When he flexes Russia's diplomatic and military muscle, President Vladimir Putin always makes headlines.

But few could have predicted the squall of gossip and speculation that would follow after Putin stripped off his shirt for the cameras while on holiday with Prince Albert of Monaco in the Siberian mountains last week.

The resulting images of the presidential abs, prominently enshrined on the presidential website, inspired admiration, criticism and some racing pulses among his admirers.

The Russian media still can't get enough.

The mass market tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda on Wednesday published a huge colour photo of the barechested president, under the headline: "Be Like Putin.''

The newspaper's excuse? A guide showing exactly what exercises were required to build up a torso like that of the Russian leader.

Meanwhile, Kremlin watchers have been busy trying to guess what kind of political message the pictures might send, given that Putin has insisted he plans to step down at the end of his second presidential term next year, as required by the constitution.

Russian gay chat rooms and blogs were particularly intrigued by the photos: Some claimed that Putin, by stripping to his waist, was somehow pleading for more tolerance of homosexuality in Russia _ where gays and lesbians, for the most part, remain in the closet.