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How many comps have you done in your figure career?
Done about 30 comps I think (seem to have averaged 4 per year x 7 years = 28-ish). Mostly NZ, a couple in Aust and the amazing USA - Arnold Amateur in 2010
Are you nervous/excited to be competing against overseas athletes. Or have you competed so much now you've got everything down pact and nothing bothers you much.
I'm really looking forward to the INBA and Musclemania comps in the USA. I really love the States and the people.
I get moments of excitement but I know that it will hit properly when I am finally on that plane!
It's funny as I think I am calm and organised at comps but sometimes when I go to put lip-liner on, and my hand is shaking, then I know that I am nervous :-)
Personally I think it is good to get a bit nervous before walking on stage. You should never become too complacent, but also not get too stressed either. It should be exciting and fun :-)
 
INBA Taupo
The americans (and Aussies) are quite the glamourzons, is there anything special you'll be doing towards your stage presentation to get noticed. Not that your presentation isn't great already!
I think a good blingy, well-cut bikini works well, plus a "body condition" that matches that particular federations criteria.
Make sure everything is perfect by getting a team member to check you over before you walk on stage, so no twisted straps, uneven pants etc.
Obviously a classy hair-do, well applied make-up and an even, dark tan complete the package at any level of competition.
I think the Americans are fantastic with hair so we will be having a play with styles at our Hotel with our teenage stylist - secret weapon Pryaanka "Prada"Deobahkta!!!
You are travelling with fellow athletes Kym and Farah, what do you think the experience is going to be like travelling and competing together? Have you also checked out all the shopping malls lol?
Kym and Farah are two fantastic and easy going ladies so travelling with them will be a lot of fun!
They are both very experienced and organised people who have both competed o/s, so they know the ropes. We will be in different classes as well so we can help each other backstage which is a bonus.
   
Farah Deobhakta and Kym Carter Pics thanks to Paul McSweeney
Yes, organiser Kym has done the research on the massive outlet mall in Vegas! It has every brand imaginable there so I see an excess baggage fee being handed to us on the way home lol.
Kym also surprised us at the Taupo INBA comp. when she presented Farah and me with a gorgeous Goodie Bag each that included food treats, a bottle of wine, the Las Vegas outlet shops list plus a calender/ itinerary etc. That was a really sweet thing to do and it certainly brought a real closeness between the three of us - thanks Kym!
Give us a typical daily slice in the life of Monty in terms of your cardio, weights, work schedule before heading oseas.
Yeah well, pretty hectic, but then again, no different really to everyone else in NZ that does comps and has a life/work/family as well to blend in with it all. You just become very organised to fit it all into each day. Mine is basically like this:
Up at 5 or 5:30 for cardio
Gym 7 or 7:30am
Home for shower, change, pack meals for the day etc
Work at 9am but I will leave before 5pm if my orders and admin are all done.
(Varies with the season but 6 or 8hrs straight usually with meals on the run)
Cardio after work
Dinner and also cook next days chicken and veg ready for the morning
Bed is 9pm (a late night is 10pm lol) - um, no sleeping pills required ;-)
What is the look INBA are looking for do you think? Are you quite happy with how you're looking now for their criteria?
I think the INBA like full muscled but with a nice degree of definition (just how Teneka presents herself).
I see the condition being somewhere between NABBA and the IFBB. Not too lean/ripped but still showing a degree of leanness.
I am happy with how I look at the moment leading into it. Hoping that the flying will not cause any blow-outs but it shouldn't as I will be drinking plenty of water and taking my own chicken & veg.
I did the North Harbour Champs as a "lead-in" comp to (hopefully) qualify for NABBA Nats next year and to keep me on track for USA.
I knew I wasn't in NABBA "lean" condition and I was very happy to qualify as there were 5 very different bodies in the Senior Figure O-40, definitely a strong class!
How long have you been dieting and training for the comp. With each year you've been competing, does the way you mentally handle dieting get harder or easier.
Well, it started when I was approached at Easter time by Kym to see if I wanted to do this trip, so I actually had plenty of time to diet (of course typically, in January, I had planned to take this year off to grow, seeing as I had done 7 comps last year................)
Anyway, Grant & I had also booked a 3 week campervan trip from Perth to Darwin with friends so I guess that was a major concern for me.
How was I going to find the right food, a gym, cardio???? So I had a chat with Kaye O'Neill and she gave me some food suggestions which really helped. I did still gain bodyfat but this was mainly from the drinks and lack of cardio. When we returned in early June it was straight into chicken/veg and my 10 week plunge into weight training & weight loss for the Taupo INBA qualifier.
Mr and Mrs Monty in WA
Unfortunately at about week 5 into my prep,I had to do an unexpected trip to my mum is South Australia as she was not well. This threw my routine out of sync and of course there was a degree of stress. I had to really re-focus my mind and use the visit as a benefit i.e., I got to sit and relax between my 3 workouts through the day which I guess I had never done. No business work to do, just talk, read a book, go for a drive, sleep etc. A great recovery lifestyle in that respect.
I don't know about everyone else but our loving parents never seem to "get it" that you can't just have a bit of this or a bit of that so there was that going on as well lol!!! (you know - Have an ice cream, have some crackers/cheese, wine, potatoes)
I made it to the Taupo INBA Champs and won my class which I was stoked about.
I knew I wasn't lean enough yet but I didn't embarrass myself either so I was glad that I had continued training/dieting while in Australia.
Long story short - yes, the dieting has become a lifestyle/habit. It's how I eat, anything else is a treat.
Does your body respond to each contest season the way you'd like it to?
I think my body is fairly consistent as to where the weight comes off and also where it doesn't want to come off.
My lifestyle is very different now to when I first competed as I am an office admin person whereby before I was milking cows twice a day. Obviously one lifestyle is more active than the other. Plus adding in the age/hormone changes means some areas "hold" more than others.
I try different types of cardio now and I think it helps to shock the body. I do laugh at myself at times (when I am doing sprints with my foxy), thinking "what the hell am I doing?????? "
I do have my "mother's arms" so my triceps hold longer than other areas dammit (aye Tara?)
 
