By Ben Wheeler
MEET the personal training twins who are so obsessed with staying identical that one cannot bear for the other to be more buff than them – to the level where they are quite literally in a never-ending ARMS-race against each other.
Before beginning weight training ten-years ago, LuĂs and VinĂcius Bittar, 25, were unhappy with their thin, skeletal-like frames in their teens and despite being physically fit, with just four percent body fat, they lacked any real muscle mass.
Images show the brothers, from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, as scrawny teenagers before they hit the gym, in stark contrast to more recent pictures where they can be seen showing off their present ripped appearance.
“We have always competed against each-other and I’m sure we always will, if one of us is lifting more than the other we’ll get mad and have even had fights because of this,” said LuĂs.
“As we have the same genetics we don’t accept it when one’s performance falls far below the other. It turns out that the competition serves as a stimulus for us to continue to increase in strength.
“We would argue in the middle of training, because one always got angry when the other could lift more weight. It wasn’t good but funny at the same time and served as motivation.
“We prefer to train together because performance becomes greater that way and we become each other’s personal trainer.”
VinĂcius went on to describe the brother’s formative years and feelings about their physiques at the time that lead them to embark on their career path.
“Growing up we were always doing physical activity and did various sports during childhood, guided by our mother, who always worked as a PE teacher,” he said.
“However, we always felt very thing due to only have four percent body fat and very little muscle mass. This made for a very skeletal appearance and although our muscles were visible we wanted to increase them.
“Since we were little we were always fascinated with muscles and the capacity of human beings to produce strength and power.
“From the age of 15 we began to train with weights and haven’t looked back since. At 18 we entered Physical Education University and began studying in order to become qualified personal trainers.
LuĂs then discussed the strict diet and fitness regimens that have seen them sculpt their stunning torsos.
“There is no magic equation, just a simple association of heavy training and a good quality diet,” he said.
“We eat a lot of protein, fibre, fruits and whole foods. We prefer lean meats and natural products and use supplements in addition to our diet with the help of a nutritionist.
“We consume around 4000 calories a day, but it depends on the season. Everything varies with the type of training, but we do high caloric intake with good quality products to continue obtaining positive results.
“We currently train five to six times a week for around an-hour-and-a-half a day, enough to maintain what we already have and try and gain some more.
“Our training is divided into stimulus and recovery intervals for each muscle and on weekends we practice varied exercises to keep the body moving.”
Finally, VinĂcius spoke about how he and LuĂs feel about themselves today, before giving advice to anyone looking to start out on their own fitness journey.
“Today we feel good about our bodies, whenever we look in the mirror we are grateful for what we have achieved, and people often give us praise,” he said.
“But we are not satisfied, we want to reach the genetic limit of our body, without using anabolic steroids or any other hormone.
“Training is a process that demands time and dedication. I’d advise anyone to point to a goal and go towards it, but to always look for the most efficient way to achieve it.
“Some days will be good, others will not. The important thing is to stay focused, look for sources of motivation every day and move toward success.
“Choose an exercise you enjoy, a place that pleases you, choose to be close to people who inspire you and don’t procrastinate.
“Choose to be your own agent of change, because you can!”
