Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has proved he's a macho man as a world leader -- now he's setting out to prove he's a macho man off the political circuit too. The feisty figurehead recently announced plans to produce a fitness DVD. No, really. I'm not kidding. Let's Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin was recently released in Russia.

But Putin, a black belt in the sport, has admitted that the title, while catchy, is little more than an advertising gimmick. Yes, Putin appears on the DVD, but the real teaching is left up to master of martial arts, Yasuhiro Yamashita, who is an Olympic Judo champion.

Sorry gang -- no word yet on whether the DVD will be released in North America.

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If you've seen the official photographs of Russian president Vladimir Putin on holiday, you may have noticed that he's looking pretty good. The 54-year-old had no problem showing the world a little skin -- and for good reason. He's obviously found time to stay in shape amidst his many presidential duties.

The Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russia's biggest circulation newspaper (and a constant fan of the country's current pres), took the opportunity to release their guide to getting "a body like Putin's."

Accompanying the article, written by a fitness instructor, was a photo of the half-naked president -- complete with a diagram pointing to all his major muscle groups.

If you can read Russian, there's more photos on the Kremlin's website, and probably a link to the Russian newspaper article.

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