Indian Iron Men: Inside Delhi's Muscleman Village

Ninety per cent of men aged between 18 and 55 in Asola-Fatehpur Beri work as bouncers or security guards in nearby New Delhi.

They take up wrestling from a young age, before bodybuilding in their teens by gorging on on milk, bananas, eggs and curd.

Head trainer Vijay Pahelwan said: "In this village there is not a single boy who does not go to the gym. No-one here wants to be an engineer or a doctor. Everyone wants to be a bouncer.

There are some 200 boys in the wrestling class. All the boys exercise and are very careful with their bodies. No one drinks, no one consumes tobacco and most are vegetarian.

"They exercise twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening for two or three hours at a time.

'Some are very good and have a chance of making it to the Olympics."

And for the best competitors, he has a special diet to help push them further.

He said: "I recommend they drink about 3-4 litres of milk, one dozen bananas and half a kilo of cheeku (a type of fruit). At lunch they should eat about 1.5kg of curd with three or four pieces of bread and in the evening he should drink one or two litres of almond milk before bed."

As well as wrestling, the musclemen beef up their biceps by lifting motorbikes and tractors - before unwinding with traditional yoga.

Bodybuilding has become so popular that nearly every young man in the village plans to pursue a career in security.

Schoolboy Keshav Tanwar, 13, said: "The only job I want when I grow up is to be a bouncer. Bouncers have fit bodies and I want a fit body too."

Most head into the city when they are 18 to look for work on the doors of nightclubs and bars.

They earn about £1,500 a year on average but can make more on private security details where their hand-to-hand combat skills make them a prized asset.

But bouncer Girish Tawar, who works at a nightclub in New Delhi, said they are rarely required to put their fighting skills into practice.

"Our bulging muscles and the glare in our eyes are enough to warn most troublemakers," he said. 

Most are so happy with their jobs that they are encouraging their children to take up the same roles.

Bouncer Vijay Tawar, 32, added: "Since childhood I've wanted to be a bouncer and I'm proud to say I have achieved my goal. 

"Now I want my son to become a security guard and to make sure he has a healthy physique and exercises a lot."

And it is not just them men who are happy with the village's new muscleman reputation.

Rekha Tanwar, the wife of head trainer Vijay Pahelwan said: "All our children stay away from cigarettes, alcohol and other kinds of intoxicants.

"I'm proud to say they take care if their bodies and prefer fresh air, natural food and yoga."