By John Connell

Last updated at 12:14, Tuesday, 15 January 2013

A gym owner is raising pounds for charity by encouraging people to shed them in a fitness challenge.

Lee Butterworth

Lee Butterworth, of Xtreme Fitness in Lillyhall, has launched a 12-week body transformations competition to raise cash for West Cumbria Young Carers.

Entry costs £5 and the gym has already raised £500 for the charity.

Mr Butterworth said: “We will be taking people’s body fat measurements with calipers.

“The challenge is to transform your body in 12 weeks, and we are putting some tips on our website to help them.”

Mr Butterworth stressed that the competition was not only open to members of his Lillyhall gym but to anyone who wanted to take part.

There will be two overall winners: one in the female and one in the male category.

Mr Butterworth and the gym’s fitness instructor Michael Quirke will pick the top five competitors.

But the final decision on who is crowned overall winner in both categories will be made by guest judge James Collier, of MuscleTalk. Mr Butterworth stressed that male and female entrants would be assessed according to slightly different criteria.

“Obviously most of the women aren’t going to be wanting to put on muscle size,” he said.

Competitors will be judged on how much fat they have lost and how muscle tone they have gained.

Mr Butterworth said that he chose this charity after he and his staff had been touched by the plight of young carers in Cumbria.

He added: “When I watch Children in Need it always gets to me when I see them looking after their disabled mums and dads.”

The winner will receive a hoody reading ‘Body Transformation Champion 2013.’

They will also win a free entry into Whitehaven’s Hell on the Harbourside charity challenge.

The results will be announced 12 weeks after the last person to enter has been measured.

The challenge began on January 2.

For more information visit http://www.facebook.com/XtremeFitnessCumbria.

First published at 12:00, Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk