It’s that time of the year again! A time to acknowledge she who makes all things possible. She who works tirelessly in the background to build me up. She who took me as a clay pot and molded me into the African King I am today.

My Queen,
My reign began when I met you, though I never knew I needed you when I wanted you…I never thought you’d be the one to tame me when I hounded you. I didn’t know where we were headed but I liked where we were going as your beauty held me hostage, Given, you’re my life's treasure; I value you, and nothing else matters. The truth is, I don't deserve you but you’re my once upon a time and happily ever after.

My Queen,
You elevate me to levels I could never get to without you, I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you have made of me. Because of you I’ve seamlessly transitioned from a boy to man and now I'm the King I believe I was destined to be. You give me purpose and for that I’m thankful, the truth is I don't just want you, I need you... you’re more than what I prayed for.

My Queen,
I'm with you, and by that I mean forever, I love you more than I love myself; it's deeper than anything I can put down on paper. For me, you changed everything, for you, I'll do anything...
I draw strength from your indomitable spirit, comfort from your kind heart and courage from your beautiful soul…because of you I have no fear…the truth is I’ll go to war for you, you’re the jewel in my crown and the tip of my spear.

Notes for married men:

• 😍 Appreciate and affirm your wives regularly. A heartfelt note here and there, a few kind words and compliments every so often, a hand held in public - filya. Mule ishiba utuntu!
  
• 🗣 Do the most, and do it publicly. Recognition adds fuel to the fire 🔥 …let her know, then let the world know, you’ll keep the fire burning! Your love story might even inspire others. For those it irritates NI VAWO😔
  

Chapwa. You get it? If you don't get it forget about it!

Supplementary reading:

• My wife, my motivation
• Good woman

Given Minziwe Majula, happy birthday 🎉🎈 iwe naine mpaka ku manda😐

Question: “Nick, how much ya bench?”
Answer: “Doesn’t matter.”
Justification: Thinking you’re King Kong in the gym as a recreational athlete will earn you a one-way ticket to snap city if you’re not careful. The truth is nobody cares how much you lift, they just care that you look like you do 💪🏿 😍 I’m encouraged to publish this blog for the majority of people that hit the gym for cosmetic purposes but don’t quite appreciate how to achieve that. The strongest guy in the gym is seldom ever the most aesthetic guy. Here’s the playbook for those that just want to bring the fire 🔥 :

• Gents, avoid maximum lifts that require maximum effort. The risk of injury goes all the way up when you’re eager to impress strangers or ladies in sports bras training by nearby machines. Keep your ego in check before you learn a painful lesson in humility. The goal should always be to stimulate the muscle, not annihilate it so stay out of the red zone.
• Ladies, if you want to look better and improve your body composition you MUST lift weights. More on this here.
• Prioritize the little things such as sleep, stress reduction and other lifestyle adjustments. Gym is only a small part of your day, usually an hour. Do more during the remaining 23 hours to support recovery. How you look is directly influenced by your thinking patterns such as overthinking and stress and daily decisions (i.e. matebeto style eating or neglecting sleep trying to be the next Elon Musk).
  
• Focus on proper nutrition and understanding your macronutrient and micronutrient requirements. Spending all your money on supplements won’t make you look like the monsters you see on the cover. Supplements help but they’re not game changers no matter what someone tells you. Don’t know what to eat? Let’s talk about it. Want to try supplements but you don’t know what’s useful? We can talk about that too.
  
• Be consistent with your training sessions and try to have early morning sessions on an empty stomach to accelerate fat loss. Throw in a cup of black coffee for an added boost. Green tea is a good alternative for caffeine sensitive individuals with a low dose offering of caffeine that’s sufficient to give you a lift and get you going. An additional side effect and benefit is that it can also stimulate bowel movement. 1️⃣ workout 2️⃣ poop 💩 3️⃣ enjoy the rest of your day without anything weighing you down :).
  
• Train with and seek mentorship from people that have the physique you want. Stop huddling up with people at the same level as you (beginner). It’s the blind leading the blind. Umozi azagwa mu drainage.
  

You want to be bull strong? For who? Where are you going to take that strength? You’re old(er) now, stop flexing like a young lad before you hurt yourself. Always lift with a focus on longevity and the real reason why you’re in the gym - to look better.

