Work that body!

The image of the bodybuilder with bulging thighs and arms no longer fits the description of the average gym-goer as a growing number of both medical professionals and sports physicians are advising their patients to take up weight training to prevent complaints such as back pain.

"Everyone can be helped by a modern, health-oriented training program that can increase body strength or prevent its loss as you get older," says Christoph Eifler from the German High School for Preventative and Health Management at Saarbrucken in southwest Germany.

The chances are slim that you'll end up looking like a body builder as it takes years of training and a special diet to develop muscles on that scale.