SHAMSUL Ali said he felt "over the moon" to secure a sixth-placed finish in a row at the UKBFF British finals against some "unbelievable" competition.

The Weymouth bodybuilder progressed to the finals in Nottingham having won the Welsh Open back in September.

Up against 24 other bodybuilders, Ali made it to the top six, which is considered the podium due to the large volume of athletes.

Speaking about the event, Ali told Echosport: "You all go onto the stage and they (the judges) whittle it down to a top 11.

"At one point, I didn't think I was going to make that so I was very happy to make it through.

"They call out the first five and they are the likeliest go through. I wasn't in that so it knocked my confidence a bit.

"So, when my number was called out, I was over the moon."

With that top result, Ali is hoping for a winter of working on his back and bulking up before aiming to improve his results next year.

He is also hoping to help the community by becoming a personal trainer.

n Ali is sponsered by USN, NutriGo and Future Physiques Gym.