A St Albans personal trainer has bagged the bronze in an international bodybuilding competition.
Rory Golden came third at The World Natural Bodybuilding European Championships earlier this month, which was held in Middleton Arena in Manchester.
The 22-year-old has been competing in bodybuilding contests for more than two years, alongside his day job working as a personal trainer at Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre on Holywell Hill.
He qualified for both the European and British Championships in May this year, when he came second at the Natural Physique Association Bodybuilding Competition in Yorkshire.
The British Championship is taking place at the end of 2019.
Rory said: "Competing on the big stage, and placing in the top three, was one of the best experiences I've had on my fitness journey.
"It's amazing to feel like I'm progressing in the sport and getting stronger and more confident with every show I do."
He chose to pose along to Disturbed's cover of The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel, as a tribute to his mother's battle with cancer.
"To get the chance to pose to a song which means so much to me made it even more special. I can't wait to compete at the British at the end of the year and hopefully go a couple steps closer to earning that gold trophy," Rory said.
The bodybuilder's diet and exercise preparations included fasted cardio every day for 20 weeks before the competition and maintained a strict diet of the same five protein- and carbohydrate-heavy meals.
Five weeks before the show his food intake was stripped back to only white fish, lettuce and broccoli and with one week to go, Rory drank 10 litres of water each day.
As the show loomed, Rory started to load up on carbohydrates and decrease hydration again, in order to "bring my muscles and veins to the surface ready for posing".
Westminster Lodge is run by Everyone Active in partnership with St Albans district council.
Westminster Lodge general manager Lesley Garner, said "We are so proud of Rory's achievements. He's taken all his previous learnings from past competitions in his stride, showing that tenacity and hard work really do pay off.
"He's has always been a dedicated and enthusiastic member of our team and this success is a testament to his dedication and passion to fitness."
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