A group of South Wales bodybuilders have returned to their birthday suits this week in order to pose for a charity calendar.
The 12 friends all belong to the Lean Machine gym in Risca, near Newport. Among their number is a car mechanic, a plasterer and a schoolteacher, but they are all dedicated bodybuilding enthusiasts.
For the Christmas charity production, the 12 have followed the well-worn path made famous by Calendar Girls, with the bodybuilders baring all in a variety of poses, and their blushes spared with the addition of well-placed props such as muscle-building weights, Christmas stockings and Santa hats.
Bodybuilding butcher Chris Powell told the South Wales Argus that the project was born when the gym-goers were searching for a way of raising funds for Cancer Research Wales’ annual fundraising drive.
He then recruited one likely bodybuilder for each month of the calendar, with the help of his friend Gary Biddiscombe, otherwise known as “Mr August”.
The calendar shoot itself took place in the gym, with the 20-50-year-old bodybuilders striking a variety of poses.
Chris said that the 12 extended their training regime ahead of the shoot, both to look their best in the pictures but also to prepare for a forthcoming amateur bodybuilding competition.
He went on to reveal that the calendar has already sold over 350 copies and they are confident that they will eventually hit their fundraising target of £1,000.
The calendars are available from Howard The Butcher in Risca itself.