Mr Universe hopeful eats 30 eggs a day and a raw chilli at the gym

It is a diet that includes 30 raw eggs and garlic every day, while a chilli gets him "fired up" during a workout.

Clint Trayhern, 54, hopes his unconventional approach to nutrition gives him the edge as he tries to make a major global bodybuilding tournament.

He won in the over-50 category at the UK Ultimate Physiques competition and is hoping to make Natural Mr Universe - a premier event for athletes who compete without performance-enhancing drugs.

One item is king in Clint's shopping basket - eggs.

He buys more than 200 a week when he's bulking, but consumes mainly just the whites, taking out the yolk, which contains most of the fat and cholesterol.

For athletes, protein is the buzzword - with experts agreeing it helps muscle development and recovery, but there is debate over how much we need and is good for us.

Clint from Pontypool, Torfaen, is always looking for "that natural edge" and has another secret weapon - something that puts "a bit of fire in my blood" before he tries to lift heavy weights.

"It takes your mind off what you got to do, and you just do it," he added.

"The more you chew it, the hotter it gets.

"Some powerlifters use smelling salts – whereas I'll have a bite of a chilli instead."

There is another magic ingredient to help him pump iron, and he adds: "I drink liquid honey when training – I don't have any energy drinks.

"If it makes the bees busy, it'll make me busy."

The inspiration for Clint's 42-year bodybuilding journey came when he saw Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian.

At 12, while his brother asked for a motorbike for Christmas, Clint asked for a weight bench.

"I was probably training for the first four or five years and still stayed skinny," he added.

"I'm what you call a hard gainer, but I always felt like something was happening.

"Slowly but surely, [by his 20s] I started to get bigger and bigger."

For four months before a competition, he will consume up to 4,000 calories a day and go to the gym four times a week.

He will gradually bring it down to 900 calories in the week before competing, as he cuts up his physique.

To get in peak physical condition, he will also try to consume one gram of protein a day for each pound of body weight - meaning his daily intake is currently around 220g.

Clint is 6ft 2in (1.87m) and weighs 15 stone 10lbs (99.7kg), but will aim for 13 stone (82.5kg) for an event.

This is despite the over-50s Natural Physique Association competitions he takes part in being open in terms of height and weight.

Of his biggest achievements, Clint holds the Welsh over-40s deadlift record with the British Drug Free Powerlifting Association - 235kg (37 stone).

There is debate over just how healthy eggs are for you, but Clint takes out most of the yolks, which contain almost all the fat and cholesterol.

He will consume 10 egg whites with one yolk, three times a day when he is trying to put on muscle.

There are also doses of raw garlic and lemon.

"Eggs are just so full of protein and vitamins and the right vitamins," he added.

"When you go natural it's just hard work, you know, there's no other way around it. You have to diet down.

"I probably spend £60 or £70 a week on eggs, chicken and beef, just on protein."

Clint's daily food intake when he's bulking consists of:

• Breakfast is the first 10 eggs and porridge, before he has a chicken breast or piece of fish with a green apple two hours later
• For lunch, it's another 10 eggs, and at around 3pm, a piece of 5% fat beef, with rice and an apple
• In the evening, it's the final 10 eggs, and fish with a sweet potato
• Clint also has two whey protein shakes containing 20g of protein, that he mixes with turmeric, black pepper and ginger

Natural bodybuilding focuses on gaining muscle and improving aesthetics without using performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids or human growth hormone.

There are a number of events around the UK and world, where competitors face rigorous drug testing.

In 2025, Clint won the over-50s category in the UK Ultimate Physiques competition in Milton Keynes.

"For me, drugs are to make people better, not to look good on the street," said Clint.

He is preparing for the Natural Physique Association's British open in September.

Victory in his age class would qualify him for the United Natural Bodybuilding Association's universe competition in California.

If he comes second or third, he would go to the amateur UNBA universe.

Clint supports young adults with learning disabilities with Torfaen council, and says bodybuilding keeps him calm in what can be a demanding role.

"I think I have suffered from a bit of depression and anxiety in the past, and, it helps me a lot mentally, more than physically," he added.

"I can feel like I've conquered a mountain just from a gym session.

"It's a calm sport as well, you know, no-one's getting hurt."