I started doing press ups and sit ups when I was about 8 years old, inspired by having seen Pumping Iron the movie.   By 10 years old I had added pull ups.   I was brought up on a farm in rural Dorset; the outbuildings were an adventure playground for a young boy.    I would climb up hay ricks, carry heavy sacks of cattle feed and do pull ups on the rafters in the barns.   I was sports captain at school and played rugby, competed in athletics and also boxed.   I remember at lunch time rugby practice, running to the top of the downs carrying a huge telegraph pole between about eight of us.   Can you imagine kids doing that now?    

The Falklands war in 1982 had a profound effect on me.   I was 13 and watched it unfold in real time on the news.   I knew then that I would join the Royal Marines.   It was at this time I started weight training proper.   I bought a book by the 'Iron Guru' Vince Gironda called 'Unleashing the Wild Physique'.   I still have this book in my library.   It is a classic.   I would do every routine in the book in a single workout; this would take me hours!!   I did this every day for a while.   My 'bench' was a coffee table with a pillow on it. I actually saw results which is amazing as I never even considered recovery.   At school I began to get noticed for having 'big' arms.   In reality I was small as a child but incredibly lean which made any muscle I had built stand out.

When I was 16 I started to train for the Marines.   I bought a rucksack and began yomping around the Dorset Downs, and also up and down the cliffs of the Dorset Coast.  

In 1988 I joined the Royal Marines, at this time I weighed about nine stone.   The training was extremely hard and cemented my love of all types of physical challenges.   I excelled on the rope work.   We had to repeatedly climb the outdoor thirty foot ropes in full kit plus weapon.   My light bodyweight combined with my upper body strength helped.   I could climb the rope just using my arms which no one else in my troop could do.   Rope work will be build enormous grip and arm strength, give it a try if you get the chance.   I completed the thirty two weeks training without injury and in September that year I was posted to 42 Commando based just outside Plymouth.   Here I weight trained sporadically.   I was doing a lot of running and climbing on the crags of the nearby infamous Dewerstone.   I did several winter tours of Norway.   Cross country skiing built enormous strength in my legs, core and triceps.   At times I would carry well over a hundred pounds in weight on my back, and ski with it all day.    It would take two other Marines to help me shoulder the rucksack whilst still trying to remain upright on my skis.   I developed a love of snow sports and mountains.   I obviously learnt to ski, both cross country and downhill.  

In 1989 I spend time in Belfast.   I weight trained hard whilst out there but my diet was dreadful.   I existed on 'egg banjos' basically several fried eggs in a white bread sandwich.   Not recommended.

Several other tours of Ireland, the Gulf and Norway followed.   I would weight train when I could.    If I could not use weights I would do press up and pull ups off anything I could find.   I tried doing pull ups off the barrel of a tank once, the ultimate thick bar.

In 1994 I was posted to the British Indian Ocean Territory Island of Diego Garcia.   I spent the day driving a RIB about the islands and the early evening, training.   At night I worked as a bouncer in the 'Brit Club.' This is easily the best draft available to a Marine, pure paradise.   This was where I really got down to some serious training and also managed a good diet.   The Island is used as an air base by the USA.   The facilities were amazing, the gym open 24 hours a day and full of the best kit available.   In early 1995 the Americans held a Mr Diego Garcia bodybuilding contest which I won.   My first ever title and an international one at that!!   There were only about thirty Brits on the Island against three and a half thousand Americans.   I certainly never let them forget my win!!!

In May 1995 I returned to England where I began training with Bill Young.   He was an established heavyweight contender in the ANB.   I also trained, when at work with Phil Simister.   He was a Marine PTI and also a Tropicana sponsored athlete.   I would later compete against both of my training partners.   Bill encouraged me to compete in the ANB.   My first ANB contest was the Novice West of England, held in Taunton.   I came third; the now famous natural champion bodybuilder, Rob Feesey won.    It was around this time I first met Ian Duckett.   My wife's parents lived in Sheffield, so when staying with them I would drive to Leeds and train at Ian's gym.   In October I entered the ANB Wales.   I won the Novice beating my mate Phil Simister, just!   My other training partner and mentor Bill Young won the heavyweight.   We then went head to head for the overall title which he deservedly won.   As I won my class I had qualified for the Mr Great Britain.   This was held only a couple of weeks after the Wales.   I took third place, Rob Feesey, my nemesis, again winning the class (Novice).   I haven't competed since although I have never stopped training.   I am forty next year and may compete in the veterans one day.

Ian was a real inspiration during this time.   I am short, at 5ft 6, so seeing Ian winning everything was great.

In 1997 I left the Marines and joined Hampshire Police.   I have been a Sergeant now for nearly 8 years I work shifts including nights.

I rekindled my love of climbing and Judo.   Unfortunately In January 2007 I suffered a serious knee injury during a Judo match.   This was operated on in February this year and is on the mend.   I am back squatting and running without any real problems.   My physical past has taken its toll however as I have the highest level of arthritis in my knees you can get.   My surgeon said that the pain should have stopped me training years ago, yeah right!    Strength athletes strive on pain.   I have no intention of this slowly me down or stopping me.

I train at home in my garage.   I have a power rack with integral pull up bar and about 500 lbs in Olympic weights.   I can make up to 60 kg dumbbells out of the smaller one inch plates I own.   I have dip bars, a Powertec Leverage squat machine and a Powertec leverage high and low pulley machine, a thick bar, a trap bar and two 16 kg kettlebells.   I have a heavy sandbag as well which I do all sorts with such as cleans and clean and presses.   My training is heavy, basic and errs on the side of volume.   I generally train on my own; the power rack is my spotter.   My garage has no power supply and I have resisted putting one in.   Why?   In the winter there is no heat, light comes from a very weak rechargeable lantern and music from a battery radio.   Sometimes the bars are so cold they are painful to touch.   I love it!   It is a hardcore dungeon, in my head I feel that my 'suffering' makes me tougher than those that train in well lit, warm gyms.   It tests my motivation which is never found wanting.

  I have been clean all my life and intend to stay that way.   I can tell you now the secret to building muscle.   Consistent, hard training, that is it.   Consistency is the key without doubt, muscle will inevitably follow.    With thirty years of training under my belt I am not looking for the quick fix or the magic pill.   I am looking for the Holy Grail of training, longevity!