Competition bound!

[Catrin]

After talking with my coach today, I've decided to head to Randolph, New Jersey in mid December for my first Kettlebell competition. :cool: :eek: As a beginner I already know my weight and the number of reps I will need to perform to establish my rank. I've 5 months to prepare so I've plenty of time. Both to save up for the trip AND to do the work!

[OakLeaf]

Exciting! Good luck with your training.

[Crankin]

How exciting!

[uforgot]

Keep us posted on your training and the competition.

[Catrin]

I will! I already know all of the kettlebell sport lifts, and my pace isn't bad. Now I just need to increase volume, time per hand, and endurance so I will be ready. Goal is to train smart and to not injure myself by trying to increase all the above too quickly. That is what my coach is for! Very thankful to have him.

[Catrin]

My KB coach has two other people interested in competing, so he is going to have start a competition-specific class for the three of us! This is great, as I can't afford his individual attention. Pity I can't drive to New Jersey in December...not over the mountains in an iffy time of the year weather-wise, especially if this winter starts like the last one did. I suspect the fuel cost wouldn't be much less than the air fare anyway.

Do we have any TE members in the Randolph, NJ area by any chance?

[Catrin]

I've a competition this Saturday! Well, not really, but it is set up and ran like one. It is a Pentathlon, which consists of 5 different KB Sport lifts (6 minutes each lift), multiple hand changes allowed, 5 minutes rest between each 6 minute set. No setting the KB down or you are done. No touching it with the other hand during the set or you are done. No letting it hang down or you are done - there ARE ways to find rest in each of the lifts. I set my pace, I choose my weight. My goal is to FINISH, I am less concerned about my final score - and my KG competition coach is using this as a base line to see where I and my two fellow competition students are (there will be a couple others there who aren't interested in competing, but who DO enjoy a really hard workout. Score is based on number of reps with a multiplier based on the weight selected for that lift. There is a top limit of reps allowed beyond which won't count. Not that I have to worry about crossing that line just yet!

So, my goal is to finish and to set/keep a pace that will allow me to do that and to not exhaust myself before that hour is up. We just did an 18 minute set on Wed without rest, so if I can do THAT, I can do THIS if I am wise about my weight and pace choices.

[Catrin]

My first little event went well! The last minute of the last set got rather ugly, but I finished without having to bail before the clock ran out :cool: My score wasn't bad for an old woman (better than I had hoped for), and it is a good beginning!

[Sky King]

okay so this may be a silly question. We do KB swings and lifts, etc. I have actually dropped the weight of my KB down because I don't care for how tight my pants are getting across my rear. Yes, I do like the fact that my behind is higher and firmer but being the vain person I am :) I don't want a bigger bubble butt, just a firmer bubble butt. Have you noticed that as your body changes?

[Catrin]

okay so this may be a silly question. We do KB swings and lifts, etc. I have actually dropped the weight of my KB down because I don't care for how tight my pants are getting across my rear. Yes, I do like the fact that my behind is higher and firmer but being the vain person I am :) I don't want a bigger bubble butt, just a firmer bubble butt. Have you noticed that as your body changes?

As far as my butt is concerned, I've not noticed anything outside of my butt becoming more firm. Then again, I do have a flat butt, always have had and I suspect that it will always be that way regardless of how hard I work. It is, however MUCH tighter :-) I've been told that traditional deadlifting will also do what you describe.

[OakLeaf]

Nice work Catrin!

[Catrin]

I crossed a milestone today :) We did multiple lifts at 4 minutes per hand (Jerk 4 minutes per hand, rest 4 minutes, Snatch 4 minutes per hand, rest 4 minutes, then do it all again). A true competition set is 5 minutes per hand, so my conditioning is coming right along! My coach dropped my weight quite a lot since this is the first time I've gone this long, but that will change. Of course you have to pick a pace and keep it to keep from wearing yourself out. He knows his business and will NOT allow us to injure ourselves as much as that is in our control for, of course, any competitive activity does have a higher risk. We've decided that I WILL go to the December 13 competition in New Jersey if things continue as they are!

[emily_in_nc]

That's awesome, Catrin -- congrats!

[Catrin]

That's awesome, Catrin -- congrats!

