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MISUMZI WAKASHE
HE EASTERN CAPE IS KNOWN FOR MAJESTIC COUNTRY SIDE , UNMATCHED BEACHES AND GAME RESERVES WITH WILD BEASTS . To be specific the province is associated with the Big 7 : lion , leopard , rhino , elephant , buffalo , whale and great white shark . Those are some scary beasts , to be sure . But what if we told you there is another side to this safari paradise and sprawling province ?
For those of you who don ’ t know the province , it starts at the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal , runs all down and around the east and south coast line , all the way past Jeffreys Bay , runs up into the semi arid areas of Cradock , and east through frontier country to Grahamstown , King Williams Town , Queenstown and of course the rolling hills and rich heritage of the former Transkei and Ciskei . In other words , it is a big province .
The two major cities are Port Elizabeth and East London . Whenever there is a debate about the future of rugby , or any other sport really , in this country one will often hear about the massive untapped reserves of the Eastern Cape . The hills and plains of this province have given us some of the best boxers the country has ever seen , track athletes , soccer players and rugby players .
Bodybuilding has also benefitted . The talented Louis Bessinger is an Eastern Cape man and plies his trade and sculpts his physique in East London . So , the question arose : in a day and age where Cape Town , Durban and Johannesburg dominates the headlines , why not go on an expedition to uncover some Eastern Cape bodybuilding talent ?
Meet some of the Eastern Cape ’ s bodybuilding beasts . As with all tourist safaris we have to warn you in advance : enter with caution . And don ’ t feed them – they are bodybuilders for goodness sake , they will eat you out of house and home ! All jokes aside , here are five bodybuilders we found in the Eastern Cape who are looking to make waves in the sport nationally in the next few years .
• NAME : Misumzi Wakashe
• AGE : 34
• HOME TOWN : Amalinda , East London
• TRAINS AT : Bodyculture Health & Wellness Centre
• WEIGHT : In season 89kg / off season 102kg
• COMPETITIVE ACHIEVEMENTS : 2000 SA junior lightweight champ and 8th in the world 2001 WABBA SA junior champ and 3rd in the world 2007 IFBB SA Champs – 2nd in senior middleweight 2013 IFBB SA Champs – 2nd light heavyweight
• FAVOURITE BODY PART TO TRAIN : I enjoy training all body parts as I concentrate on a balanced physique .
• FAVOURITE MEAL : My favorite meal on diet is Weetbix and whey protein . In the off season my favourite meal is Vital muesli with fat free flavoured yoghurt and whey protein .
• SPONSORS : Supplements SA
• GOAL IN THE SPORT : The future plan is to one day win the overall title at the IFBB SA Champs and the World Champs so I can get a pro card .
LEARNING ABOUT MISUMZI
One of the first things people always ask bodybuilders is why they started , and there is always a reason and everyone ' s reason is different but unique and important to them . Misumzi started lifting weights because he used to play soccer with guys who were older and bigger than him , and he wanted to improve his size and strength . He had a friend who did karate who trained in a garage gym , and so one day he went along with the goal of building up his body . That is when the bug bit and it has never stopped since then .
TRAINING PHILOSOPHY
Misumzi believes in always training to failure . As we know , there are various schools of thought on this , and when one should go to failure or stop short on some exercises etc . However , when it comes to bodybuilding the people who get somewhere are the guys who figure out what works for them and use it to their advantage , and one cannot argue with a guy who is getting results . Misumzi believes in training until he fails all the time , whether he is doing heavier weights with low reps or whether he is pumping out high volume with high reps . “ I am always changing things up ,” says Misumzi , “ to me , it is not about the weight you can lift , what is more imporant to me is the intensity . It is all about the intensity .”
TRAINING SPLIT
( In-season split )
• Monday : legs
• Tuesday : chest and arms
• Wednesday : back and shoulders
• Thursday : legs
• Friday : chest and arms
• Saturday : back and shoulders
• Cardio : 20 minutes a day , three days a week , after training . There is so much information and so many opinions when it comes to how people should train , that often young guys don ' t know where to start . According to Misumzi , young guys , or beginners , need to learn as much as they can from as many sources as they can . This learning will never stop – one continually learns in this sport . This can only happen when one has a passion for the sport and building muscle .
“ TO ME , IT IS NOT ABOUT THE WEIGHT YOU CAN LIFT , WHAT IS MORE IMPORANT TO ME IS THE INTENSITY . IT IS ALL ABOUT THE INTENSITY .”
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