The big Miami kettlebell-fest is rapidly approaching and it should be an interesting weekend for sure.  Fortunately for me my back is healing up nicely and I was able to do long-cycle for the first time in 10 or so days.  I went ten minutes with the 24 kg bells.  That is what I plan on doing in Miami.  I was originally going to compete in the professional division with the 32 kg bells but the more I thought about it the more I felt uneasy about it.  My back made it an easy decision however. 

My original concerns though were still well founded.  First my form needs work,  I don't want to get on the platform and get a bunch of no-counts.  Second I am going to learn more than to compete.  I definitely want to watch the pros in long cycle.  If I compete at the same time I won't be able to do that.  There are some pros coming from Europe I am told, so this should be a great learning opportunity.  Third,  I don't like the idea of competing in a professional division.  How long have I been doing this?  6 or 7 months.  These guys from Europe have been at it for years.  I am not in a big hurry so I'll compete as an amateur and learn from the pros.  There are a lot of subtleties to this technique and I am still working on it.

 This weekend should be a big deal for the American Kettlebell club as it is really the first major international competition held in the US.  Details are at www.worldkettlebellclub.org  I think one of the ultimate goals is to make kettlebell sport an olympic event.  I have no idea if that will happen.  I can tell you that unless you are into it, it is not a really fun thing to watch.   10 minute sets of the same repetition done for lots of reps (hopefully).  Even so, excitement has never been a major criterion for an olympic sport, curling anyone?  I also question whether this will catch on with young people.  It is hard work sustained over several minutes like being in a fight except the only one getting pounded on is you.  It is certainly a challenge and it is not for everyone.  I do think aspects of the training are worth incorporating into one's regimen regardless of their game.  A couple of examples would be the work Scott Sonnon is doing with MMA fighters using long cycle and holds or the work that Mike Stefano is doing with firefighters.  In summary I think this type of work has a lot of benefits and personally I enjoy it.  There are those who think it is over-hyped.  Maybe it is.  However the simplicity of the implement and the brutal efficiency with which one can train with it cannot be denied.  My bottom-line reason to train is to be healthy.  I want to stay in shape, I want to be active and pain free (I sort of blue falconed that goal last week).  I want to live a long full life (that requires a lot of factors of which fitness is only one, it also requires a good bit of luck).  I want to live long enough to see the Raiders win twice as many superbowl rings as the Steelers (good luck there).   I also want to look fit.  I am bald so if I get fat I am totally screwed and my wife will leave me.  There are all sorts of ways to accomplish fitness goals.  I could probably walk several miles a day and be pretty much better off compared to many people.  Of course most of America spends at least 4 hours per night watching television and eating a steady diet of something akin to ho-hos and kielbasa so it doesn't take much.  Of course I might get hit by lightning while holding my lockout during my next set of jerks (assuming it ever gets warm enough to train outdoors again).  I just like the versatility and the ability to take my gym with me.  Barbells are great I just can't take my power rack out in the yard when it gets nice out.  Plus I can throw a kettlebell in the car and train like a weirdo in some hotel parking lot while my wife and everyone else laughs at me.  By the way, these new AKC pastel shirts are hot hot hot!  I have to find out if the sansabelt pants are legal for competition.