Many people make getting in shape a top resolution at the turn of every year. It is a matter of beauty and health. How you look generally affects how you feel about yourself.
Losing weight and having a toned body manifest one’s effort and discipline in pushing one's body to work out behind the curtains. The crown jewel of exercising? A sculpted body, muscle mass increase, muscular endurance, etc.
When asked, those who exercise have a universal buzzword for how they achieve their body goals—discipline. This, they say, is what separates you from your goals. However, as the year grows, there is always ricocheting and falling back, and the mojo for exercising and achieving those goals slowly fades away.
Resolutions are easier said than done, learning to start and sticking to a routine can feel daunting, especially when the results don’t show up with suddenness. So, the phalanx of humanity that sign up for gyms or workout routines fizzles out as time goes by, and a similar path will be followed at the turn of another year.
While there is no motivation greater than self-motivation when it comes to achieving your body goals, it helps to know how those who completed their goals, did it. BDLife talked to three people whose fitness journeys bore the desired fruit.
Clare Obora
Clare has been passionate about her body fitness for the longest time. She is a beast when, in her workout routine, but somehow, she will sneak in a moment to put on her high heels—for a little twist of the plot.
“The workouts have made me strong, the stronger I am, the more I lift, the more I lift, the better I look. Women tend to use the term toned body, but I look at it as building muscle; only growing muscle will give a toned look. Every day, I want to challenge myself to new, better heights when I am at it, I concentrate on how the muscles feel, more of talking with your muscles, I try to make it harder every time through either adding weight, adding repetition, changing the technique, variation and just having a conversation with my muscle. For one to look better, they need to put in extra effort,” she says.
Clare Obora at the gym.
Photo credit: Pool
Clare’s top exercises that she can swear by that helped her achieve her 2024 workout goals are deadlifts, cable kickbacks, hip thrusts, shoulder presses, and seated machine back rows.
“This targets my lower body, including the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps,” she says. Deadlifting is a weight training exercise that involves picking up a loaded barbell or other weight and lifting it to the hip level.
“I train five times a week and have segmented my routine into areas of focus: muscle groups. Unless there is a need for change, I do deadlift on the first day of my routine, my key focus is my quadriceps,” she says.
Shoulder press
“Usually, I will focus on my upper body from days two and three. This targets my chest, shoulders, and triceps. I am more biased on my shoulders than chest. I love to see my shoulder popping.”
Over time, and when done correctly, the shoulder press can help tone your shoulders, triceps, trapezius [muscles extending over the back of the neck and shoulders], and core [ the abdominal and back area].
Hip thrusts
“On the fourth day of my routine, I go back to training my lower body. Here, I give more attention to the glutes and hamstring,” says Clare. This exercise can help tone the glutes by increasing muscle mass and reducing body fat.
Eshuchi Lumumba
“How I look is very important to me. Looking good goes beyond getting the best clothes, it is how your body looks in those clothes. I exercise regularly to maintain a well-sculpted body and reap the benefits that accrue in the process,” he says.
Lumumba has a rich catalogue of workouts and an even richer knowledge of what the workouts do to his body. He is a man walking in the rain—he is bound to get drenched. Here are his top workouts that have placed him at the top of his game.
He doesn’t need to evangelise to anyone about the workouts he has done to bulk up on his chest and back. This is evidenced by his appearance.
Eshuchi Lumumba works out on an ab roller at his home gym in Ruaka on September 3, 2024.
“A close grip chin up primarily targets the biceps and the outer portion of the lats, while a wide grip chin up engages the lats more broadly, with a greater emphasis on the middle and lower lat muscles, potentially putting more strain on the shoulders due to the wider elbow position; essentially, a close grip focuses more on bicep involvement, while a wide grip targets the lats more extensively,” he says. “These pull-ups are useful if you want to bulk up, widen your back, and tone up the upper body.”
Core crunches
Everyone is looking to have a flat, toned core except that the core is stubborn to a fault. “With this workout, I am always seeking to tone my midsection. For me, this is a must-do. Many people say that body fat around your core is the last to go if you are looking to shed some weight. It’s a typical, you snooze, you lose situation,” says Lumumba.
Shoulder military press
“I could say this is the best exercise for developing almost every major muscle group in the body. This includes shoulders, upper chest, triceps, core, glutes, biceps and even last to a considerable degree,” he says. The ideal way to do this is to stand with a barbell resting on your collarbone—shoulder height then lift the weight until your arms are fully extended.
Denis Leli
Denis loves how he looks now. He lost about 40 kilos in 2023 after he was diagnosed with Type II diabetes—which he has since reversed. All credits to routine workouts and a strict diet.
“I leave the house around 5am for my morning runs at least three times a week. Two years in, I am proud of myself for the progress I have made over time. My health is where I want it to be, and my body looks greater than it did when I started,” he says.
Denis combines running with hitting the gym at least three times a week. This has helped him tone and build muscles, which he says are essential for his running. “Apart from being in a community that pushes you, the gym helps in building your endurance through strength training,” he adds.
Denis Edwin Leli at the gym in Nyali, Mombasa in this photo taken on July 16, 2024.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group
In 2025, Denis will incorporate cycling into his routine to complete his holy trinity of exercise. “Through cycling, I will be targeting to strengthen my calf muscles,” he says.
