muscular is by bulking and cutting cycles. If someone is naturally lean to begin with and hasn’t done any serious weight training before it’s perfectly possible to put on several kg of muscle without losing definition. In fact, that’s what most athletes do when they start to train seriously for their sport.
No one said it's impossible, but to be as shredded as his picture is an incredible achievement. Maybe the lighting has something to do with it, but those shoulders in one year is insane - look at your 10 year old picture you posted, his upper chest and shoulders are non existent compared to now (and that was already with lifting).
 
Did you ever think that a lot of people making these comments actually train, which is why they know what it takes to get to Ozil's level? When I started lifting, I also lost a shit load of fat and put on a lot of muscle in my first year. Then each year since, I've gained a little muscle but the first year is the most drastic change. However, the picture quoted above clearly shows that this isn't newbie gains - he has always been in the gym being an athlete. What we're seeing here though is another level.

No one said it's impossible, but to be as shredded as his picture is an incredible achievement. Maybe the lighting has something to do with it, but those shoulders in one year is insane - look at your 10 year old picture you posted, his upper chest and shoulders are non existent compared to now (and that was already with lifting).

I think your own experience is colouring your opinion. If you’re carrying a bit of excess body fat to begin with I’m sure it’s a more lengthy process to get muscular and lean. For someone who is starting off with a lean physique it’s really not that difficult to put on a lot of muscle in a fairly short space of time while staying defined like Ozil is (and let’s not forget that’s a carefully chosen photo, with perfect lighting and a serious pump). I’ve done it myself, my 15 year old son is doing it right now (having started weight training at the beginning of his summer holiday) and I’ve seen it happen to loads of other people I played sports with over the years. It’s honestly not that big a deal. For a teetotal, former professional athlete with infinite free time and the best PT money can buy it’s even less surprising.

I also think you’re underestimating the size of Ozil’s chest and shoulders 10 years ago. If he was flexing and pumped like he is in the recent photo they would look a reasonable size. Bigger than most people when they start weight training for the first time anyway.
 
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Did you ever think that a lot of people making these comments actually train, which is why they know what it takes to get to Ozil's level? When I started lifting, I also lost a shit load of fat and put on a lot of muscle in my first year. Then each year since, I've gained a little muscle but the first year is the most drastic change. However, the picture quoted above clearly shows that this isn't newbie gains - he has always been in the gym being an athlete. What we're seeing here though is another level.

I always consider it but people that make these type of comments generally don't, most people don't actually train seriously. In fact I will tell you what I think about Ozil and you tell me what you think about it, none of us can know whether he takes PEDs or not, his growth isn't special, especially if you consider the likelihood of him having a pump before taking the picture. His core is lean but not bulky, his arms aren't particularly big, his lats aren't special, he has good shoulders and traps but nothing special. If he doesn't like pain and tiredness then it is possible that he is on something but it's not necessary to reach his current level.

Also people generally struggle to gain because they don't train properly, most of us have done the same mistakes with wrong loads, intensities, number of reps and not enough rest. That's the main issue for people that are beginners, you gain easily at first in spite of poor methods because the baseline is low and then hit a wall because you need to adjust your workout but don't know how.
 
‘You’ll NEVER believe what this former Arsenal star looks like after retirement’ … click here.
 
Oh and one more thought on this incredibly trivial topic. Ozil's "SHOCKING transformation" seems to be quite common among ex pro footballers these days. 10 or 20 years ago when footballers stopped playing they almost all became fat bastards. Because they were used to eating enough calories to fuel crazy amounts of aerobic exertion. Take away that exercise and next think you know they're a blimp. These days they're all much more health conscious, so hire a PT and transform all those excess calories into muscle. They're all gaining a shit load of muscle when they retire. Even Gary Neville got jacked!
 
I'm in my early 30s and regained 15kgs of largely muscle in less than a year. And it's not the first time that I have that kind of growth. People that rarely train underestimate how much you can gain or lose.
"Muscle memory" is a thing. If Özil had been this big before this transformation would be possible in 1 year.

But this much new clean mass in 1 year is not possible imo.
The thick veins and overproportioned (side) delts are other hints he is juiced.
 
Ton of work not withstanding and he looks great. But it’s utterly laughable if anyone is actually proposing he’s done that naturally.
 
What? I don't think women are particularly attracted by someone that looks like an inflatable, let alone an inflated insect.

Sure, being fitter helps. For any one person, good looking or not, same attitude, humour, etc being fitter will make them more attractive than being a fat slob. No shit Sherlock.

