A TILLICOULTRY bodybuilder finished a fantastic year of competitions with a podium finish at international level.

At 50 years “young”, local Gary Wilson was pushing it to the limit and travelled to Rome, taking third place in the IBFA Mr World over 45s class and is now a step closer to his lifetime goal of standing on the Mr Universe stage.

Leading up to the international affair, Gary has been training hard at MXP Fitness in Stirling since 2015, after taking seven years off from competing.

Returning to the stage, he took part in the IBFA Mr Scotland Musclexcess show in the over 45s class, gaining third place.

Then, he went to the NABBA Mr Scotland event, coming second and deciding to carry on this year with the aim of doing better.

He again entered the NABBA Mr Scotland event, in the over 40s class this time, and was awarded second place, which qualified him for the British finals, where he came seventh.

Back to the IBFA Musclexcess over 45s, he was crowned champion and qualified for the Mr Britain finals, where he managed to step onto the shortest step on the podium.

Most importantly, he gained entry to the IBFA Mr World competition in the over 45s class, which took place on October and where he finished third.

Following a successful return to the world of bodybuilding, Garry is now taking a year off from competitions to rest his body and make some gains to come back again in 2018, when he plans to compete in the over 50s class and finally qualify for the coveted Mr Universe show.

His gym-mates at MXP, Brian and Grant said it is fantastic to have the likes of Gary in the team.

Brian, the Thai boxing coach, added: “Guys like Gary can only add strength and depth to our gym, it's not just all about his body building skills; his nutrition advice is exceptional, he helps my fighters prepare with tips on strength and condition as well as their diets.

“His experience in his chosen sport benefits us all; from Thai boxers and MMA fighters to just general gym-goers he's willing to help everyone.”

Gary wanted to say thanks his sponsors Michael Moore Butchers for all their help supplying vast amounts of meat, chicken, turkey and eggs.

He also wanted to thank MXP Fitness in Stirling, where he trains regularly, for their kind sponsorship.