Editorial by Juan Carlos Lopez

Next month we'll have a double feature from Musclemag Mexico. Have to get some more spare copies from the editor. I have been giving away too many copies to the ladies.

Hardcore

So what does the word "hardcore" mean? We hear this word many times in several occasions, some use it on t-shirts some use it on supplement ads. Its meaning has been lost and the word itself is over used. Just these past few weeks and past few days I revisited the real meaning of this word. This past Sunday while talking to NPC Figure competitor Misty Green on the phone she defined Hardcore: "It's motivation, determination and it's drive, who has the drive and who doesn't". And that is totally right, and it doesn't just cover aspects of competing but also of everyday life.

Hardcore in training means to go beyond what you need to do un the gym. Some competitors just go to the gym and do a few sets and reps and that is all. In a sport that requires more and more conditioning such as soccer there are several more exercises such as drills, sprints and scrimmages. So the gym is only a small part of the whole equation. Now plyometrics and stadiums have been used for figure/fitness/bodybuilding as a way to get more definition on the legs. And only a handful of competitors do it. Some will argue it is too much and during the summer it is too hot. A clear example comes to mind regarding this. Andrea Giacomi NPC Figure and cover model for HardFitness on Issue #6 knows the meaning of the word Hardcore. She runs stadiums about 3 times a week and trains really hard for her upcoming show in early July. Even when the temperature in Fresno State is over 100 degrees she still goes out there and enjoys doing the stadium workout. Incorporating this type of training combined with regular gym workouts and dieting is "Hardcore".

Several people I have met in this industry have given Hardcore a good name. Misty Green is one of them as she focuses and goes out and competes at National level and also writes several articles for this e-zine. Even if her placings are what she wants she still is proud of herself and comes back and does it again. She doesn't quit. When I covered 20 bodybuilding shows across the U.S., Canada and Mexico I never really thought about it and just went ahead and shot them all, over 200 photoshoots in 2005. And all those times in every show luckily there was someone on stage who had worked hard and perhaps not rewarded with a pro card or trip to the Olympia. But simply with their physique it was enough to make the show worth the trip. At 2006 Nationals in Atlanta I met also another person who was really hardcore and that worked extra hard was Kaisa Piippo who now contributes very actively to HardFitness and to her own country Finland. Now finding someone that has such a passion and that lives so far away in a totally different culture is wonderful. Kaisa competes as well, had the passion to learn as much as possible about the sport and how it works. Kaisa had read already several article from Hardfitness before meeting me at the elevators in Atlanta where to my surprise when I handed her my business card she already knew about HardFitness.

There are so many people that exemplify hardcore and I could just make a huge list and show specific examples of them. But you know who you are. From the Tamee Maries to the Traci Reddings, figure, fitness and bodybuilders keep up the good and hard work, you are all Hardcore...

Back to Issues