Blood, sweat and tears to beat his bullies

David put cruel taunting behind him in strict gym regime

An inspirational Jackton dad has beat the bullies – by transforming himself into a man mountain.

As a teenager David Gibbons was often bullied at school for his skinny appearance – leaving him feeling small and insignificant.

Cruel bullies teased and taunted him for his small stature and he was regularly called scrawny by his classmates.

After leaving school he decided to use his bad experience as motivation to join the gym to try and improve his self-confidence.

Now he is looking forward to taking part in men’s physique competitions.

The 30-year-old accountant, who lives with his wife and one-year-old son Luca, said: “I didn’t have a great time at school.

“I was often made to feel small and insignificant by other people and they used to call me ‘skinny’ or ‘scrawny.’

“I think, like a lot of people, I went through periods where I would feel low and would lack any self-confidence and often I could never pinpoint any particular reason for this.”

David admits his training lacked direction and despite trying a lot of different programmes he failed to see much success.

“I had always been a gym member but that wasn’t to say I was always going,” he conceded.

“Like a lot of people, I would go through phases of going to the gym three times a week and then I could go long periods without going at all.

“Even when I was going, my workouts lacked direction and my nutrition wasn’t even a consideration.”

However, things began to change when he joined his local gym, Xercise4Less East Kilbride in 2014 and began working with his long-term friend, personal trainer Tony Pang.

David said: “That was the moment things began to click and my lifestyle began to totally change.”

“Tony really helped me to gain muscle mass and I’ve been able to really focus.”

David now says that he suffers far less from periods of feeling low – and revealed plans to enter men’s physique competitions next summer.

“My whole outlook on life has changed,” revealed David.

“I think a lot of men who have been bullied in the past get in the gym and I was completely the same.

“Making the gym a lifestyle choice instead of a just a hobby will really yield results and it can improve every aspect of your life.”