Times Of Swaziland: LINDOKUHLE BULKS UP LINDOKUHLE BULKS UP ================================================================================ BY PHOLSILE HLOPHE on 22/02/2021 21:49:00 MBABANE – It doesn’t get easier. You only get stronger. Lindokuhle Malindzisa of Makhwelela in Nhlangano has suffered a double blow from COVID-19. The Nhlangano Central High School Form III pupil has lost a whole academic year, which in-turn delayed his dream of becoming a soldier in the near future. His goal-driven character as a bodybuilder has taught him to resist and overcome failure through perseverance and determination. Over the past 11 months, he spent more time working on his fitness goals and managed to build well-defined and symmetric muscles. The 20-year-old bodybuilder has no access to modern gyms, but makes use of homemade dumbbells and bars crafted from cement and iron bars. You too can achieve positive things amid these challenging times. Here is what Malindzisa had to share; What prompts you to exercise daily? “I train every day because I want to be strong and healthy. I want to be better than I was before and more so because my dream is to serve in the army and I won’t rest until I fulfil that dream. Training has taught me to be optimistic and that means overcoming failure and pushing hard until I achieve my goals.” What sort of exercises do you do? “I am a bodybuilder so my training means focusing on specific body muscles in each training session. I lift weights six times a week and my training starts from 4am until 6:30am. I also do stomach exercises five times a week then rest on Sundays.” How has COVID-19 affected you? “It has affected me a great deal because I am a high school pupil and we haven’t been in class for a whole year so academically, it’s made things terrible. This is affecting my dream of being a soldier because I want to finish school first, join the army and continue learning military courses.” Do you know of anyone who has died of COVID-19 or someone who has recovered? “No immediate family member has tested positive for COVID-19 and fortunately no one died of it in my family. I have learnt a lot on the precautionary measures that help in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and that’s why I train at home using my own homemade equipment such as bars and dumbbells.” What advice can you share with the nation during these trying times? “There is no permanent situation and as a nation, we need to unite in prayer and believe that if we play our part, God we see us through. My condolences to the families that lost their loved ones to this pandemic and I pray that the situation normalises soon so that we can go back to school and carry on with life normally.”