Back in the day I pulled actual models and a soap opera actress despite never having as much as a six-pack.
But how is that contradicting anything from the post you quoted? That post said, that "the reader" probably never was in a position to learn about the effect such a physique has on attention level. Obviously it is a wild guess about whether this applies to the reader but I don't know why anybody would debate the hypothesis that a great physique will lead to more attention. Not from all women, obviously, but that isn't something the post implied. And the 2nd part is that some women will feel intimidated by it. Again - the "some" gives the point away, there is no way this statement can be falsified as long as you haven't spoken to ALL women out there.

Nobody said you have to be shredded or x or y to get attention, nor has anybody said it is prerequisite for getting girls. But just have a look at the effect that male strippers have on some women or even movies like Magic Mike. Being shredded is part of what many consider to be beauty standard. The extent varies of course but claiming this effect wouldn't exist doesn't make sense to me.

Maybe I am misinterpreting the initial post, I can't really understand the reaction it got.
 
This photo is from 2014. It’s quite possible he was bigger by the beginning of last year. He certainly wasn’t “very skinny” by any normal definition. He was a professional athlete, in decent shape. He’s put on, maybe, 5-10kg of muscle after a year of training hard and eating right and everyone is losing their mind. It’s very strange.
Because that's not how muscle development works. That's a huge amount of muscle without putting on fat and developing difficult muscles to develop? He's clearly on steroids m
 
Because that's not how muscle development works. That's a huge amount of muscle without putting on fat and developing difficult muscles to develop? He's clearly on steroids m

How much?

Why is everyone convinced he's put on an outrageous amount of muscle in the last 12 months based on one "after" photo where he is flexing, with a massive pump and the only "before" photo we have is 10 years old, completely relaxed? (in which he already seems to have a decent physique)
 
"Muscle memory" is a thing. If Özil had been this big before this transformation would be possible in 1 year.

But this much new clean mass in 1 year is not possible imo.
The thick veins and overproportioned (side) delts are other hints he is juiced.

Muscle memory is a thing but it's not a counterpoint in this case. Muscle memory is largely based on your vascular system, from memory when you train you stimulates your cardiovascular system and create capillaries, those capillaries are created regardless of the type of regimen you follow. So an athlete such as a Footballer has all the foundations to grow big muscles, they don't because their regimens are tailored for endurance, they do higher reps at lower loads, if they decide to switch and do lower reps at higher loads they already have the metabolic capabilities to feed their muscles, at least way more than someone that starts from scratch.
 
Popular thread, this. You lot just admiring Ozil’s body eh? Fairs
 
Muscle memory is a thing but it's not a counterpoint in this case. Muscle memory is largely based on your vascular system, from memory when you train you stimulates your cardiovascular system and create capillaries, those capillaries are created regardless of the type of regimen you follow. So an athlete such as a Footballer has all the foundations to grow big muscles, they don't because their regimens are tailored for endurance, they do higher reps at lower loads, if they decide to switch and do lower reps at higher loads they already have the metabolic capabilities to feed their muscles, at least way more than someone that starts from scratch.

Yup. Which brings us back to my comment above about ex pro footballers routinely packing on a load of muscle when they retire. That switch away from endurance/aerobic exercise predisposes them to weight gain and if that coincides with effective weight training then they’ll find it a lot easier than the average Joe to put on a load of muscle. Ozil’s taken it a bit further than, say, Gary Neville but they’re all at it these days. The evidence is right there in front of our eyes.
 
Steroids this and steroids that, it makes me laugh how that's the default comment on posts like this all over the internet. You guys act like if you take steroids, you just need to go to sleep, and you'll wake up with muscles. The level of work you still have to put in is insane. Stop reducing it to merely steroids.
Sorry but you do the same work but get better results. That's the cheating aspect.
 
You think like that because 1. if you are a man, you have never been in great shape and had the attention from women, or 2. you are a woman, you have never been able to attract men in really good shape and thus feel intimidated by it.
"if you are not attracted to this, you have issues."

Honestly think you need to rethink where you are putting your self worth. This sounds altogether fragile and honestly hollow to live with.
 
Muscle memory is a thing but it's not a counterpoint in this case. Muscle memory is largely based on your vascular system, from memory when you train you stimulates your cardiovascular system and create capillaries, those capillaries are created regardless of the type of regimen you follow. So an athlete such as a Footballer has all the foundations to grow big muscles, they don't because their regimens are tailored for endurance, they do higher reps at lower loads, if they decide to switch and do lower reps at higher loads they already have the metabolic capabilities to feed their muscles, at least way more than someone that starts from scratch.

Footballers typically do low to mid range reps at high load for strength training. Özil now either does mid to high range reps with (relatively) lighter load, or he cycles through different ranges.
 
