Ask Misty Green

I get quite a few emails every month asking various types of questions and I feel honored that JC & Hardfitness are giving me a Q&A area to share them with all of you.  If anyone has questions, suggestions or even tips that you would like to share, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  I am all ears for anything you would like to share or ask. There are two questions that have been coming up quite frequently so I decided to share these with you for our first month of Q&A together!

Cardio Poop Out!
  I have two questions for you. I’ve read somewhere that you will do up to 2 hours of cardio a day, is this true? And how do you keep from getting bored or going absolutely insane. I’ve been trying to work out to more cardio but I get so bored and all I find myself doing is counting the minutes as they go by.
Allison, Texas        
   
  To answer your first question Allison, I will usually get up to 1hr and 45min of cardio and that is typically during contest season. I will do 1hr pre breakfast and 45min post workout.  When I’m in the off season I will do maybe 30-45min of cardio per day and try to make it as intense as possible.  As for your second question, the first I suggest is to wear headphones. Sometimes having your favorite tunes will help the time pass by.  Also, mix things up a bit.  Try going maybe 15-20min on each machine. You could do 15min treadmill, 20min stair stepper, 15min step mill or elliptical, and 10min bike.  Play around with it and try various ways of mixing up the machines and the time you spend on each.  You could also try intervals. For example, start on the treadmill walking at a specific speed for maybe 5min, then run for the next 5min and back to fast walk for the next 5min and so on. Try taking your cardio outside if the weather is nice.  Also, check out issues 11 (plyometric article), 12 (sprint article) and 14 (stadium article) for other cardio ideas and I promise you won’t have a chance to get bored with those!

Getting Down
  A friend of mine and I have been debating to compete at the national level. We have followed numerous national figure competitions this year and have been nothing but frustrated!  When we look at the top 5 in every class at every show, the judging has been all over the place.  It doesn’t make sense. When we see girls that look like they are in great shape and place high, we understand why they did well and it is also motivational. When we see girls, that look like they need to diet and train for another 8 weeks before stepping on stage, yet they win or place in the top 5 it is a huge let down because that is not what we aspire to look like. It only leaves a huge question mark as to why???? Is this because of politics? We have never seen such controversy and we are debating on going to another federation or leaving figure competitions all together. This past year has been such a huge disappointment to those of us who are looking to move onto the national level because it is obvious that they are not always rewarding the best physiques. You have been so inspirational to many of us and we are still in shock at your placings this year. How do you keep from giving up when judging seems to be all over the place.  Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.
AH & KH, Florida

First, I want to say thank you for your support.  Getting emails with all the kind words and encouragement is priceless!  I say you and your friend should go for it! You never know what its like until you give it a try.  If competing at the national level is something that both of you have wanted to do, then do it.  As for the judging and placings, there isn’t much I can say. A friend of mine would say “It is what it is”. I don’t want to take away from anyone who has trained hard, which to compete at the national level, 99.9% of ladies have worked their booties off.  As far as politics go, you probably see it everywhere and in everything you do. I say, don’t get frustrated, discouraged or upset. I know it sounds easier to say than do but as long as you know that you are competing and training for yourself and not to win a trophy then you will never be let down. My daddy once said to me, you choose to feel the way you feel. So, I chose to be happy. Sure, I get disappointed from time to time like anyone else. But I also remind myself of the goals I set and the changes I wanted to make with my physique and am happy with my accomplishments. Do I want to get my pro card, absolutely!!!  But the challenges and obstacles I face only motivate me! If I don’t place well, I remind myself that I did everything I could and am happy with the result of how I came in for the show and I also don’t let my placing define me. Meaning, I’m not going to let a placing/panel of judges make me feel any less of a person. In the end you have to make sure you do this for you! Measure yourself, from where you started to where you end up. I promise, if you always go in with that attitude you will always come out a winner in your book. And isn’t that what’s important anyway, how you view yourself! So, stick with it and train hard and I look forward to hopefully getting to meet both of you backstage at a national show!

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