I think I've finally learned from my prior over-use injuries. I really and truly enjoy kettlebell sport (GS - Givorey Sport). My primary focus is to do it as well as I possibly can while maintaining my health. This is far more important to me than attempting to set some national or world-class record for my class. Competition is just one way of setting a goal, and it provides me that taste of adventure that I've learned I require.

At 54 a serious injury could very well end things for me. Sure things can still happen, but it won't be out of ego. It really helps working with a 68 year old coach who has been there, done that ;) I didn't realize just how well he is known, and his true reputation in the world of GS until I started talking to others I've met who have been around much longer than I. I knew he was good, but I didn't know just HOW good until I started getting feedback from everyone who learns that he is my coach. He hasn't had any competitors for a few years due to health problems, so I and two others who are planning on the December competition will work hard to do him proud!

[Irulan]

..speaking of competition, this gal is amazing

http://www.nbc.com/american-ninja-warrior/video/kacy-catanzaro-at-the-2014-dallas-finals

[Catrin]

The link isn't working, but I've heard very good things about her. The very first woman to qualify!

----------------edited

Here is another link that is working (http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/7/15/5903209/american-ninja-warrior-gymnast-video-obstacle-course-kacy-catanzaro), at least I hope it works for others. This little lady just plain kicks butt and takes names, she is awesome!

[Catrin]

My coach put us through our very first 2 sets of full 10-minute competition rounds yesterday. 10 minutes of jerks, 15 minute rest, 10 minutes of snatches. It may not sound like much but it is...it is! The jerks were fine, my weak arm started tiring halfway through the snatches on that side so I had to cut the second set a little short. Not bad for a stubborn old broad on her first two competition sets! A total of 182 reps between the two lifts! Quite the confidence builder.

This picture was taken afterwards, and that smile is one of relief :-) I was pumped all day yesterday about this, and NO repercussions from the work. Thankfully our coach didn't warn us so we had no idea what he had in store for us. That is preferable than thinking about it all of the previous night! I don't even appear to be sweating in this picture, but the facility we were at is VERY cold! Also got to try out my lifting shoes for the first time, and I decided they had magic powers :-) They are expected at competition so I figured it was time to start training in them. All joking aside, even at MY level I found they made quite a difference, especially as I became fatigued.

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[Crankin]

That sounds extremely challenging! You must really love it!

[Catrin]

That sounds extremely challenging! You must really love it!

Yes, I do Crankin! I love the challenge, but it is even better because a mere 5 months ago I literally wasn't capable of getting ANY kettlebell, of any weight, over my head with ANY kind of lift. That was after working with my former intense coach for 22 months! 5 months later, I am preparing to compete as a beginner :cool: :eek: :D It is the crowd of strangers that will be in front of me that has me a bit nervous. My coach says he knows how to prepare us for that, so that will be interesting!

[ridebikeme]

I'm so excited for you Catrin! It seems like you have come a long way, here's to hoping that this is simply the start of your journey. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.

[Catrin]

Thanks for the encouragement! Today my coach put me through an even LONGER set, well, not really, it was just divided up differently. Instead of 2 ten-minute non-stop sets. I had five sets that added up to 20 minutes of lifting, this time all of the same lift. He gave me a pace to set and I did it. The surprise was that, at the end, I didn't feel like I was done. For the first time, I could have done more, and I had just completed 221 jerks!!!! Granted, beginner weights are light but still, I am very pleased :-)

[ridebikeme]

Glad to hear that you are enjoying yourself and progressing! Keep up the good work Catrin!!

[Catrin]

Things are still going well, and my shoulder lockout gets better every week! WHO KNEW that this is what my shoulder needed to "get over" the consequences of all of those multiple injuries over the years. Of course it helps to have a coach who has been doing this for over 40 years - he KNOWS what he is doing!

Mimi is one of my role models - 67 years old, she just won her THIRD Swiss championship. This video shows her playing with the 8KG (http://youtu.be/XZhLsAQTNOs) (snatch) for 10 minutes (full competition timed set) - and happened to set a personal record for herself, I think she did this after her official competition set earlier that day. Since the weight is lighter than what she normally snatches with she is belting them out. Her motto is "never stop", and she doesn't until the clock runs out. I hope I am like her in another 13 years ;-)

[OakLeaf]

So glad you've found something your shoulder likes!