Even though he claims to bench-press the equivalent of Hillary Clinton’s bodyweight, it is doubtful whether Barack Obama could outperform Vladimir Putin in the pecs department. Pictured astride a horse on holiday in the Siberian region of Tuva last week, the 56-year-old Russian Prime Minister went bare-chested, displaying the torso of Tarzan. If it is all-out war in the eye-candy stakes among world leaders, one wonders what Gordon Brown might have up his sleeve.

So how does he do it?

Those pecs did not appear by chance. Putin, a former head of the KGB, begins each day with a weights session and swimming, but he also leads an action-hero lifestyle that includes everything from white-water rafting and fishing to skiing. He also has a black belt in judo and last year appeared with the former world and Olympic judo champion, Yasuhiro Yamashita, in a fitness DVD.

What you can you do?

The fastest route to achieving Putin’s pecs is to perform regular push-ups. Balance on your toes and hands, pressing your palms into the floor and keeping your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your back and legs straight so that your body position resembles a plank. Breathe in and lower your torso to the floor by bending your elbows to 90 degrees. Keep your abdominal muscles tense to prevent your hips from dropping or bottom from sticking up. Breathe out and push back to the start position. If you find this too difficult, try putting your knees on the floor or performing push-ups against a wall. Repeat 10-15 times, gradually building up to 20-25 every other day.

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