JOEL Gartland is banking on Leicester's De Montford Hall remaining a lucky venue for him next year.

The 28-year-old father of two from Idle won the East of England Championship men's physique tall class there in late summer, which qualified him for the UK Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation's (UKBFF) British Championships in Nottingham earlier this month, where he finished in the top ten when he was aiming to get on the podium.

And Leicester will be the venue for the UK Nationals in April, with Joel saying: "I hope it stays as a lucky venue for me."

Having failed to gain a podium berth last year, he was intent on making an impression at Nottingham this time around, thanks to what he called his secret weapons in fellow Bradfordians Pat Warner and Brian Noble.

Joel said: "Pat, who is a former British bodybuilding champion, is very clued up on nutrition.

"The extra attention to diet definitely made a difference to the all-round fuller more-defined look I brought to the stage in Leicester, so many thanks to big Pat.

"I have also had the love and support of my beautiful partner Natalie, who prepared every one of my six meals a day and travelled down to the De Montford Hall to support me and cheer me. I can't thank her enough – she's been amazing.

"The discipline to diet is so demanding but I have always been able to push myself in training – probably through the rigorous fight training I used to do when I competed in rings and cages in my k1 kickboxing days."

Joel added: "I train with rugby league legend and proud Bradfordian Brian Noble.

"I've been his personal trainer for nearly ten years and we train together twice a week – without fail.

"He is in his fifties now and is very fit. We once trained outside in the snow on Boxing Day and I've actually taught him to box now – he loves doing pad work!

"We have become good friends and I don't think he knows how much he inspires me and has taught me a lot about mental toughness, which is needed to discipline the body to get to the physical state that it needs to be for me to win at elite level."

Joel was a mixture of being frustrated and philosophical after Nottingham.

He said: "I want to win every competition I am in, and get frustrated when I don't.

"But, although I am a natural athlete, and some of my competitors are, shall we say, not natural, I am not a traditional body-builder.

"Also my category is one of the largest. My aim now is to do well at Leicester in April and then go on to the European Championships in Spain in the spring."