Tuks’s gentle ‘muscle man’ wants to teach youngsters about discipline and hard work

Posted on April 17, 2019

Looks can be indeed deceiving.
 
Anyone meeting Muzi Maluleke for the first time might be excused if they feel slightly intimidated. It will be with good reason. His biceps and some other muscles are straining against the material of the shirt he is wearing with every move he makes.  Helping to create the impression of him being a no-nonsense guy, someone certainly not to mess with.
 
However, as said looks are deceiving. The sport science masters student and sport science gym manager is possibly one of the nicest guys working at the University of Pretoria’s Semli (Sport, Exercise, Medicine and Lifestyle Institute).
 
One of his biggest drives in life is to prove to youngsters that talent alone does not necessarily always equate to becoming a champion or being successful. The experience he gained from being a dedicated bodybuilder made him realise that it is all about hard work and discipline.
 
Sculpting one’s body to perfection lifting weights in the gym for up to four hours a day takes serious commitment. But that is not where the discipline stops. In bodybuilding one’s diet is of cardinal importance. There is never just snacking away quickly on something to still a hunger pain.
 
Maluleke is quick to tell you if he strays just a bit there are real consequences. He could be bloated or suffer from painful joints. Which means every day he has got to weigh each portion of food he is planning to consume with precision. Still, there are no guarantees.
 
“During the day my calorie-intake can never be more than 2000. You can imagine that at times I struggle to make it through a day because there is not enough glucose in my diet as a bodybuilder I am on a high protein diet. The brain needs glucose to function to its maximum capacity.”
 
It sometimes said that bodybuilders tend to be obsessive. Maluleke agrees to an extent. However, for him, bodybuilding is all about doing what most other people are not able to do. That is to increase muscle growth while burning fat.
 
In two weeks he will know whether he got it right when he competes in South Korea intending to try to qualify to compete as professional. The ultimate for him will be if he gets to compete at Mr Olympia which he considers to be the “Super Bowl” of bodybuilding.” Last year in Italy he finished second just missing out on a chance to fulfil his dream.
 
A definite highlight was winning in the under-85kg category of the South African Arnold Schwarzenegger Competition in South Africa in 2017.
 
Football is Maluleke’s other big passion. Up to Grade-11, he was an avid football player. All changed when he got injured and started going to the gym as part of his rehabilitation. 
 
“The massive response you get from doing the hard work in the gym got me hooked. I was also fascinated by how muscles react when injured and what it takes to rehabilitate it. That is how I developed a passion for exercise physiology.
 
“My passion for football has not diminished. I still want to contribute to the South African football ‘industry significantly’, and the best way to do so is through strength and conditioning coaching, explained Maluleke who is actively involved with Tuks’s Varsity Football team as well as teams at TuksSport High School.
- Author Wilhelm de Swardt

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