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How this young man inspires his neighbourhood to stay fit

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Tyres can give you a great workout.
Tyres can give you a great workout.

Your friendly neighbourhood fitness coach

SOLfitness is a community organisation that strives to engage with people through fun outdoor exercises which encourages social interaction and a healthy lifestyle. Here’s what you need to know about the young innovative mind that started it all.

Solomon Makhubela is a 23-year-old fitness enthusiast from Alexandra, Johannesburg, whose passion for fitness and training began when he started playing rugby back in high school. The lock has represented his provincial side at the under-18 level and later won the SA Rugby U/20 Provincial Championship in 2016.

Inspired by the likes of MH Fitness Director, BJ Gaddour and Fitness Expert Gideon Akande, Solomon decided to pursue his dream of being a fitness trainer. He figured that the perfect place to start would be in his community of Alexandra. And to make people feel comfortable, the training would happen in a familiar setting – the street.

The goal of this programme is complete fitness – body, mind and soul.

“I train people of all ages and walks of life, whether they’re students, married, or unemployed – SOLfitness is open to everyone.”

“Our ethos is you have to feed your spirit as much as you feed your body. And you have to exercise your mind as much as you exercise your body.”

The bootcamp for everyone

SOLfitness recently had its first bootcamp and the turnout was better than Solomon expected.

The exercises include tyre flips, frog leaps, repeated sprints, jump squats and crunches. Solomon provides constant excitement and energy while the bootcamp is in progress, allowing the participants to take in the vibe and motivate themselves.

Read more: 12 South African heroes to motivate you for the rest of the year

“I hope to encourage youngsters to engage in sports and physical exercise so we can keep the South African sports momentum and continue the legacy left by sportsmen and sportswomen before us.”

Despite having difficulty putting the event together (equipment, sound, refreshments), Solomon has pushed beyond the setbacks with a positive attitude.

“At first, not everyone will support your project or vision, but once you kick off and push through with a smile on your face, people will be intrigued by your attitude. I never doubted myself and jumped over my obstacles without showing signs of weakness.

The positive vibes brought through training gives me the energy to do more, and I realise the opportunity I have as a young adult to make a difference in society.

The future

In everything I do, I like to remember these words: ‘If it’s not a challenge, then it’s not worth it.'”

“I want SOLfitness to be known in Johannesburg before heading out to other provinces,” he says. “It’s great to be starting in my hometown. ‘Fill up the streets’ is the motto. The goal project for the year is to do a Boot Camp on Oak Avenue in Randburg – on that whole street”

Make sure you give him a follow on Instagram (@sol_fit_ness) to keep track of his progress.

Read more: How exercise saved this man from addiction

Originally published on mh.co.za

Image credit: iStock

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