After a year of intense training, Canmore’s Andy Mabidi wouldn’t let anything stop him from entering a bodybuilding competition—not even a car accident.
Mabidi is originally from Zimbabwe but immigrated to Canada in 2010 to escape political violence under Robert Mugabe’s rule.
Mugabe was the former president of Zimbabwe’s ZANU-PF political party from 1987 to 2017. He was infamous for being a tyrannical dictator who used his power to ruin lives.
Mugabe would have soldiers hunt down and kill anyone who opposed him, often branding countrymen as enemies of the state, including Mabidi.
With a target on his back, Mabidi knew he needed to run if he wanted to survive.
“They decided to come after us, killing us one by one. I didn’t know where I was going to go or what I was going to do. I was just in a trance,” Mabidi told the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
According to the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the 5th Brigade of the Zimbabwean Army murdered about 20,000 people under Mugabe’s rule.
With no time to spare, Mabidi fled the country in 2010 without so much as a goodbye to his friends and family, including his four-year-old son.
Mabidi escaped to South Africa, where he turned to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but his safety came at a price.
“That’s when they told me I’m a refugee and I can’t go home. I said I want to go home and take my son, and they said you can’t,” explained Mabidi.
When Mabidi arrived in Calgary in 2012, things weren’t easy. He felt lonely, struggled with depression, and had a hard time adjusting to life without his family.
On a whim, he visited Banff and decided to move to Canmore, where he got a job at the Canmore General Hospital.
Even though he seemed happy on the outside, Mabidi was hurting on the inside. A serious talk with his boss and starting antidepressants helped him begin to face his struggles.
Metamorphosis
Mabidi realized he needed to change, so he started focusing on fitness and found a love for bodybuilding.
The gym can be intimidating, but some of the nicest people can be found pumping iron. In Mabidi’s case, the gym quickly became a safe place to focus on his mental and physical health.
“He was always happy when he could go out biking or go to the gym. The one thing I’ve seen since going to the gym with him is he’s the most dedicated person you’ll find there. It’s his happy place,” said Mason Hubbel, Mabidi’s coworker and best friend.
Mabidi set his sights on and trained hard for the Alberta Naturals bodybuilding competition, which is for athletes who don’t use performance-enhancing drugs.
When it comes to working out, Mabidi is a natural, no pun intended. Check out this video to see how he makes it look easy.
Not even the COVID-19 pandemic could stop Mabidi from pursuing fitness. He built a gym at home and kept training, eventually winning first place in the Alberta Naturals men’s 40+ division in 2021.
Winning that competition was a huge moment for Mabidi. It improved his physical and mental health and gave him the confidence to share his story.
Once, he was afraid to talk about his past, but now he openly shares his journey from refugee to bodybuilding champion.
Mabidi dreams of bringing his son to Canada and making bodybuilding a serious sport in the Bow Valley area.
“One day, I want to see my family again. If I want to see my family again, I have to look after myself, which means I have to stay healthy,” he explained.
We all have bad days: 3.4 per month, to be exact. However, a 2018 study found that the number of poor mental health days dropped by more than 40 percent among those who exercised.
Working out and being active helped Mabidi reclaim his life, eventually leading him to stop taking antidepressants. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say bodybuilding saved Mabidi’s life.
Just Another Obstacle
Mabidi’s reputation in the fitness community earned him the “Mountain Beast” title, and last month, he proved exactly why he deserves that name.
The night before the 2024 Alberta Naturals competition in Calgary on July 20, Mabidi went out for a drive to loosen up his legs, but he got hit from behind in a hit-and-run accident.
Paramedics arrived to help, but Mabidi was determined to compete. He told them, “If I can still walk, that means I can still compete.”
“Both airbags deployed, and they kind of hit my face, and for a minute, I thought I was dead because it was so painful. I had to pinch myself a couple of times to make sure I’m not dreaming or anything,” he said.
The next morning, Mabidi woke up with a stiff back and a swollen hand, but that didn’t stop him from competing at the Alberta Naturals.
“I don’t usually focus on what is troubling me. I focus on what I want to achieve and what I want to accomplish, and this competition means a lot to me. So I sacrificed everything,” said Mabidi.
His determination paid off. He won the gold medal in the men’s master classic physique class for competitors over 50 years old and placed fifth in the men’s classic physique open class.
“Every time I go compete and win, it gives me more courage and more energy to train harder. Mentally, I’m feeling rejuvenated. I feel happy and I’m so proud of myself and feel like I’m getting better and better each year,” said Mabidi.
Mabidi, now in his fifties, is in the best shape of his life, but he recognizes that he couldn’t have done it without the support of his community.
“I help a lot of people; I help people for free. I am who I am today because of the community. They accepted me, they helped me to heal, so now I’m just trying to give back to my community,” he said.
Recipe For Success
Mabidi weighed 188 pounds at his heaviest, but he cut down to 171 pounds during the week of the Alberta Naturals competition, losing another six pounds on the event day.
“When I’m preparing for my competition, I stick to one particular diet…It’s really hard, but when you have a goal, you have a mission and you know on the other side there is growth, so just keep going,” said Mabidi.
Mabidi’s ‘particular diet’ consists of chicken and rice, a staple of the bodybuilding community. Chicken and rice is as boring as it sounds but this combination is the holy grail of gains for many.
Chicken is a rich source of high-quality protein, which helps muscles repair and grow. On the other hand, rice is a great source of carbohydrates, which provide the body with energy.
Even though Mabidi craved a large cheese pizza during the competition, he knew this year’s contest was tougher than previous ones, so he stuck to his strict diet.
“People are getting better and better each year and every year, man. The competition was so stiff. I didn’t have to worry too much because I’ve been training harder and harder every day, and I can see myself improving every year, and my diet is getting better,” he said.
Mabidi’s recent win qualified him for the Natural Canada Pro Qualifier in Toronto this month, but a car crash forced him to withdraw.
“For this thing to happen to me, it’s the saddest thing, but it’s life; life goes on. Sometimes you have to listen to your body, so that’s what I’m gonna do,” explained Mabidi.
Mabidi won’t be competing at the Natural Canada Pro Qualifier, but he’s looking forward to another competition in early November to keep his spirits high as he recovers and continues training.
When Mabidi was at his lowest, he almost gave up his life. But with his community’s and fellow bodybuilders’ support, he could find purpose again.
If a car crash couldn’t keep Mabidi from competing at the Alberta Naturals, it’s hard to imagine anything stopping him from reuniting with his son one day.
