Sundaymail Editor
Sports Reporter
The fitness craze has hit Zimbabwe in a big way. It has not only become healthy but also fashionable.
A number of former top-flight footballers — including Charles Manjera and David “Diaspora” Kutyauripo — have been involved in fitness training.
Premier Soccer League players have often turned to these fitness trainers, especially during the offseason. CAPS United’s new signing, Godknows Murwira, is one of the players who attended fitness sessions at one of Harare’s top fitness outfits, Musabvunda Fitness, in January.
Former Dynamos captain Desmond “Gazza” Maringwa is also another high-profile fitness enthusiast.
“Fitness training has attracted a lot of people, especially after the global Covid-19 pandemic.
“At the height of Covid-19, it was said that people with underlying conditions were at larger risk of getting the virus than those who were physically fit.
“Hence, we saw a lot of people coming for fitness training classes,” says Kudzai Pasipanodya of Musabvunda Fitness.
Pasipanodya is also a marathon runner, who has competed at the famous Comrades Marathon in South Africa. He has a sports and fitness academy, and two of its products, Nyasha Priviledge Marira and Evelyn Ngezi, are set to participate in this year’s Comrades Marathon event. According to Pasipanodya, fitness training is key for professional athletes.
“We really encourage professional athletes to come as it helps them to perform at the highest level,” says Pasipanodya.
Musabvunda Fitness partnered Star FM radio last November in a 21-day challenge aimed at losing fat.
“A lot of people subscribed. We discovered that people are now more interested in fitness.
“We took the opportunity to help our nation because we believe that a healthy nation is a productive nation,” said Pasipanodya. Musabvunda Fitness has a packed calendar for 2023, beginning with the “Biggest Loser” (of fat) and the “Biggest Gainer” (of muscle) challenge, which starts tomorrow and runs throughout February.
“This event seeks to help people who are obese, something which is affecting our people. We have had a massive response to this event, which has seen individuals and corporates coming in to register.”
The fitness outfit has also partnered organisers of the bodybuilding competition “Mr Ironman Festival”.
“In April, we will be having an aerobics fitness challenge and this is where we will reveal the winners of the Biggest Loser and Biggest Gainer, which ends on March 31.
“In May, we will have a half marathon, then in June and July, we will prepare for the Comrades Marathon before heading to Kadoma, where we have partnered with the Mr Ironman Festival. We will also have a half marathon in Kadoma,” said Pasipanodya.
The Musabvunda Sports and Fitness Festival, which attracts international athletes, will be held in September.
“What we realised from the activities we do was that people were now health and fitness conscious and I think one of the reasons for that is the Covid-19 issue. It was said the virus mostly affected people with underlying conditions and were not physically fit
“We then saw a lot of people starting to do a lot of road runs but these were not coordinated, hence we came up with organised fitness training classes. It is something that you can take as a hobby and enjoy,” says Pasipanodya.
Musabvunda Fitness was established in 2020.
“We started with a fitness event and sports festival. We were just doing it to celebrate being in fitness training, because of our general fitness. We had an overwhelming response where we had more than 1 000 people who came to do different activities we had lined up for the fitness festival.
“These included aerobics, tyre pulling and flipping, car pulling, plank, sit-up challenges and people really enjoyed the activities,” revealed Pasipanodya.
Pasipanodya will make his second appearance at the Comrades Marathon later this year.
“Last year was actually my first year at the Comrades Marathon. I had targeted to finish under 11 hours and did exceptionally well as I finished the 90km marathon within 10 hours.
“I started training late and relied on general fitness, but this year, the strategy is different as I am doing a formal and structured programme for training for the Comrades Marathon and expect to finish under nine hours.
“The Comrades Marathon is a tough race but very exciting,” said Pasipanodya.
Online Reporter