Bodybuilder and model Nompilo has found her passion
She says she simply fell in love with the sport.
A local female bodybuilder and Fitness Bikini competitor, Nompilo Xulu (25), has described being a black woman bodybuilder as ‘quite difficult’. She says, because of their African background, they stand out and everyone assumes they are taking steroids just because they show bit of muscle. “But despite all that, I love what I do and, if asked to do it for the rest of my life, I would,” she said.
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Nompilo has done well in many bodybuilding and modelling competitions around the country. “My accomplishments include three firsts in Beach Bikini contests and the 2018 Arnold’s Classic Model Search put me on the international stage and was more than a win,” she said.
Currently based in Port Shepstone as a district health promotion practitioner, Nompilo hails from Westville, Durban. “My hobbies are dancing and going to gym, where I train two hours a day. I have six meals a day, and four snacks in between these meals. I’m currently studying fitness and nutrition at Trifocus Academy,” she said.
She started competing in late October 2016. “My first show was the OR Tambo show at Walter Sisulu University, where I competed in the Beach Bikini lineup. I took fourth place and I was so excited about it that, from there, I never missed a day at gym and set myself a goal to compete in as many bodybuilding competitions as I could. Through bodybuilding I became a model, so it’s a win-win situation for me,” said Nompilo.
At primary school, she was a dancer and all-round athlete, until grade seven when she fell in love with tennis.
“At varsity I thought I would see my tennis career through, but bodybuilding swept me off my feet. Lifting weights came easily to me. I never felt like a newbie from day one at the gym because my body was used to the high intensity. So I was able to squat with 60kg within a week of joining the gym,” she said.She added that, while it was widely assumed that bodybuilders were made by heartbreaks and life crisis, this was not so in her case. “I just fell in love with the sport. Bodybuilders are athletes and, on top of that, bodybuilding is art, it is a creation of discipline, determination, perseverance and focus. Without those aspects one will never make it in this sport. Consistency is key and self-discipline is compulsory. Yes, bodybuilding is hard and I tell myself pain only lasts for 10 seconds and the results and gains are for life. Then I wipe my sweat and tears and carry on,” said Nompilo.
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