From professional football to King Of Squats: How Nkululeko Dlamini built a fitness empire on Maskandi beats
Born Nkululeko Zane Dlamini, widely known as the “King of Squats,” he has become an overnight sensation across South Africa, courtesy of his unique lower-body fitness routines.
His massive physical transformation has earned him so much fame that public demand constantly forces him to stop and perform impromptu squat videos on the streets.
The attention has grown so intense that he now has to custom-tailor his trousers to avoid wardrobe malfunctions during these sudden public performances.
Born and raised in eZakheni, Ladysmith (uMnambithi), Dlamini’s original passion was professional football.
After completing his teaching qualifications, he signed with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) outfit Jomo Cosmos in 2009.
Struggling to get game time, he was transferred to a team in Eswatini (Swaziland), where he became a household name and a star player.
His stellar performance in Eswatini prompted Jomo Cosmos to recall him, but he unfortunately found himself on the sidelines once again.
Realising his football opportunities were limited, he decided to pivot to a career in fitness training.
“Because I was a football player, I wanted to focus specifically on lower-body training,” Dlamini stated, noting that his current physique is the direct result of targeted, intense squatting routines.
Dlamini has branded his signature lower-body workout style as “Mgogodla weStimela” (Core-Train).
His specialized regime has attracted a massive following, particularly among women looking to sculpt and tone their lower bodies.
He runs these training sessions every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at his gym located at 368 Marshall Street in the Johannesburg CBD.
On other days, he travels across South Africa and various African countries as a guest trainer.
Beyond fitness, Dlamini takes immense pride in using his platform to promote local culture by playing Maskandi music during all his workout routines.
He notes that while commercial gyms traditionally blast international tracks, his clients have deeply embraced local heritage through his videos.
However, he expressed frustration over social media copyright regulations, which sometimes restrict him from playing certain tracks by local artists.
Despite his soaring fame, Dlamini maintains strict boundaries regarding his personal life.
When asked by reporters about his partner or the mother of his children, he politely declined to comment, asking to keep his private life out of the spotlight.
Instead, he emphasizes that his life revolves entirely around fitness and his faith as a born-again Christian at the Faith Mission Church.
Fans looking to follow his unique workout journeys can find his video content on YouTube under the channel AerofitSA, or via his official social media pages under the moniker Nyawolomshini.
