Fear, Adrenaline and Competitions

Jet lagged and nervous, Jessica DiBiase got off the plane and headed into her first competition.  It was nerve wracking.  She didn’t know what to expect, she was watching her food to make the proper weight division, and she was still trying to figure out the art of kettlebells.

That was 4 1/2 years ago.  Today she is the first American Master of Sport in the Long Cycle, earned the title of IUKL Amateur World Champion in 2011, and has numerous medals to show for it.

“Everyone was so excited on our first trip.  We felt we were part of something new and special and I still feel that way now.  It was also fun to be competing again at age 28, I hadn’t participated in anything competitive since college.  There is a great feeling of camaraderie and of pushing your body to a place where only fear, adrenaline and competition can push you.”

As part of the Ice Chamber Kettlebell Team she trains men and women of all fitness levels to compete on national and international levels.  Not only does she compete and train, Jessica helped create a reinforced wrist band called Kettle Guard to protect kettlebell athletes while lifting.  “It’s not fun if it hurts.” says Jessica, “so we solved that problem for beginner and advanced kettlebell lifters.  We made something that we wished we had all along.”

Kettlebells are gaining popularity in the world of bodybuilding and even big box gyms for their ability to combine strength training with cardio for a full body workout that can usually be completed in 45 minutes or less versus two hours for a more traditional workout.

If you’d like to kick it up a notch though, and see if competitive kettlebells might be a fun sport for you to try, Jessica recommends hiring a trainer or coach certified in the sport, as technique is so important when it comes to judging.  

If you would like to learn more about some of Jessica’s online coaching or this fast-growing sport, click here for the link to the Ice Chamber Kettlebell Girls.

Have you ever considered trying a kettlebell competition?

Lisa

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