WEYMOUTH bodybuilding star Shamsul Ali has claimed a stunning second place in the UKBFF British Finals in Nottingham.

Ali, 31, competed in the ‘up to 178cm’ category and improved on previous years having placed fifth in 2015 and sixth in 2016.

But Ali, of the Future Physiques gym in Weymouth, lost out to winner Scott Walay, who will now turn pro to compete on the IFBB circuit.

Speaking to Echosport about his podium spot, Ali said he was “chuffed” by the result.

He said: “There’s a few awards out there but this one is probably the pinnacle of the amateur bodybuilding scene in the UK.

“It was a really good weekend and I didn’t expect that result. I’m really, really chuffed.”

Ali also spoke of the difficulty he had with gaining weight before entering competition.

He said: “The hardest thing I do is to gain the weight. They (rivals) are always heavier and have more muscle mass compared to me.

“My focus was to gain as much weight as possible and build muscle tissue. In the middle of the year I managed to get myself to 86kg which is by far the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life.

“The it was a case of cutting it down to 73-74kg in the middle of June and be ready for competition, not being at my best, but not being far from it. In all I did 18 weeks of dieting to bulk up.”

And Ali has his sights set on emulating Walay in the coming seasons.

“Is goal for next year is to gain more weight and do it again. Then the year after if I can hit 78kg I personally believe I will be at pro level. I just need to keep building a bit more muscle,” he said.