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(and a few women), young and old, who take this as a show of masculinity.
And with that mass of flesh to flaunt, the men who achieve this feat are as outstanding as they are a precious few in the neighbourhood.
Could there be any greater feeling than having to court the “oohs” and “aahs” of admiration each time one passes by, much the same way one may attract the envy of the not so rotund?
How about the sensation of feeling, prying and prodding eyes on you when you pass by, like you are John Cena strutting on the streets of Zengeza?
Backyard gyms in mostly high density suburbs of Harare have been churning out these “iron men” who are variably admired, envied and feared in the ghettoes.
The simple gyms comprise of homemade equipment such weights, dumbbells and benches.
Nineteen year-old Don Chana of Kuwadzana Extension, who is an A-Level student at a city college, knows just how it feels to be the iron man of the hood.
“When I walk around, I see people ogling me and I know it is because of my body. Even at school it is the same thing, and some guys are even afraid of me,” he says.
Like many of the high-density folk, who are prejudiced of uptown opportunities because of lack of funds, he adds that finance has kept him off professional gyms where he could benefit from professional equipment.
“I can’t afford to go to a professional gym because of the restrictive financial demands, but I have a strong passion for body building so we improvise”, he reveals.
Professional city gyms, and those clubs based in the high density areas demand between US$30 per month to an upward of US$100.
Chana, who says his role models are the likes of John Cena and Ronnie Coleman says: “I can make the grade anywhere. I’m happy I have come to where I am naturally because I do not take steroids or supplements or any enhancement substances. This convinces me that should I join the professionals I can be one of the greatest”.
His training regime basically involves lifting weights of differing sizes to enhance the shape of various parts of his body such as the chest, biceps, triceps, the stomach (for that most envied six-pack), abdomen, thighs, among other things.
He concedes that without professional guidance, there is a modicum of risk of injury.
“I know there is risk of injury but my passion overrides that; and I have to keep as safe as possible”, he says.
Jacob Kaseke (24), who explains that he has worked out at a city gym believes that there is enough talent in the ghetto which must be tapped.
He says: “The main difference between the formal gyms and the backyard gyms is in the equipment and training, otherwise there is enough talent here to produce the next best thing”.
He notes that the incredible shape that one can get into doing the backyard workouts is testimony that there is talent.
He called on authorities to set up facilities for the sport.
This is a view shared by Lewis “Hoxx” Hokonya of Mbare who believes that the sport has not been taken seriously in terms of development.
At the moment, he said, enthusiasts of bodybuilding had to make do with what is available.
“The equipment is just what you can find around and there is no calibration of the weights.
“There is also the danger of having children as young as 14 trying on weights which could be dangerous”, he points out.
But he admires the spirit.
“It shows that people want to keep in good shape”.
Backyard gyms have attracted admiration and censure in equal measure.
(One bodybuilder, Paul Simeti of Kuwadzana said at first they refused to let him do workouts but allowed him when they saw his determination.)
One journal shows the mixed views with which backyard gyms are viewed.
“No traffic hassles. No parking problems. No smelly lockers. No wait for the weight bench or treadmill. Exercising one’s muscles and body at a home gym is a lifestyle arrangement that today is on the rise”, it states.
“Also on the rise, say fitness experts, is the risk of at-home exercise injuries”.
It notes that “many who turn an extra bedroom or basement into a gym do so only thinking of the advantages. Some of the potential downsides can be ignored”.
Some of the advantages are that it is cheaper than a gym membership (after initial setup expenses) and more convenient.
But weight lifters lose out on professional instruction and supervision.
It cites a study that says that amateur weightlifters are more than twice as likely to suffer injuries pumping iron at home than at the gym and that there isn’t a body part that you can’t injure if you’re doing something improperly.
Injuries derive from misuse or abuse of equipment and hands and chest muscles are at greatest risk from weight lifting.
Home gym also poses a threat to a child’s safety, as parents do not realise the risk of injury to children.
Five-time Mr Zimbabwe champion Givemore Marume is also as clear to the promise of the backyard gym as to its dangers.
“That’s where we all come from”, he told The Herald in an interview.
“You have to have somewhere to start”.
He said that the ghettoes were a good hatching ground for champions as, having nothing much to do, young weightlifters had the time to work out, and have a good body and escape social ills.
He said that professional information was vital and apart from professional guidance, DVDs, books and magazines provided key information and guidance.
“You have to know what type of workout, what food to take and the importance of rest. You have to have proteins, carbohydrates and water.
“You must know when to have water and when to avoid it; and when to have salts and when to avoid them.
“If there are competitions that is another level and you have to look at every stage and work on it”.
He regretted that in the absence of professionals, amateur weightlifters ended up teaching each other wrong methods and piling up weight on each other, which was not the correct form of doing things.
He suggested a simple regime for someone before they lift any weights.
This includes adequate warm-up to lubricate joints and prepare the heart.
The warm-up also includes sit-ups to activate abdominal and core muscles.
After that one has to work on the upper body.
He said if basic safety and training methods were not observed, one risked injury, the most common of which are on the shoulder and lower back.
And the bodybuilding king is clear on the role of this bodybuilding.
“Once you go for it, it’s good for your health and you become self-confident. The rest will follow”.
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