NW Kettlebell Competition a great benchmark event

For those who have caught the Kettlebell Sport fever, regional meets such as the NW Competition in Seattle are extremely gratifying.

First of all, it's a chance to go all out with a 10 minute set. This requires preparation, not just a few 15-rep sets in the middle of your circuit training. I mean focused training sessions to grove the lift, learn how to connect timing with breathing cycles and train the anti-panic mechanism.

The second major benefit of training to lift at a regional meet is that you may be in the weight class by yourself, earn a gold medal for showing up and log a great personal record! Currently Kettlebell Sport is an elite, niche sport in the US. Due to the intensity of training, not many athletes will go the distance, so until we have a few more years of growth in the ranks, most people will earn a first, second or third place medal at local and regional meets. National Championship meets are another story...

The third, but not final benefit of making it to regional KB Sport meets is the look you see on the guys in these pictures. The people, the sportsmanship, everyone respects the process of working toward personal goals. We all know what it takes to finish, or even attempt to finish a 10 minute kettlebell set. And the ranking system is not easy. That's right, there are ranks in categories such as Health, General Physical Preparedness, Sporting Perfection and High Mastery of Sport. As in all elite level sports, it's not every month that an athlete can achieve one of these ranks. We prepare for months, sometimes years to achieve goals and improve our previous records. Each year the local and regional events bring both new and seasoned athletes, community, friendly competition and benchmark achievements that might just be World Records. The joy of accomplishment is something you just have to experience for yourself.

For more information about upcoming meet, lifting events, and classes to improve KB Sport skills contact me at kettlebellfitness@yahoo.com.
Please visit my website http://mindbodyenergetics.us/kettlebells.html for the current class schedule.

Best wises for a fantastic, healthy season!

GS Training for Christian G.

Some of you may be wondering why I'm showing up exhausted everywhere this past week.
Three reasons:
1) there are competitions coming up and I have goals,
2) was offered a great deal on programming (aka, someone writes my workouts for me!),
3) I want to make good on numbers 1 and 2.

Video of what my coach wanted to see at the beginning of the week:
 The second event for the upcoming meet in Seattle, 20kg Jerk Only.

Video of what my coach wanted to see at the end of the week:
Looks strikingly similar to the one above? Well it's actually longer, by 30 seconds....

Actually, the 4th reason for my exhaustion this week is that my coach isn't pulling any punches. He wants me to succeed, this is only a piece of the training session. Two or three jerk sets, two or three snatch sets, a circuit and running.
This type of intensity is characteristic of the Stage 3 training phase, intense focus on the event and specific conditioning, ie. endurance and cardio for Kettlebell Sport.
I'm going to be in great shape if nothing else :  )

Since the competition is only 2 weeks away, the training will relax some for the next little bit. That being Stage 4, where the athlete's nervous system still stays active with intense sport specific training but extra conditioning is reduced. For me this means short, heavy sets and no circuit training.

After Sept 22nd I'm praying for the much-anticipated "week off" (Stage 5) before preparation for Nationals (Nov. 17th) ensues. Not that I don't love hucking weight over my head, I really do. It's just that this being my second year in competition, I finally get the whole micro-cycle thing and how vitally important it is in practice!
I'm going to be in great shape if nothing else  :  )

Please contact me to receive my semi-regular Kettlebell Fitness Newsletters: kettlebellfitness@yahoo.com
blessings and peace to all,
Christian