Nothing on Fernando Torres. Guy turned into an absolute meathead.

Ozil's transformation doesn't look particularly otherworldly for an elite level athlete. Definite props for him to be disciplined to get in that shape, but I would expect an elite level athlete to have the means and discipline to do so.

Goretzkas transformation and regression is a much bigger sign of PEDs than this.
 
Footballers typically do low to mid range reps at high load for strength training. Özil now either does mid to high range reps with (relatively) lighter load, or he cycles through different ranges.

They don't do much strength training(specifically anaerobic training) most of their training is aerobic training, they mainly work on long reps/long sessions with low load. Some exercise can be at low reps and high load but it's not the core of their training because it's totally opposite to their needs, that type of training would destroy their stamina by building muscles that require lots of fuel.

If you want to gain muscles the best way is to do few reps at a high loads with progressions and keep muscles under tension. If you want to develop muscle stamina you need to do lots of reps at a lighter loads. For most people the best program is between both extremes.
 
Ozil's swollen/puffy looking face immediately reminded me of Conor McGregor, a man who is generally accepted to be juiced to all Christ. The video @Hoof the ball posted on page 2 also makes the same comparison.

I'm not qualified to say whether Ozil is on steroids, or even if/why steroids cause that, but as a general rule I would say that any comparisons to Conor McGregor bode ill for the idea that someone isn't on drugs.
 
Because people just love to tear down someone else's achievements, for no apparent reason.
It has nothing to do with that.
The dangers of roids are far underestimated i think.
Over the years i heard so many guys in gyms talking casually about it, sometimes even joking about how it would be nice if their balls shrank a bit.
Look up what that stuff does to your heart and to your brain.

Fitness Influencers claiming such muscle gain can be obtained in 1 year is like beauty influencers posting photoshopped pictures.
Its a bad influence for our youth and the society as a whole, increases body dismorphia and leads to more and more people taking roids and doing beauty operations because they also want to look like their unnatural role models.
 
It has nothing to do with that.
The dangers of roids are far underestimated i think.
Over the years i heard so many guys in gyms talking casually about it, sometimes even joking about how it would be nice if their balls shrank a bit.
Look up what that stuff does to your heart and to your brain.

Fitness Influencers claiming such muscle gain can be obtained in 1 year is like beauty influencers posting photoshopped pictures.
Its a bad influence for our youth and the society as a whole, increases body dismorphia and leads to more and more people taking roids and doing beauty operations because they also want to look like their unnatural role models.
For me as well the best part of fitness is the journey of self improvement, not necessarily the destination. Sure the physical transformations are a nice indication, but people are now taking "fitness" and applying extremely health damaging methods to achieve "fitness".

I vividly remember my roided up friend at uni walked to my house for pre-drinks before a night out and he couldn't stop sweating once he arrived. But hey, he looked good, right?!
 
For me as well the best part of fitness is the journey of self improvement, not necessarily the destination. Sure the physical transformations are a nice indication, but people are now taking "fitness" and applying extremely health damaging methods to achieve "fitness".

I vividly remember my roided up friend at uni walked to my house for pre-drinks before a night out and he couldn't stop sweating once he arrived. But hey, he looked good, right?!

And financially damaging methods, those things cost a lot.
 
Bear in mind that’s some very flattering lighting with all the shadows and also with a pump. I look like that the morning after a night on the town, in bright light, and I’ve barely worked out in a year. He’d be the smallest guy in most commercial gyms. There’s nothing impressive there. Not for a footballer.
This is exactly what my first thought was. He's on a very low body fat and the lighting along with the pump helps a lot. Just look at the other bicep curl video it isn't as outrageous.
 
It has nothing to do with that.
The dangers of roids are far underestimated i think.
Over the years i heard so many guys in gyms talking casually about it, sometimes even joking about how it would be nice if their balls shrank a bit.
Look up what that stuff does to your heart and to your brain.

Fitness Influencers claiming such muscle gain can be obtained in 1 year is like beauty influencers posting photoshopped pictures.
Its a bad influence for our youth and the society as a whole, increases body dismorphia and leads to more and more people taking roids and doing beauty operations because they also want to look like their unnatural role models.

That's actually a very good point.
 
This is exactly what my first thought was. He's on a very low body fat and the lighting along with the pump helps a lot. Just look at the other bicep curl video it isn't as outrageous.

That's a parody post. Someone (I think @simonhch ?) said exactly that about Christian Bale's "transformation" for the Batman movie (where he put on about the same amount of muscle as Ozil, in a shorter period of time).