12 Photos of Abramov Lex Transforming Into a Beefcake Instagram Star

Abramov Lex has quite a healthy following on Instagram (almost 300K!), so many of you are already familiar with the hulking, hairy mass of Russian beef. But in his new book, Uncovered, Abramov details the difficult road of transformation from a sickly teenager to the 230-pound hunk in these pictures.

"I grew up a very sick child," he reflects. "I had problems with my lungs and at the age of 13, I underwent a serious operation on my intestines, which left me hospitalized for four months and put an end to my normal existence as a man. I was tall, 6'2'', but very skinny, probably around 130 pounds."

It was a rigorous 10-year journey of strict health regimens and intensive workouts at the gym for Abramov to conquer his old sense of self and blossom into the healthy, confident man he is today.

Through images and notes from his personal diary, Alexander explains to the world who he really is. "I started keeping journals 18 years ago. My diary is about awareness of my homosexuality, about my experiences and explorations of the world: first feelings, first love, first sexual encounter. ... It is also about human imperfection and struggle, drugs and fears, scars and past troubles. On the whole, it tells of becoming the man I have wanted to be: a man who is able to inspire others to makes changes for the better."

Abramov developed the idea for Uncovered three years ago when he first moved to New York City from Moscow. Abramov uses his physique as a canvas for scenes and fantasies with his longtime friend, photographer Dima Bocharov. He posed for more than 5,000 pictures at multiple locations and assumed the guises of masculine stereotypes for fun and fantasy. The book series will comprise five parts, and the first two parts, Uncovered, Vol.1 Wrangler and Vol. 2 Mercenary, are available for pre-order on his website.

As a gay man who was born in Kazakhstan and lived his young adult life in Russia, Abramov knows from experience the horrible situation with gay rights and freedom in these countries. For this reason, he is donating 10 percent of proceeds to the Russian LGBT Network to help protect the gay youth of his native countries. The Russian LGBT Network is an interregional, nongovernmental human rights organization that promotes equal rights and respect for human dignity, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Check out Uncovered on Abramov's website and follow him on Instagram.