Fitness Chat with Faith Aviwe Majodina

During her last few years in high school, Faith Aviwe Majodina watched a weightlifting demo and instantly decided that was what she wanted to pursue. And after participating in the sport for about three years, Faith took part in the Western Cape provincials’ competition, where she placed first in the under 63kg division. Later, she was selected to represent the Western Cape in the Junior South African Championships under 63kg and she placed second.

But due to her studying and work commitments Faith had to put weightlifting aside for about 4-5 years. She wasn’t training at all during this period and wasn’t happy with what that did to her body and health.  In this Fitness Chat, Faith Aviwe Majodina shares how she got back on the grind, her training, fitness motivation, and nutrition tips, and plenty more.

Who is Faith Aviwe Majodina in a nutshell?

I’m originally from a town called Klerksdorp in the North West. My family and I moved to Cape Town for work and study purposes. I was always a silent kid and always kept to myself while growing up and I still do now. *smiles*

I grew up in a very large family but not all my siblings were leading a physically active lifestyle. Prior to being an athlete, I studied music theory and played the violin for about 12 years.

What is your background in fitness?

In August 2015, I decided to join a gym and finally get back to my old active self after being off for almost 5 years. After a month of joining the gym, one of the trainers approached me and discussed bodybuilding with me as well as my chance of being a competing athlete.  I was a bit hesitant at first because I didn’t know much about the sport and what it entailed.  After spending some time with my then trainer who educated me further on nutrition, different training methods and the journey one undertakes till the day they step on stage, I became more interested and eventually fell in love with the sport. Eventually, it became part of my lifestyle and I was now on my way towards a better me.

In 2016 I stood on stage for the very first time at the Shameen Classic show – under 163cm Body Fitness line up. Even though I did not place on that show I gained a lot of experience, knowledge and was also empowered with information to help me prepare for my next show.

Within the same year, I competed in the Benfatto Nutrition / Western Province Show where I placed 6^th in the Fitness Bikini under 163cm lineup. It felt great to actually place for the first time and after leaving that stage I was set on going back to the drawing board to work on developing my body and on improving my weak points in order to come back with a much better physique than before.

Can you share with Fitness Chat readers your weekly training split?

I’m currently preparing for a comp but my training programme changes quite often as I try new workouts to see how my body responds to them. Unfortunately, the coach that assists me is very sensitive about me sharing the routine all together but I can share my cardio side of things.

I usually do two training sessions a day consisting of cardio in the morning and weights in the evening. Cardio is usually the one thing I have to beg myself to do most times but I’ve been doing dancing, spinning and my favourite of all, boxing. I find these three easier to incorporate into my routine/schedule, and I work up more sweat than being on a treadmill.

 

What is your favourite and least favourite body parts to train?

Favourite:

My favourite body part to train would be legs. This is because my legs have always taken long to develop and at times I feel like I look like the Johnny Bravo cartoon.

Every time I train legs I always give it my best and push as hard as I can – I train them twice a week. I must say that the hard work is starting to pay off as my body is now getting the symmetry I’ve been aiming for. I understand that there’s still a long way I have to go and so much I still have to learn, but I am proud of myself with every improvement my body goes through.

Least Favourite:

Definitely chest… I drag my feet whenever its chest day but deep down I know that I have to train it too and put as much effort as I would when I train the other muscles.  Bodybuilding has taught me to be disciplined in life in all that I do. And that also includes doing things that I don’t want to do because they will benefit my development in the end. My upper body develops pretty fast and as much as the chest is part of the routine, I still put more effort on my leg sessions.

 What is your nutrition like?

My nutrition changes about every month but ranges from foods high in protein and complex carbs for energy to good fats.  The way I eat changes quite often also because sometimes I’d spend an amount of time on a certain diet just to see the effects it has on my body.

 

How do you prepare meals? Do you cook daily or cook for the week?

My schedule can be very tricky so I cook for the week and freeze the food or if I do cook less, I cook for Sunday till Wednesday and then again on Thursday, I cook for the remainder of the week. This saves me a lot of time too because it’s just a matter of just defrosting the food and placing it into the lunch boxes.

What top 10 foods would I find in your kitchen?

 

1. Ostrich steak
2. Ostrich mince
3. Chicken breast
4. Peanut butter
5. Egg whites
6. Roasted seaweed wasabi snacks
7. Oats
8. Spinach
9. Cucumber
10. Veggie packs

 

What supplements do you use and why?

I stick to basics and just use the following:

1. Whey Protein
2. CLA 1000
3. BCAAs
4. Glutamine
5. Creatine
6. Now and then I use pre-workout or amino pre but I never use them for long as my body tends to just reject them after a few weeks of use or I get constant headaches.

I use the above to help aid in the development and recovery of my muscle. I also believe they are essential to the development of my muscles and body when accompanied by a good eating routine.

What is your fitness motivation?

What motivates me is the thought at the back of my mind that knows the more I push the more I will be able to see results because if I sit and do nothing I will never achieve anything or go far in this sport.

Also, when your body has reached a certain stage and has developed so much you wonder how much more is this amazing tool is capable of and that is why I dig deeper and harder.

The people around me also play a vital role as it’s not every day that you will be in good spirits and in training mode. I surround myself with positive people who understand what I do and understand me as an individual. My development teammates are just some of the people that push me and also my friend Xolelwa who constantly reminds me that I should never lose my gains haha.

What is the best fitness advice that you have received?

There are quite a few:

1. Planning ahead of time. Competing and doing bodybuilding cab be quite costly and requires good financial planning especially when it’s close to stage time.
2. Staying committed to my fitness lifestyle as it’s not a short-term process because you will only see results after putting in the hard work and being consistent in what you do.
3. Discipline and a focused mind are a must -Stay focused on the plan at hand and keep yourself mentally fit. Set your mind on what you want to achieve and work on it daily.
4. You’re not doing this for anyone else but yourself. Some may not understand why you do what you do but bear in mind that this is your journey and not theirs, don’t let them have much power over you.

What is your ultimate fitness goal?

The ultimate is still a long way to go but currently, it’s to improve my physique and confidence levels on stage. Good presentation comes with good stage presence and showing off what you have been tirelessly working on the past months.

Another goal would be to inspire others that may want to take on a fitness lifestyle and also for them to see that females who do weight training and bodybuilding don’t turn into men or scary people.