One of the most common questions I hear regarding kettlebells is, what is the benefit of competition/pro style kettlebells over standard kettlebells? The answer is simple, consistent. With competition/pro style kettlebells, you’ll be able to maintain the same form every time you use them. This is true whether you’re using an 8kg kettlebell or a 32kg kettlebell. With standard kettlebells, each size of kettlebell has a different dimension. Whether it’s the diameter of the handle, the dimension between the handle and the bell, or the size of the bell, it will always differ from standard kettlebells. It will not differ as well with competition/pro style kettlebells.
The manufacturing process for professional-style kettlebells allows us to produce a kettlebell that has the same dimensions on every bell, regardless of size. That means that the handles will always have the same diameter, the dimension between the bell and the handle will always be the same, and the size of the bell will never change. This will allow you to maintain the same shape and feel consistently, with every move, regardless of weight. This is an extremely big advantage over standard kettlebells.
Another benefit of competition/pro style kettlebells is weight tolerance. We have competition/pro style kettlebells, weight tolerance is typically +/-0.3%. That’s right, less than half a percent. That means that even at a 32kg kettlebell, your weight can fluctuate. 2 pounds (3.2 ounces). Again, that will only help create a more consistent lift and movement throughout all of your workouts.
The competition/pro style kettlebells are also 100% steel construction. This differs from standard kettlebells, which are usually solid cast iron. Since steel is stronger than cast iron, this will generally create a higher quality kettlebell that will take more abuse.
Think of this in terms of the protective plates that Olympic lifters wear. Each bumper plate has the same diameter. Why is that important? Again, the answer is simple, it’s consistency. If you’re doing Olympic movements like a clean, for example, and the 10-pound plates are a different diameter than the 45-pound plates, when you do a 65-pound clean you’re starting in a completely different position than if you were doing a clean. 135 lbs. If you can’t have consistency with those plates, you’ll never have consistent form. The more consistent your form, the safer and easier it will be to gain weight. Why would you want it to be any different when you’re doing kettlebells? You would not do that!
So why do people use standard kettlebells instead of competition when there are so many benefits to competition kettlebells? Well, one of the main drawbacks of competition kettlebells is the price. They are, due to the quality, more expensive than a standard kettlebell. That means you’d have to weigh your options as to what’s more important, consistency and quality, or the money in your wallet. At the Christian’s Fitness factory we have our own line of competition kettlebells at very competitive prices.
