The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sport Reporter
A FORTNIGHT ago saw Lovemore Munyamana land his fifth Mr Bulawayo title uninterrupted as he asserted his authority as the best bodybuilder in the City of Kings.
Away from the muscle flexing, Munyamana earns a living from fixing electronic gadgets, something he studied for in Mutare as well as Bulawayo.
He disclosed in an interview last Tuesday that he can repair any electronic appliance apart from a fridge. Being a bodybuilder means that he has to divide his time between hitting the gym and attending to malfunctioning gadgets at his work premises situated at Thikili Shopping Centre in Mpopoma.
Born on 13 December 1984 in Chimanimani Munyamana went to Biriiri Primary School and Biriiri High School. Munyamana attained four Ordinary Level subjects in 2001 with an A in Mathematics, and Bs in Integrated Science, Geography and a C in Agriculture.
He proceeded to Mutare Polytechnic where he did a certificate and diploma in Electrical Electronics at Mutare Polytechnic from 2003 up to 2005. Munyamana also studied for another certificate and diploma in Auto Electronics at Speciss College in Bulawayo from 2010 to 2012.
“I earn a living from fixing televisions, amplifiers and doing satellite installations. I work from Mpopoma at Thikili Shopping Centre. I can fix any electronic gadgets except fridges,’’ said Munyamana.
His love for weights started when he was at school but he revealed that he had no idea on which muscles he was working on at that time. When he settled in Bulawayo, Munyamana started off at a backyard facility in Iminyela but now trains at the state-of-the-art Bodyworks Gym located in the city centre where he has been working out since the beginning of this year.
“I started bodybuilding in high school; I used to lift weights but had no idea which muscles I was working on. I started being serious lifting weights at Iminyela Gym which has produced some top bodybuilders in the city. After that I went to Mandava Gym in Mpopoma. In 2011 I went to Barberton Gym, then Dynamics in 2012 up to 2015 when I shifted to Bodyworks in 2016,’’ Munyamana said.
He describes how he balances between hitting the gym and attending to broken down electronic gadgets. He also has a special diet which sees him not touch any fatty foods which has seen his family also adopt the same. He consumes an incredible 10 eggs daily, five in the morning and the same number in the evening.
“Like an entrepreneur, I come to the gym early morning in the morning, I start at 730 and leave just before 11, and I give myself time to sleep then start work at 1pm until late depending on the pressure. I have a special diet, I don’t eat food with fat, my family now eats what I eat, and like a bodybuilder I eat a lot of quantities. I eat 10 eggs a day, in the morning I eat two full eggs, three without the yolk, in the evening it is the same. A lot of bodybuilders do not eat sadza, they love rice but for me I eat sadza,’’ said Munyamana.
His first ever bodybuilding contest was in 2011 when he entered the Mr Zimbabwe International Trade Fair staged at Hustlers Night Club. Munyamana finished fifth in a competition won by Isaac Chimuchenga of Gweru.
He said that he had no clue at that time what a pose was. During the same year he also entered Mr Matabeleland held at Barberton Gym where he finished in third place in what was his first best ever achievement in bodybuilding.
His maiden participation in Mr Bulawayo came in 2012 at an event held at Body Active Gym. Munyamana won the competition which he has gone on to claim since then with his latest conquest coming last Saturday at Elite 400. The first time he entered an international event was in 2012 at the All Africa Olympia where he finished in sixth place.
Munyamana competed for the first time in the Mr Zimbabwe in 2013 and settled for second place in the up to 70kgs category, beaten to the top prize by Chimuchenga. The following year, he was the top man in that section before he finished second last year with the number one accolade going the way of Garikai Mujuru.
In April this year, Munyamana was the runner up in the Mr ZITF staged at Cloud Nine where the first prize went to South Africa-based Zimbabwean Ndumiso Dlodlo. Munyamana believes that he lost that contest because of size.
A month later, Munyamana travelled to South Africa to compete in the Arnold Classic at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. He came fifth in the up to 70kgs section out of the 38 competitors who entered that category. He believes that he could have finished in a higher position but he made some wrong poses which cost him marks.
On his defence of the Mr Bulawayo title, Munyamana pointed out that that his preparations had not gone that well since he was sick in the build up to the show. Munyamana believes that having a balanced body has been the key to him winning Mr Bulawayo for five years in a row.
“I was not feeling well, so I was not really prepared, I had a headache for almost three weeks. Each time I go to the gym I train hard, my body is symmetrical and proportional; the muscle must be balanced in the whole body. When I prepare for any event I tell myself the competition is big, I eat a lot of protein to build muscles, focus on diet, and I don’t eat a lot of carbohydrates. I still go to the gym once a day, bulking the muscles takes one and half hours and cutting three hours. My job plays a big role in burning fat in my body,’’ he said.
The father of two boys aged seven and four said his wife has an understanding of bodybuilding in that she has to prepare healthy food with no salt as well sugar a month before big competitions.
He has some wise words to all the up-and-coming bodybuilders especially in Bulawayo with the advice being to stay away from drugs as supplements are the best way of building a body. He believes that bodybuilders in the city are not keen on trimming down their bodies ahead of competitions which is the reason why it has been hard to dislodge him as Mr Bulawayo.
“This sport is nice but when it comes to diet its really painful, you have to reduce water intake three weeks before competition. Any sport is not a matter of winning, stay away from drugs because there is life after bodybuilding when you are no longer a bodybuilder.
“There are better ways of building your body with supplements, you can impress people with big muscles but when you no longer training it has side effects. The problem with Bulawayo bodybuilders is that they don’t want to lose weight, they want to stay bulky, when it is time to cut I cut to the bone,’’ said Munyamana.
For winning Mr Bulawayo, Munyamana got a brand new Samsung Galaxy Tablet 3, $150, a 5kg bucket of supplements which he said lasts him two weeks, a trophy and a medal.
Only five senior bodybuilders took part with Givemore Marufu absent because he was taking part in the Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner’s Sports Gala in Harare while Lazarus Shereni has relocated to South Africa.
Munyamana expressed his gratefulness to Thompson Mpala, a city businessman who provided all the prizes. He extended his appreciation to his own personal sponsors who assist him with supplements Linneth Magigwana and Jerry Sullivan.
He is really thankful to Simon Gama who makes sure that the sport of bodybuilding continues to grow in Bulawayo.
Munyamana’s desire is to compete in bodybuilding up to the age of 40. His mother, who also resides in Mpopoma, gets worried especially when his son is preparing for competitions because of the dieting he goes through. Munyamana disclosed that he is capable of trimming down his body from 78kg to 70kg in a space of one-and-a-half months.
One thing that people do not know about Munyamana is that he is occasionally hired as a bouncer in nightclubs. To make up for his lack of a menacing body, Munyamana has to wear a vest to scare off would-be trouble causers.
“I am sometimes a bouncer at night clubs, just on a part-time basis, to make up for not being bulky I wear muscle tops,’’ said Munyamana.
While other bodybuilders in the city ponder how they can dislodge him as Mr Bulawayo, Munyamana is busy attending to broken down electronic devices while also working hard at the gym to keep on holding onto his title. — @Mdawini_29
