A FORMER "couch potato" turned to exercise at the age of 50 and has now competed in his first body building competition.

Spending the majority of his life behind a desk, Harvey Pritchard admits that stretching for a pen and wading through papers was about as energetic as he got as a university administrator.

But the 53-year-old from St John's finally found fitness through a fun run and, after half-a-century of idleness, has never looked back.

He took third place in the Master Class at the southern championships of the British Natural Bodybuilding Federation in Dorchester, last weekend.

"I've been stuck behind a desk for most of my life, but for my 50th birthday, I took part in a charity fun run and it got me hooked on fitness.

"I began going to the gym and aerobically I began to get fitter, but I wasn't happy with the shape of my body so I turned to body building."

Mr Pritchard, who trains at Profitness in The Butts, where he saw fellow members entering body building competitions and decided to give it a go.

He has since left his admin job and has become a director of the company and takes on a rigorous four times a week weightlifting regime.

In the 12-week run up to the competition, he survived on a high protein diet of rice, chicken, egg whites and boiled fish to help increase muscle capacity and definition.

"The idea in this competition is to perfect muscle tone. It's not like the stereotypical image of a bodybuilding Mr Universe competition like you'd see on TV."

An early morning coffee and a 40-minute cross trainer routine every other day are further secrets to his toning success, although he has not outlined any competition plans for the future. "I'm quiet pleased just to be back on normal food," he said.