Loren ''Bubba'' Yarbrough swings his torso, warming up for the heavy competition about to unfold.

Paul Barlow adjusts the sweatband on his head, which features the initials SPBBBMB: SuperPaul Bone-breaker Big-mouth Barlow.

Larry McNeil stays stone-faced, his eyes masked by his sunglasses.

The 45 Krystal burgers never stood a chance.

"Bubba ain't wasting no time," an onlooker says as Yarbrough pounds burger after burger into his mouth during a competitive eating practice round Thursday.

Yarbrough, Barlow and McNeil are three of Atlanta toughest gurgitators. The trio will try to qualify for the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship on Sept. 28 in Chattanooga.

"It literally gets in your blood," Barlow said of the sport. "It's fun."

Atlanta residents may not realize it, but the city is home to various offbeat sports such as competitive eating, cricket and foosball. Clubs are just waiting for them to join.

For some sports, like mixed martial arts, you better be prepared to get hit. For others, like rock band competitions, you just need fast fingers.

Barlow, an artist and author, got into competitive eating six years ago when he was a last-minute entry in a contest at a zoo. Yarbrough and McNeil, both employees of the city of Atlanta, began entering International Federation of Competitive Eating qualifiers in 2006 after a few years of watching Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating contests on the Fourth of July.

They've tasted everything from waffles to pulled pork since then and still have room for food after they compete.

"If you're not a big eater, you're not going to be a competitive eater," Yarbrough said. "Period."

The men try to avoid "reversals" because they don't want their bodies to regularly respond that way when they compete. But sometimes it can't be helped.

"If you don't puke every now and then, it's because you didn't try hard enough," Yarbrough said. "That's just a fact of life."

Today there's no reversal. Just debris.

When they finish their two-minute practice round, Yarbrough and McNeil have devoured all 15 of their burgers. Barlow clocked in with 11. His mouth is stained with mustard, and Yarbrough has a piece of soggy bread stuck to his shirt.

"Something's leaking," Yarbrough observes.

"My mess," McNeil replies, looking at the scraps on the table.

McNeil and Yarbrough used to compete in as many as 17 contests a year, traveling to places like Las Vegas and North Dakota. Barlow tries to stick to trips that can be made on a tank of gas. He usually competes in six per year.

Most of the qualifiers take place at fairs. Yarbrough's daughters are always in attendance, and after they scream themselves hoarse, they plead with their dad to take them on the carnival rides.

He tells them he will go on anything that doesn't spin.

"That leaves me and her's favorite rides out of the picture," 8-year-old Caroline said.

Barlow usually is on the defensive with his family, especially when they decide to eat at buffets like CiCi's Pizza, where he can put away 47 slices in one sitting.

"My family says 'Stop it. It's time to go,'" he said. "We're the only world-ranked athletes who have to fight to compete."

Still, the men have high aspirations for the future of competitive eating.

"We're looking forward to the Olympics," Barlow dreamed.

For general competitive eating information: http://www.ifoce.com/

For those interested in competing at the Krystal Square Off: http://krystalsquareoff.com/register.php

SOME PERSONAL BESTS:

Loren Yarbrough

• 30 Krystal hamburgers, 8 minutes

• 19 grilled cheese sandwiches, 10 minutes

• 18 hot dogs, 12 minutes

Paul Barlow

• 21 Krystal hamburgers, 8 minutes

• 14 hot dogs and buns, 10 minutes

• 11 Waffle House waffles, 10 minutes

Larry McNeil

• 16 brats, 10 minutes

• 5 pounds meatballs, 10 minutes

• 4 pounds waffles, 10 minutes