The feeling of self worth and respect you have for yourself. The discipline it instils which comes over into other aspects of your life.

The obvious stigma about steroids - Big men with big ego’s who intimidate the next generations. The constant eating.

To always look to lift heavier weights if the opportunity arises. To help others who need guidance. To never miss a workout unless it is absolutely unavoidable.

To improve as I get older and not blame age for my laziness. To be stronger and fitter at 40 than I was 30.

Never forget to enjoy your bodybuilding, its not life or death. To make friends who in turn could be training partners. Don’t be ruled by the scales. Respect the weights you lift.

Like a lot of young men my pre-bodybuilding days were spent searching for an outlet for my energies. I lacked any form of direction, which caused me frustration, which in turn made me angry. Not angry in the destructive sense but most likely a pain to live with.

Bodybuilding had always been an attractive option but its not easy to walk into a gym when you weigh under nine stone fully clothed. A well work colleague gave me the much-needed support necessary and at the age of 20 I joined a gym.

To be honest my early years were borderline obsessive and although the gains were rapid my social skills weren’t greatly enhanced. In September ’86 I weighted 8 stone 10 and by Feb. ’89 I clocked in at 14 stone. Although the time span is relatively short I still managed to break every rule in the book, over training, under eating, overeating, compulsive, obsessive I did the lot with a passion. Like most people who find something they really enjoy I learned how to suffer from my art.

I like to train as heavy as I can as safely as I can and the most damage I’ve ever suffered is a pulled muscle or ten. My training philosophy takes in most concepts from isolation work to pure power movements. To be well built but strong is the cornerstone of my weight training existence.

I’m always open to new supplement breakthroughs but at heart I like to do in the way the old guys did it, way back when, to train a lot, eat a lot, sleep a lot.

Best wishes and good luck

Frank