The organiser of Aberdeen’s first competitive bodybuilding show for five years says the event is a great platform to “showcase local talent”.

Aberdeen Arts Centre will play host to the Granite City Classic, which is being held in association with Mental Health Aberdeen on April 5 2020.

It will be the first time a bodybuilding show has been held in the city for around half a decade.

A previous competition, which ran for a couple of years, struggled due to issues like lack of promotion and less than ideal venue, as well as being held at a time of year which is traditionally the off-season for lifters.

However, organiser Rob Rose – himself a competitive bodybuilder – hopes the new competition will become a fixture on the north-east calendar.

He said: “There had been a show a few years ago which never really got any traction.

“I’m a bodybuilder myself and also help run the Inverness show.

“We’ve had quite a lot of people coming through from Aberdeen for that and I thought it was a great opportunity – as a resident of the city – to showcase the local talent.”

Rob’s show will be held at Aberdeen Arts Centre, which will suit competitors and spectators alike.

“I wanted to put a show on I’d like to go see and would be quite happy to ask competitors to take part in,” said the 36-year-old security company area manager.

“The Arts Centre is perfect.

“It’s a big venue, with a 350-seater auditorium, a great big stage, and the changing facilities are fantastic.

“There are actual dressing rooms, whereas before there was a back room with a big curtain.

“If you were a female, you were allowed to go behind it, and if you were a male, you weren’t.”

Rob thinks, given the Granite City’s pedigree in producing bodybuilders, it’s only right it has its own show.

He said: “No exaggeration, the best bodybuilders Scotland ever produced have come out of Aberdeen.

“The current PCA (Physical Culture Association) champion Greg Taylor, five times overall NABBA (National Amateur Bodybuilders Association) PCA champion Andy Scott, as well as various others.”

Rob is naturally keen to get as many competitors and spectators “as possible” along, and will open the show up to as many bodybuilding classes as he can.

The number is now at 14 categories, from junior men’s physique to masters.

Some of the classes are relatively obscure, but there is expected to be a big uptake for the men’s physique and bikini classes, while there will also be class one and class two body categories for the largest and most muscular participants.

City centre-based Rob said: “The event has been getting a lot of positive feedback from Aberdeen and outwith. People from Dundee, Inverness, Elgin are all asking about it and wanting to compete.

“If you’re doing a show, you have the opportunity to be in shape around the time this one is on.

“The last time they tried to do it in September or November, everyone was fat and hairy around then.

“Nobody really wanted to compete.”

Rob wants the event to also expose people to bodybuilding for the first time, in an attempt to grow interest in fitness generally.

There will also be special guest performers at the Granite City Classic.

“I want all the gyms in the city to be involved in one way or another,” Rob said.

“It’s about Aberdeen’s fitness community and a lot of the gyms – Results, Warehouse – all want to be involved.

“I’ll definitely be approaching the big corporate gyms as well.

“My plan is to have stalls for the gyms at reception.

“The first time I went to a show I was blown away by the level of dedication.

“If I can get one overweight person off the couch it’ll be a massive success.”

Anyone interested in attending the event as a competitor or spectator, go to facebook.com/events/877488795957161