Fitness Friday: Competition-Style Kettlebells

Kettlebells are the latest fitness craze. Everyone is trying to profit off of the small cannonball with a handle and for good reason. Kettlebells work. There are two distinct styles of kettlebells and after using one style and losing almost 60 pounds, I’ve already given them up for the other style.

Commercial-style kettlebells are colorful and small. They must be geared towards women (or maybe just me) because every time I see a different color kettlebell that I don’t already own, I have this strong urge to add it to my kettlebell collection. I love having these brightly colored kettlebells. They are fairly cheap and many of them ship for FREE with Amazon Prime! I ordered a 30-pound kettlebell and it arrived in two days with free shipping!

There was no reason for me to try the huge competition-style kettlebells. They looked oversized, take up more space, and I couldn’t justify the added expense until . . . I saw renegade rows. I refer to renegade rows as the “push-ups for crazies.” If you want a challenge and an instant spike in your heart rate, do renegade rows. They work your entire body with a major focus on your core. Renegade Rows are by far the hardest exercise I’ve done ever.

No, you can’t do renegade rows with commercial-style kettlebells. I’ve tried, but they aren’t flat on the bottom so when you try to hold yourself up in the push-up position, the kettlebells wobble and you can fall over. Dragon Door does sell commercial-style kettlebells with flat rubber bottoms, but after you try a competition-style kettlebell, you won’t want the other style!

Curiosity and my need to continuously challenge myself in my workouts finally got the better of me so I caved and bought two competition-style kettlebells. I’ve been swinging a 25lb commercial kettlebell. Competition kettlebells are in kilograms. The 12kg (26lb) kettlebell was a little more weight than I was used to so, I decided to get two 8kg kettlebells. While I am glad I got the two lighter bells (I couldn’t do renegade rows with heavier ones!), the 12 kg is probably better for me for all of my other kettlebells exercises.

The competition-style kettlebells are all the same size regardless of their weight which means you don’t have to readjust to the impact where the kettlebell hits your forearms every time you go up a size. The large-sized bell also distributes the weight better against your body for cleans, presses, and snatches. It doesn’t hurt as much! The wider square handle makes it easier to do two-handed swings and reduces hand fatigued while during high reps.

Unfortunately, on Amazon, the kettlebells (competition or commercial) aren’t always Prime eligible. I’ve noticed that when they go out of stock, the third-party vendors offer them at a cheaper price, but with HIGH shipping costs. Sometimes, the shipping is more expensive than the kettlebell! Be careful. I’d rather wait a couple of weeks for the kettlebells to become Prime eligible again than pay a ransom for shipping!

If you are a kettlebell beginner, by all means try the commercial kettlebells. You can find them almost anywhere including at Tar-zhay (Target). They don’t even make a competition kettlebell below 8kg (18lbs). Get used to the motion of the bell, the cardio and strength benefits, see the weight loss results, and become a kettlebell addict. When you become a serious kettlebell enthusiast, up your weight, graduate from commercial kettlebells, and come on over to the wonderful world of competition-style kettlebell swingers and users. You won’t regret it. 😉