One On One With Trainer And Bodybuilder, Mdu Green

Name: Mduduzi Nicholas Green
Age: 35
Height: 1,72 m
Competition weight: 102 Kg
Current weight: 117 Kg
Current city: New Germany, South Africa
Where do you train: Virgin Active Pine town
Occupation: Personal Trainer

How long have you been training consistently for and how did you get into this lifestyle?

2018 is my 16th year training! I can’t believe it myself that it has been over a decade.

Well getting into this lifestyle is a very interesting story as it was almost love at first sight, when back in 2002 I accompanied a friend of mine to the gym (I can’t remember what for) but when I got there I remember staring at the wall, which had pictures of the legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu and Ronnie Coleman.

I was so amazed at how their physiques were, from that day on wards I said to myself I want to prove what I had just seen with my own body and that was it, till this day.

What do you love about it and what keeps you motivated?

What I love about it is that it challenges me to the extreme and I constantly have to prove to myself that I can always improve my physique. The motivation will be when I see the process of my body changing.

When was your first competition and how did the prep for it go?

2002, at that time it did not go well as the sport was still new to me and I had little knowledge of it all, but I came 3rd place which was not bad for a beginner.

WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCE AND SUPPORT IN YOUR LIFE AND HOW DID THEY AFFECT YOU?

It has been my family and friends all the way, for my family to give as much support as they did to me for a sport they did not understand and some still don’t understand it, warmed by heart because it showed me how much I am loved and it pushed me to push myself more and more.

My friends have always been here for me and I am thankful that when it got tough I have people to turn to.

HAVE YOU HAD ANY SIGNIFICANT SETBACKS? HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THEM AND OVERCOME THEM?

Now recently I had been preparing for a competition that was on the 20th October 2018 in Umtata but I tore my left hamstring and calf muscle.

I was very disappointed because it meant I was going to be out for quite some time and have to go for physio.

Hmmm to overcome it is just to relax and let your body heal, I mean there was nothing I could change about the situation.

What are your future plans?

I will continue with competing and career wise bodybuilding is my life.

Take us through an average day of yours:

I wake up early in the morning, after freshening up take multivitamins and my pre-workout.
Have my breakfast which is normally jungle oats then after hit the gym, I do my first session.
There after my first client and throughout the whole day I will be training, training my clients and eating in between.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your diet, pre-contest and during the off season:

I don’t really have a philosophy, when it comes to dieting, pre-contest my diet will mostly be:

Jungle oats for breakfast.
I normally do not snack (not a fan)
Lunch would be fish and broccoli
At 15:00 I eat fish and supper will be the same as lunch or I would have 10 boiled eggs.

Off season:

Jungle oats in the morning.
Lunch: lean steak and brown rice
At 15:00 sweet potato and ostrich mince then for supper the same again.

Do you go on a ‘bulking’ period when not preparing for a show or do you manage to stay lean year-round?

I stay lean.

What do you think are the most common mistakes people starting out in bodybuilding tend to make?

They do not eat enough.

What do you think about bodybuilding in South Africa compared to Overseas?

I feel as though us in South Africa take the sport as a hobby rather than a job. The overseas athletes take it as their job, they go all out to better their physique, to become the world’s best. I feel we are not yet there, we are not hungry enough.