[divider]Intro Questions: [/divider]

So Samuel, how long have you been bodybuilding?

I have been training for 3 years 6 months.

That’s really not that long. Any competitions you’ve competed in?

The only competition I have done was last year’s “Man Ghana”. I placed 3rd in the middleweight division.

So…genetically, it appears you’re pretty gifted. Then you see the other guys working out with you who are pretty big. Do you think it’s genetics or do you think it’s mainly hard work?

back

It is both genetics and hard work, one cannot go without the other, both come together to make it complete.

Sounds reasonable. How’d you get into bodybuilding in the first place?

I got into fitness with the help of a good friend of mine called “Reginald Okyere Mintah” . He was training at a local gym and he asked me to join him. I wasn’t interested at first, but he kept on pressuring me to join him. I ask him why and he said looking at my body frame I will be very good at the sports, so on the 15 of September 2011 at 6:30 am we all went to the gymnasium. The first exercises I did as a beginner was for arms and shoulders. The next day I couldn’t scratch my back. My whole body was in pain so I decided not to visit the gym again but he encouraged me not to back down for the pain is just temporary. So kept on killing it at the gym and in some few months of hard work at the gymnasium, people started staring at me when I pass by lol. So from there, I saw that the iron is faithful and it never lies so I kept on lifting and now am 3 years 6 months in the sport of bodybuilding.

Let’s get on a touchy subject. Have you ever thought about taking steroids or taken them?

I’ve never thought of doing steroids, my goal is to be one of the best natural bodybuilder, so I don’t think I will ever do roids.

Are they prevalent in Ghana?

To best honest, I don’t know. I’ve never actually seen steroid in person and couldn’t tell you what they were even if they were in front of me. However, from what I know, there are no shops or anything where you can just buy them. To buy steroids you must go to some very scary places and I believe it’s expensive. Not a place for me to go. A lot of people online accuse me of steroids. Where can I get the money to buy these even if I wanted? I can’t afford a proper gym in Ghana. [let alone steroids]. Those who don’t believe me should come to Ghana and do their research. Try to find some steroids I dare you. There are people bigger than me yet 100% natural. People are so brain-washed they see muscle growth and assume steroids. How about they go and eat correctly like me and train twice a day? Watch out for Africa. The natural monsters are here. Just give us the support and we’ll prove the steroid syndrome wrong.

[divider]Training and Diet Questions [/divider]

Now, you look pretty big, but you also look very lean. I imagine that’s a result of the food. Can you give us some insight into your diet and what you usually eat on a daily basis? How about the breakdown (example: 30 fat, 400 carbs, 200 protein) if you know the numbers.

I don’t count calories and honestly is something I don’t have much knowledge about. I am a heavy carb eater, I eat three to four meals daily and this is how my diet looks like:

1. meal one ,”hausa koko” and “koosay” (millet porrage and beans balls)

2. meal two, 6 egg whites, two bananas and slightly cooked oats.

3. Meal three, rice, yam , plantain or “eba” as my carbs and my cocoyam leaves sauce with smoked fish such as tuna , catfish , salmon and more avocados.

4. Meal four, is similar to meal three, but I just change the cocoyam sauce and place it with tomato stew, two whole boiled eggs and green beans .

Do any cardio on top of that? What’s your favorite type of cardio?

The cardio I normally do is jogging and rope jump which I perform twice in a week.

How about your workout routine to go along with that? I imagine it’s a bit different than your average bodybuilder with that gym equipment.

My approach to training is a bit different because I don’t have a chart for my training like how most people do in working on a muscle group in each day, but I make sure that I train all my body parts during the week. I also at times switch to training twice daily (morning and evening) just to confuse the body to growth. I do lots of sets in all with reps ranges from 15 12, 10, 8.

Any particular body part that used to be a weakness and is not a strength as a result of your routine?

One of my weakest body parts which has improved and is becoming my strength is my back. I didn’t have enough knowledge on how to target each muscle group at first and secondly we were lacking some equipment like the pulldown machine and the pull up bar, so my gym members and I improvised ours, which really helped a lot.

Wouldn’t have guessed that from the pictures haha. You’re back is huge. Do you have best lift or a worst lift?

I don’t know the amount of weights I lift at my gym because our equipment is not weighed, so it will be difficult for me to tell my best lifts.

That brings up an interesting point. Let’s dive into your gym then, because it’s so different than what most bodybuilders are used to. Do they cost money to workout in?

To be a member at my gym, you have to register and pay a monthly dues. Similar to most gyms.

How the heck do you guys build them? Do they have bodybuilding in mind?

The gym equipment, like dumbbells, are built with cement and a metal pipes. Scrap metals are also being used for barbells and other equipment. The reason why we improvised gym equipment is that we live far from the city where they have the real gymnasiums, and even if it were closer to it we wouldn’t be able to afford it after looking at the price, so that made us improvise ours.

Do you think if you were in a gym with better equipment that you could be even bigger or more symmetrical?

My physique would have been much much better if I were in a proper gym, because their equipment is real balanced and a lot of machine are there to help sculpt the body. Unlike my gym, equipment is not balanced in weight and we don’t even know the amount of weight we lift because our equipment is not weighed and the stakes of getting injured are very high.

Ok. I’m going to hit on some person questions if you’re comfortable that my readers always like to know. Do you ever drink or party?

I don’t party… but I do take a bottle of beer on my birthday which is annually so it doesn’t have any effect on my training.

If you don’t party often, what’s a typical day or weekend like for you outside of bodybuilding?

Outside the gym life, I do temporal jobs at building construction sites as a laborer, I also get hired for events as a bouncer and am also a member of watch committee in my town. I watch movies, do research on the internet, and listen to music for fun.

I’d hire you as a bouncer for sure. What goals do you have with bodybuilding?

My future goals is to be one of the greatest bodybuilder and a motivator. I’d also like to build a gym with proper standard equipment and train people in my country to grow the sport.

Honorable. Picked up any sponsors yet?

Yes, I have an apparel sponsorship called “seriousaboutlifting”. And would like to have more sponsorship such as supplements, magazines companies, electronics etc, but it’s tough being all the way out here.

Anything else you’d like to say to Zelsh readers or your fans?

I will advise those who have just entered into the sport to know that bodybuilding is a journey and it takes time to see results so they should have patience, because “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. What ever you won’t to achieve will depend on how serious you work towards it.

Excellent. Thanks Samuel for the fantastic interview.

Shoutouts: Big shout out to my apparel sponsors at seriousaboutlifting.com and tayroc

Samuel Kulbila Stats

Full Name : Kulbila Agyarko Samuel

Height: 5 feet 8 inches.

Weight: 88.9 kilos – Offseason. 87 kilos contest prep.

Age at interview: 25.

[divider]How you can reach Samuel: [/divider]

Twitter: kulbila_fitness

Instagram: @kulbila_fitness

Facebook: Team Kulbila

Snapchat: Kulbila_fit