Supplementary reading:
African King
Supplements
Women & weights

I spent the summer hard at work in my coliseum just so I could muscle my way out of my 20s💪🏿. I’m 30 today and I’m pretty pleased with where I’m at physically 😁. I nearly drowned in my sweat and constantly fought off hunger, cravings and temptation but it’s all been worth the struggle. I’m going to tell you what I did to get to this point:

Nutrition 🥘

• Breakfast: 2-4 weetabix biscuits with almond milk + a cupful of blueberries🫐 + 1 banana 🍌 , 1 tablespoon of chia seeds + 500mls of plain warm water mixed with a double serving of whey protein
• Lunch: 2-3 fish fillet (usually hake or tilapia)/t-bone/chicken (breasts or thighs) with a large serving of 3 mixed vegetables 🥦 🥬 🥗
• Snack: 2-3 medium sized cups of mixed fruit 🍐 🍉 🍎 🍇🍓🍑 + 500mls of plain warm water mixed with a double serving of whey protein and creatine
• Supper: 3 boiled eggs🥚, bacon 🥓 , chopped cucumber 🥒 and carrots 🥕 , sliced tomatoes 🍅
• Hydration: 2.5 liters of plain water daily plus 6 small cups of green tea. Multiply your body weight by 40 mls to get your own optimal daily hydration target.

I didn’t touch dairy products 🥛 🧀 (outside of whey protein), bread 🍞 , nshima and juice. When it came to rice and pasta options I’d opt for brown and wholegrain variants. Water and green tea were my primary go to hydration options and I’d occasionally have a couple lite beers just to be social or when I just felt the urge to consume alcohol.

In summary, it’s lots of nyama (meat) na nsomba (fish), fruit & vegetables.

Training 🏋🏾‍♂️

• Strength training 5 days a week which involved heavy lifting for an hour a day.
• Cardiovascular exercise 5 days a week which comprised of 5-10 kilometer incline walks 🚶🏾‍♂️ on a treadmill.
• Isolated core work: 100 sit-ups, 30 leg raises, 30 side crunches each side, 30 Russian twists with a 8kg kettle bell, 30 bicycle crunches and a 1 min plank

I’m more than happy to share my complete and exact training plan for those that are interested. All you got to do is subscribe to my newsletter here and request for the plan on WhatsApp. Osa yopa ku funsa, ni mahala (don’t be afraid to ask, it’s free).

Supplements 💊
Supplement World Zambia was my plug locally. I got pro nutrition’s 6 pack fat burner, whey protein powder, creatine and CLA. I took them to help build muscle faster, recover from sessions and drop fat (through thermogenesis and appetite suppression) . Other supplements I opted to stack with were fish oil from real science athletics, vitamin D + zinc + magnesium + L-tyrosine from Bulk Powders UK🇬🇧 . The extras were used to optimize my hormone profile (mainly testosterone - zinc), enhancement of mental focus and motivation (via L-Tyrosine) and assistance with the replenishment of lost minerals from sweat (zinc & magnesium).
NB: Guys, please, don’t rush to buy and consume supplements mungulu mungulu if you don’t know what you’re doing. Have a chat with Patrick first (0962-212157). But yeah, this is what I took.

Lifestyle😊

• 9 hours of sleep daily 🛌 😴 . I took a melatonin supplement to help me with this.
• Five 2 minute prayer sessions and check ins with God🙏🏾 + 40 minutes of daily meditation 🧘🏾‍♂️ to manage stress. I’d also avoid all human beings whose energy irritates my spirit😔 both in person and on my phone📞 (contact name: Don’t Answer). Please, protect your peace and don’t feel compelled to take calls, respond to messages or interact with people that provoke the little devil in you.
• Daily practice of affirmations (x10) which was anchored on turning my insecurities into mantras. More on this here: This greatly helped reinforce positive realignment.
  
• An hour of positive, uplifting music 🎶 to spike my mood and lift my spirits every morning.

Everything outlined in the lifestyle section helps keep my mental and emotional health dialed in.

If all this sounds like too much work then it’s just not important to you. The truth is that when you’re in shape you don’t have to walk up to somebody and say “yo, I love myself.” You look 👀 😋 like you take care of yourself and that’s real self love. Learn to do it more.


Supplementary reading:
Body positivity
Supplements
Men’s health
Women’s health
Women & weights
Happiness
The belly must go!
Keto Dieting
Fitness & alcohol
Advice to the Mrs.
The 5 minute myth
Digging your grave with a knife & fork

📸 Photo Credit: Ryan J Banda (0974-101553)
🗣🎬Creative Director: Lombe Mulenga (0975-911308)

⚠️ Protocol demands that you refer to me as His Royal Buffness when you see me 🤴🏾 😄 jokes! I hope you, whoever you are that’s reading this is encouraged to get in shape and assume your place as King or Queen of your own body.