A young bodybuilder who shot to fame after crushing weights as a 15-year-old says "working out saved his life" after years of being bullied.
Tristyn Lee became well-known after sharing videos of himself online in which he showed off his football skills in the hope of catching the attention of scouts.
His football dreams didn't come true, but he did catch the eye of thousands of people online who took notice of his ripped physique at such a young age.
In the five years since he was first noticed, Lee has amassed an army of more than two million followers on Instagram.
And the American is now almost unrecognisable from how he looked when he first entered the public eye, after focusing on bodybuilding full-time.
Lee is more ripped than ever, with huge bulging muscles covering every part of his body.
He has gained some kudos in the bodybuilding world as well, having posted workouts with famous faces such as Larry Wheels, Bradley Martyn and Simeon Panda.
Now, explaining his transformation, Lee says working out has changed his life after being bullied in his youth over being shorter than others his age, which led to him battling anxiety and depression.
"I had no escape and then I found bodybuilding," he said.
"It's not about the shirtless mirror selfies. It's about the times that the dumbbells have your back when literally no-one else does.
"No matter if you're getting bullied or beaten up at school, the gym is always there and that's what kept me alive, one rep at a time."
As well as the work he puts in at the gym, Lee credits not eating sugar for three years and following a high-protein keto diet as the secrets behind his ripped physique.
The American says he strictly follows the diet, and never has any cheat meals while making sure he hits the gym at least twice per day.
While he admits it is hard to maintain such a strict fitness and nutrition regime, he wants his own experiences to help others who are suffering over their body image.
"This is a message to someone contemplating starting their fitness journey. Be willing to take the hits, take the criticism, and fall down many many times," he added.