What's harder for you? training and cardio or dieting? how do you make yourself push through and do it or stick to the plan.
CARDIO: I think the cardio has become the part I stall on when it is the second lot at the end of the day. You know, when you get home, get washing in, prepare dinner, and then have to find the motivation and energy to get that heart rate up. Hence the sprints - short and sweet! I also like to mix in some Plyo and TRX as they get the blood pumping and help tone legs/butt as well
DIET: The diet has never been an issue. I think that once you set a date and eat clean and the weight drops and changes can be seen, it's easy to not want anything bad. I mean, who wants to have to do MORE cardio to burn off the extra calories? Maybe staying leaner off season would be an advantage or perhaps starting the diet further out would help also.
I think just get into the zone and decide how you want to look on stage - wicked or wobbly?
Popeye and Monty
WEIGHTS: I train with Tara “Popeye” Jones and she is always smiling and happy - just a gem that girl. We push each other and have strengths in opposite muscle groups so it's great! She jokes that we are "fatty & skinny" and I joke that she is "Miss Smiley" and I am "Miss Serious" - so we have a lot of laughs!
You started out doing figure in your early 40s, did you think you'd still be competing so many years on? and do you think you'll still be competing many years to come?
Yes, obviously a late starter doing my first comp at age 40 (I always wish that I had started younger). I am happy to keep competing for a few more years yet. It sure gets harder to get some body parts to respond but then it also makes the challenge more rewarding too.
 
Advice to other senior figure ladies who'd like to give competing a go even if they started late like yourself.
I think that if you begin with a Body for Life or some type of 6 week program at your gym to start with, you will learn a lot about weight training and hopefully diet as well. The bodybuilding diet is simply eating clean. Cut out the sugars, bad fats and alcohol and you can't go wrong really.
So many think that they will get muscley/bulky using weights and yet, funnily enough being big and bulky from bad food habits is okay??? Go Figure!
Probably the one thing I would say is that once you have decided to compete definitely get advice from someone that has competed or that trains women that do compete and stick to that one person. People get confused with so much input by different "experts" that they don't stick to a plan, just pick out the parts that appeal. You need to learn how your particular body reacts to different foods as well and this can take years.
I see a lot of women with the potential to compete but at the end of the day, it is up to them to want to do it.
Monty
November 2012
p.s. yes Lisa, you are quite lucky to get this long-as reply lol!!! I hope it makes good reading for your GF followers, xxx
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