Melissa Hovell and Lisa Wilson from Spalding take part in Manchester bodybuilding competition

Two friends who have supported each other 'every step of the way' have competed in their first bodybuilding competition.

Melissa Hovell and Lisa Wilson, who both live in Spalding, took part in the event at the Manchester Arena on Sunday.

Lisa was competing in the pure elite fitness category where she finished in second spot in the Over 45s section while Melissa took part in the bikini event after a gruelling programme of preparation.

Getting the chance to compete at a show has always been one of the things on 53-year-old Lisa's 'bucket list' after regularly attending the gym for the past five years.

She has been joined on her journey by Melissa who has returned to the gym after getting back into health and fitness.

Melissa explained: "Lisa felt that it was time to do something a little bit different to further her passion for the gym.

"As competing at a bodybuilding show is one of the things on her bucket list, she chose to go ahead and bite the bullet and managed to persuade me to join her in entering this show.

"I used to attend the gym regularly a number of years ago but had to take what ended up being an extended break due to having a hysterectomy at the age of 28, so not only am I flying the flag for my home town, but also for endometriosis sufferers.

"After recently going through a breakdown of a long-term relationship, I have got back into health and fitness and have been attending the gym religiously.

"The reason I chose to agree to Lisa's requests to enter a bodybuilding competition was mainly to support her and go through the process and journey together. It also shows that I can be successful."

The duo train at Holbeach Weight Training Club in between running their own businesses - Lisa Wilson Permanent Makeup and Melissa's dog grooming company Pawfection.

Melissa, 34, added: "We are there for each other at every step of this journey.

"We meal prep together, train together and complain about being hungry together.

"Every member at the Holbeach club has been so incredibly supportive of us both and has paid a great amount of interest in what we are doing."

The pair have also been coached by Danni Pickstock of the Viking Gym, which is based in Newcastle, who has overseen their 12-week programme of preparation.

Melissa said: "We have to fill in a daily tracker for our weight, sleep patterns, how we feel, water intake, etc.

"Danni has put together our training plans and our meal plans and gives us feedback on every single gym session we do.

"We send her weekly photos of ourselves for her to decide if she needs to tweak anything.

"She has taken us through what to expect on show day, taught us how to pose and will be phoning us every hour on Sunday to keep a close eye on us and make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible.

"Our diet is also very strict and there is no room for deviation or slip ups, especially being only 12 weeks out from a show.

"We eat six small meals a day on a gym day and five small meals a day on a rest day. This might sound like a lot of food but the portion sizes are so small and you are always hungry.

"Some days hunger is worse than others and this is when preparation really tests your determination and willpower.

"In addition to the strict diet and gym training plans, we also have to do 12,000 steps every single day.

"Lisa also has to do 25 minutes of cardio five days a week whereas I have to also do 30 minutes of cardio every day.

"We weren't hoping to come home with any medals or trophies - we just wanted to take part and enjoy the experience."

Both Melissa and Lisa were also full of praise for David Wilson at the Holbeach club for his backing in the build-up to the event.

Melissa commented: "We would like to give a special mention to David for his unending support in this journey, for constantly pushing us to better ourselves and believing in us that we can do this.

"David has gone above and beyond in helping us in whatever way he can during this, managing to film all of our workouts for our coach in between trying to train himself."