More than able to carry his high expectations
Potego Molobela, local bodybuilder will be representing South Africa in Santa Susanna, Spain in November.
Training three hours a day, seven days a week while following an extremely restricted diet is what it takes to be Potego Molobela. He won the gold medal at the International Federation for Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) South African Championships in eMalahleni in September.
Still reeling from his recent success, Molobela is preparing to compete in the 2017 IFBB Amateur World Championships in Santa Susanna, Spain this November. Judging from his physique, he is well on his way to becoming more than just a national champion.
Read more: Local fitness model crowned SA champion
“I started the sport in 2011, while still a student at the University of Limpopo. I was always a fit guy and training was part of my daily routine, but when I got to university I had access to a gym. That is where things really took off,” said Molobela.
Bodybuilding quickly became his passion. “Once I started, I realised that this is the sport for me, as I was always looking to make sport my career and studying was always just a safety net on which to fall back on if sport could not pay the bills,” he said.
On completion of his degree in water and sanitation management, he found a job in Nelspruit in 2014 and spent his free time working out. “To me bodybuilding and being in the gym is both a hobby and my main source of relaxation,” he said of his unbridled passion for a sport which, according to him, has steadily been growing in Mbombela.
Burning close to 2 000 calories per day, he said that the toughest part of being a bodybuilder was the dedication and focus it required.
Read more: Bodybuilders achieve top honours
“And the diet. It is very restricted and means that I eat similar meals every day,” he said, adding that he drinks no alcohol, so as to restrict his carbohydrate and sugar intake.
Bodybuilding, unlike other sports, requires no physical feats of strength or stamina on the day of the competition, as contestants are judged on their physique and the manner in which they were able to build muscle mass across their bodies.
“All aspects of the various muscle groups need to be proportionally correct, so what happens at a competition is not a show of strength, but rather a series of poses which shows the judges just how hard, flat and toned you are,” said the short, powerfully built man of 27.
To him, bodybuilding is more than just a sport, as he believes that many young men and women can benefit from the discipline it takes to shape and tone your body to the level where every muscle is clearly defined.
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“The sport really teaches you to take pride in your body and to treat it with respect, while at the same time teaching you how to lead a healthy lifestyle. People abuse their bodies and don’t even know it.”
His drive to achieve and make a name for himself as one of the foremost South African bodybuilders has been going well.
Nutrition Rage, a local sports nutrition store, has been backing him by providing him with the products and financial support he will need to compete in the international event, which will run from October 31 until November 8.
“I would like to thank my trainer, Julian Naidoo and the team from Nutrition Rage for their continued support. With their help I can really look forward to a very exciting competition in Spain and I hope I make them proud.”
