Muscle tips from the top

11:19am Friday 29th December 2006

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STUDENTS at The Thorns Community College in Quarry Bank have been taking top tips from Mr Universe as part of a new programme offering qualifications in bodybuilding.

Mr Universe Steph Sinton has been showing the group of youngsters how to flex their muscles as part of the new course run by U-Phorm and NABBA The first of its kind in the country, the eight-week programme aims to offer kids the chance to develop vocational skills to enable them to pursue careers in sports and fitness.

Project co-ordinator Chris Rademacher, a former college football ace from Orange County, California, said:"Not everybody is right for the classroom and with the 2012 Olympics coming up fitness and bodybuilding is being given priority, so hopefully we'll get some big athletes for the big games. These guys could be the next major sports stars of tomorrow."

Mr Universe Steph Sinton, who hails from Scotland, said: "I see it as an opportunity to put something back into the sport that I've been part of for so long. These guys have a lot to offer."

Just a pilot at the moment, the ENROL-NABBA Career Advancement Programme is being run at Valley Road Youth and Community Centre and Jim's Gym in Lye.

Put together by sports training providers U-Phorm and NABBA (National Amateur Bodybuilders Association) - it introduces youngsters to the principles of bodybuilding covering nutrition, exercise and self-esteem and will culminate in a live bodybuilding, fitness and fashion show on February 7 - which the students themselves are organising.

Gym owner and international bodybuilding judge Jim Charles said: "I think it's a terrific step forward for the sport; it's been needed for many, many years. It's not all about becoming Mr Universe - it's about being fit. If you are an athlete or a hockey player you still need to bodybuild to achieve in those fields."

If it proves a hit, the course could be rolled out to schools across the country in the future.