A POWERLIFTING champion who has been dubbed the "Muscle Barbie" is showing off the incredible transformation she achieved in just three years.

Julia Vins, now 24, can lift the weight of a lion and has won three world records.

The weightlifter's unusual combination of "china doll" beauty and muscular physique has attracted 1.1 million followers.

But she says there is no limit to how muscular she would like to become.

The athlete from Engels, Russia explained: “People know me as Muscle Barbie. I like this comparison. It is nice".

“I have these big beautiful eyes and I wear makeup. But at the same time, I'm strong."

"I can deadlift 400lbs in training. I want to become as big as possible."

Ms. Vins claims that men who criticize her unconventional appearance are simply jealous of her physique.

"Everyone has an opinion about my appearance: either they respect my work or they scold me for being a muscular girl," she said.

"But to be honest, I've found that guys who are negative about my athleticism, they're just jealous."

Julia says that her big eyes and innocent face have led people to compare her to a doll, but despite this, she wanted more purple than this in life.

"Because of my facial features, people have always said that I look like a doll," she said.

“And I was a good academic girl for so many years. I studied music, was well read, participated in various school competitions and was skilled in art.

"But I never felt like I had a particular goal in life. My body was not in harmony with my soul, it was not the right one for me.

In an attempt to find some purpose, the teenager decided to start walking at the age of 15 in 2012.

She said: "I had no interest in the sport, but I was lost. I thought she could see if she could build some strength and confidence training weights in the gym."

«I started copying the exercises that men who went to the gym did. It didn't make me strong, but then I started lifting weights.

"I loved! I knew then that my goal was to build muscle."

A year later, after lifting weights, Julia met a trainer who saw potential in her as a weightlifter and began training full time, three to five hours, four times a week.

She also drastically changed her diet from five to six small meals per day, consisting of chicken, eggs, cheese, rice, and vegetables.

Finally, in August 2014, Ms. Vins entered the World Powerlifting Championships in Moscow and won the competition.

She achieved three world records in the sum of 440 kg: these were 180 kg (396 lb) in the squat, 105 kg (230 lb) in the bench press, and 165 kg (364 lb) in the deadlift.

She says that she feels it's important to look sexy even when she's pumping iron.

"I always wear makeup, even when I'm squatting. I think it's important to look attractive in any situation.

“I make sure my hair is up in cute braids and ribbons.

"I also like fashion, but it is very difficult to find nice clothes because my size is not standard."

In another shocking transformation, a boy once dubbed "the world's strongest boy" looks unrecognizable 13 years after setting the bodybuilding record.

Giuliano Stroe, from Romania, became a global sensation after entering Guinness World Records at the age of five.

And another child bodybuilder once nicknamed 'Little Hercules', Richard Sandrak, is now unrecognizable as an adult.

When he was eight years old, Richard's incredible physique, complete with an eight-pack abs and squeezed into a tiny frame, captured the world's attention.