Jon Call, also known as Jujimufu, is a fitness influencer who has become a well-known figure in the fitness industry.
Jujimufu shot to fame after his appearance on America’s Got Talent in 2016 and has maintained a steady presence on social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram for a number of years.
Call’s Greek Hero-esque body has attracted scrutiny from the community, demanding to know if he used anabolic steroids to achieve his enviable build. Naturally, Jujimufu has denied ever utilizing steroids and has not advocated using supplements either.
But is that really the truth? Is his hulk-like physique built completely naturally, or is there another truth to it? Let’s examine Jon Call’s journey and find out the answers.
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Jujimufu: A Short Bio
Born in the state of North Carolina, Jon Call has been an active member of the fitness community for quite a while now. His YouTube career began with video tutorials of acrobatics known as ‘tricks.’
He helmed the acrobatics website in 2002, called trickstutorials.com, and ran it for 12 years before making a new one called acrobolix.com. This website was renamed yet again to jujimufu.com.
Jujimufu began training in Taekwondo at the early age of 13, giving us an insight into his training regimen. Shortly after, at 15, he discovered ‘tricking’ and subsequently trained for flexibility. Once he had mastered both, he moved on to building muscle as a bodybuilder would.
He trained to lift heavy weights to increase his strength as much as possible. To sum up, he has had training in strength, flexibility, and building muscle by this point.
Differences In Natural And Steroid-Aided Muscle Build
A peek at his training schedule highlights how much Jon Call has accomplished in such a short time. His workout sessions sound brutal, with resting periods being only during the weekends. And his adherence to spending an hour at the gym every day shows how he achieved such an impressive build. This is something that seems impossible without the use of external boosters like steroids.
To assess if Jujimufu has used steroids to boost his muscle gains, we must examine how to differentiate between a steroid-fuelled musculature and a natural one. Let’s dig deep into the muscle-building process and derive a few conjectures.
1. How An All-Natural Regimen Builds Muscle
Building muscle naturally is a slow process that requires tenacity and intense self-discipline. With the help of supplements and drugs, bodybuilders can see higher gains in a short time. It’s no wonder why some people choose to inject steroids and speed up the process.
That said, the natural process has no side effects and won’t cost the bodybuilder in the long run. It is completely within the realm of possibilities to have a naturally-built physique that rivals a drug-enhanced one. But the road to said physique is difficult and often the one less traveled.
A. Losing Weight Prior To Bulking Up
The first step of the process is to reduce one’s overall body fat and boost insulin levels. Becoming lean increases your ability to build muscle, which makes this first stage very essential in the process.
With reduced body fat, the next part of the process is bulking up.
B. Perform Bulk-Up Training
The training must fit the set goals and so, bodybuilders follow appropriate exercise routines for this purpose. Some training regimens are better than others and bodybuilders hire a personal trainer to optimize their road to bulking up.
Compound movements are essential for increased muscle growth, as they allow the bodybuilder to move around more weight.
Next comes something called ‘progressive overload’, which has the bodybuilder increase their workout loads over time. They do so for consistent increases in muscle gain so that their physique growth doesn’t plateau after a while.
Lastly, exercises must be tailored to the body’s capabilities. Overworking a body has its own detriments and it can hamper the bodybuilder’s ability to workout.
C. Regain Some Weight
This step works in tandem with the second one, as the bodybuilder should gain a small amount of weight to gain muscle optimally. The extra fat fuels the body to create a new layer of muscle tissue over the damaged ones.
With the correct bulk-up training routines and persistence, the bodybuilder will see a significant increase in size and muscle growth. They will also be able to stay in shape for a long time.
2. How Steroids Affect Muscle Mass
Steroids are, in medical use, drugs administered to aid muscle tissue growth and repair. They are used to counteract the deficiency of the male sex hormone, testosterone, or to develop male characteristics.
Anabolic steroids imitate the chemical properties of testosterone in the human body and help resolve hormonal imbalances. They are used to build muscle mass and can aid in bulking up and increasing the post-workout recovery rate. If the trainee is able to bounce back more quickly after a workout, they will be able to put more hours in the gym.
The result will be a higher rate of muscle growth than what would be possible naturally. Steroids also enable faster fat trimming and improved blood circulation, maximizing muscle gains during workout sessions.
A. Addiction
While steroids aren’t directly addictive, some people may associate them with personal image. Stopping their usage may lead to plummeting self-esteem and confidence, making them difficult to let go. The dependence on steroids is not as tangible as other addictions, such as smoking or alcohol abuse.
Those dependent on steroids do face withdrawal syndrome after stopping their use, leading to symptoms like fatigue and decreased strength. It can take months before natural levels of testosterone are built back up, making it all the more difficult for an individual to stop using them.
After a while, the negatives of steroid usage fade away in the user’s mind as the immediate gains take center stage. If this happens, the best course of action would be to direct them toward counseling.
