The extraordinary story of a skinny lad from Manchester who rose to become British Champion bodybuilder. And there the clichés end in this gritty, humorous, and brutally honest tale which strips away the dream tan and any illusion of a glamorous lifestyle to lay bare the sport as never before. Jim Moore writes about the all-too-often taboo subjects of performance-enhancing drugs, the debilitating illnesses and mental health problems which blight the scene. He takes the reader behind the stage curtain to reveal the murky depths to which some—including himself—will plunge in search of success. Moore reveals the shocking contradictions and dangers inherent in the bread-and-butter running of the sport, matched only by the intensity and insanity of his own dedication. It was this never-say-die approach which eventually saw Moore crowned a national champion five times; but also an attitude which ultimately almost caused his death.