When you marry someone, you do it for more than just their appearance.
This man, who hails from Japan, goes by the name Shirapyong (@lonestarsde66) on Twitter, had his wife leave him after she complained that he had become chubby, bald, and appeared a stereotypical picture of a middle-aged corporate man.
Shirapyong was greatly upset by this turn of events, especially that he had been a football player and regular exerciser in college, but had abandoned his fit lifestyle as he grew older and became busy post-graduation.
Shirapyong needed to find a way to heal from the heartbreak, so he took to the gym to find emotional respite.
He used the upcoming contest to further motivate himself, and he spent all that time working out more and more.
By 2015, he had already gotten so much stronger and looked very different. By 2017, though, he looked like an entirely different person altogether!
Today, he’s gone through multiple bodybuilding competitions.
His first significant placing was during the 2017 Japan Bodybuilding Federation tournament, where he placed 12th Internationally in the 40 years old and above category for his height class.
That same year, during the Japan Bodybuilding Federation Saitama Open, he placed 5th.
The year after, in 2018, he placed 4th in the Japan Bodybuilding Federation Yamanashi Open.
His most recent and impressive finishing result was in the Tokyo Open Bodybuilding in 2019, where he also placed 4th.
He has been consistently seen on top-10 placings in a variety of bodybuilding competitions, including the Yubei District Open tournaments from 2016 to 2018.
With his new appearance and wins under his belt, Shirapyong found himself filled with new and strong confidence.
In the recent Niconico Chokaigi celebration, which is a pop culture event, he became a part of a muscle taxi booth.
He’s also dabbled in cosplay as Tien Shinhan, a very muscular and strong Dragon Ball Z character!
Shirapyong continues to shares his story regularly, trying to motivate others to work hard for their seemingly unattainable body goals.
He doesn’t do it to show off his looks, but to tell others not to make any excuses until they have truly tried absolutely everything that they can.
He also lives by a popular song lyric in Japan that translates roughly to this idea: if you find yourself wanting to be reborn, you can do it while you’re still alive!
Many people see Shirapyong’s change as revenge on his ex-wife – but that’s all behind him now.
He is in a happy, loving relationship with someone he met during a bodybuilding contest!