B. How To Tell If Someone Is Using Steroids
The easiest way of telling if someone has been using steroids is to examine the duration of their workouts in relation to their physique. Steroid users have musculature that is significantly larger than what would ordinarily be possible with simple workout regimens. Expect steroid users to return to gyms far more often, as their post-workout recovery is quite low.
You may also spot certain physical and behavioral changes that indicate steroid abuse. While these may not be conclusive enough on their own, you may be able to make an educated guess with the aforementioned workout oddities. Visible side effects of steroid usage include:
- Acne
- Hair loss
- Unpredictable mood changes
- Uncontrollable outbursts of aggression, known as ‘roid rage’
- Breast tissue enlargement
3. How Supplements Affect Muscle Mass Growth
Supplements can help stimulate muscle growth in bodybuilders with consistent intake. The key here is to be physically active, otherwise they won’t have any measurable effect.
Protein and creatine supplements are the most used in the fitness scene, used during resistance training like weightlifting. They aid intermediate and advanced trainees achieve the desired gains without seeing a plateau.
A. Protein Supplements
Protein is a necessity for muscle development, and the amino acids in it are used by the body to repair damage caused during exercise. There is no age-restriction to their usage, making them suited for nearly everyone. Dietary protein supplementation has been proven to increase muscle size and strength significantly, so hardcore bodybuilders will benefit massively from it.
Dietary supplements are the best source of protein, present abundantly in meats, dairy products, and legumes. Though natural intake is the optimal source of amino acids, protein shakes, and bars are valid alternatives to them.
B. Creatine Supplements
Creatine is a substance produced by the endocrine system that is stored in the muscles. It plays a vital role in muscular development and is used widely by bodybuilders during resistance training. Naturally, creatine is found predominantly in meat and fish but can be consumed in oral supplement form.
The compound has a performance-enhancing affinity to it, enabling the bodybuilder’s physique to develop after workout. Over time, creatine supplementation can improve their performance in training, as well as a marked increase in their physical growth.
As far as the statistical value of creatine goes, studies have concluded that the compound may lead to an increase in sports performance by 14%. While it isn’t strictly necessary to increase creatine intake more than the recommended level (3-5g per day), regular consumption may lead to prolonged benefits.
C. Caffeine
The compound consumed predominantly through coffee – caffeine is a natural stimulant that can provide a degree of mental alertness as well as enhanced performance. There is definitive proof of caffeine’s effects on sports performance; however, the degree of its benefits in resistance training are relatively unexplored.
It was observed that when consumed in mild quantities, caffeine can increase performance in exercises, such as squats and bench presses. As such, bodybuilders may see an increase in muscle growth over time.
D. Statistics Of Supplements
Supplements like creatine and protein have had measured effects on the physiology of individuals consuming them during workouts.
Studies published between 1967 and 2001 indicated an increase in a net strength gain of 1.09% per week, with an average consumption of 6.7 grams of creatine. The individuals were tested in an average period of 7.5 weeks across various studies, and the average loading dose was 19.4 grams per day.
On the other hand, there is some debate on the effectiveness of protein supplementation. Some argue that protein supplements may promote gains in both trained and untrained individuals, while others have shown a net loss of strength with a minimal increase in mass.
Does Jujimufu Use Steroids?
The answer is not a straightforward one. On one hand, Jujimufu’s physique can be achieved with a training schedule as involved as his. But on the other hand, his muscle growth seems peculiarly high.
To hazard a guess, there is a chance that Jujimufu has used steroids in the past to speed up muscle gain. The best example of this would be his gains since his appearance on America’s Got Talent. He has bulked up significantly, and his training schedule may not be possible without performance-enhancing drugs. The sheer amount of energy he would need to train frequently without ample rest may simply not be possible.
What’s even more intriguing is that Jon Call has yet to compete in bodybuilding competitions, where the participants are tested for drug usage. This makes the answer lean more towards ‘yes’, but it’s still difficult to be completely certain.
Is It Possible To Have A Similar Physique Naturally?
If someone were to follow Jon Call’s training routine without using steroids, they would have to perform their workout exercises multiple times a day. This means little less than 11 hours of resting time, which is not enough for the human body to recover from the previous training session. At one point, the body will simply give out and perhaps even cause injury.
This doesn’t take into account Jujimufu’s other pursuits, namely Tricks. He routinely performs acrobatic feats every week, which must take its toll on his body.
But, it could be explained by him being genetically gifted in the field. It is a known occurrence and such people experience higher muscle gains than others. We can only make educated guesses as to the possibility.
Conclusion
Jujimufu has made quite an impact on the fitness scene. With nearly two million followers on Instagram, it’s no wonder that he continues to impress with his well-built physique.
Jon Call has certainly worked extremely diligently and patiently to create a physique as astonishing as his. Even if he did utilize steroids at some point, he hasn’t competed in any competitions for it to be detrimental to others, nor has he endorsed any supplement brand.
His strength and flexibility cannot be achieved without hard work regardless and so, your view of him should not change with this.