Phil Vickery makes bodybuilding debut at 50 after 2003 World Cup success

Earlier this month at the Physical Culture Show in Hull, former England prop Phil Vickery stepped onto a bodybuilding stage as a 50-year-old competitor, posing to the Rugby World Cup anthem "World in Union." He described the backstage nerves as familiar, saying: "It reminded me of being in the changing room before the big game, your nerves - are you going to be sick, you're happy, you're not happy, I can do this, this is raw."

Vickery is a former Gloucester and Wasps prop who won 73 caps for England and five for the British and Irish Lions, and was part of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning team in Australia. After retiring he has worked in business and won Celebrity MasterChef; he has also publicly discussed a diagnosis of probable CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and is part of a continuing litigation battle related to that diagnosis. A challenge from friend Lee Powell, and support from trainer Dave Campbell, led him to take up competitive bodybuilding as a route to regain fitness and structure.

Speaking about the sport, Vickery said bodybuilding revived habits from his playing days: "What it probably did for me is ignite that ex-pro rugby player in me of detail, discipline, turning up when it's dark and dingy and cold, competing, and we went from there." He described bodybuilding as an individual discipline, adding: "It's a very singular, isolated sport, because it is you against you." He also reflected on the exposure of standing on stage: "There is no out. You can't hide behind a keyboard. You are stood on stage. Your physique and what you look like is a direct reflection of your effort and what you have done, and that is quite scary."

Vickery said he weighed about 99kg when he appeared on stage, more defined but lighter than his playing weight which he said ranged between 118kg and 135kg. His current routine includes three or four weight sessions a week, daily walks described as fasting cardio, and a protein-rich diet. He acknowledged age affects him physically, saying: "Age, for me, doesn't bother me at all. I still think I'm 27. My body tells me different."

On mental health and motivation, Vickery said the gym has become important because his body is "broken" and he needs the space to work: "I think having the gym and having that space to be able to work is really important for my mental health, but also for my body physically, because it is broken, so I use it in that sense." He added that after his playing career he struggled to find reasons to train: "I think the one thing I really struggled with when I finished playing is I trained to play and I couldn't find that reason to train afterwards."

Vickery, who posts regularly on social media about his health and fitness, rejected the label of influencer while giving practical advice: "We are all influencers," he said. "I don't think everyone should go bodybuilding. My message is trying to be positive. Get out, do something, make a plan." He also stated plainly: "I know I will never be a top bodybuilder. But it doesn't stop me, it doesn't stop me having a go and being the best version of me that I can be."

Vickery said the process of preparation and performance has helped him complete a personal cycle, adding: "But, probably, the bodybuilding - or doing the show or doing the original transformation - I have to close the circle. You know, you have a plan, you make a plan, you implement it, you commit to it, see it through, and then it's over and it's done. And then you move on." He said he hopes to compete in more bodybuilding shows in the future.