Competition Kettlebells Aren’t Just for Competitors

Traditional solid cast-iron kettlebells generally get physically larger as they get heavier.

At first, that seems perfectly logical: more iron equals a bigger kettlebell.

But your body doesn’t change size every time you pick up a different weight.

Your hands are still the same size.

Your wrists are still the same width.

Your forearms are still in the same place.

So when the entire kettlebell grows or shrinks according to its weight, the proportions can become problematic at both ends of the spectrum.

Take a very light traditional kettlebell, such as a 4kg bell. Because so little iron is required to make the weight, the entire bell can become extremely small—including the handle and the inner space created by the handle (the "window").

The window can be so cramped that you can’t comfortably put your hand all the way through the handle into a proper rack or overhead position.

Instead of the bell sitting farther down the forearm where it belongs, it may end up pressing into the bones of the wrist or even the back of the hand.

That isn’t simply uncomfortable.

The dimensions of the kettlebell can make proper hand positioning more difficult and even negate some of the benefits of using kettlebells because the mass of the kettlebell is not as offset from the handle. 

Then, at the other end of the spectrum, you can run into the opposite problem.

As traditional kettlebells get heavier, the entire bell—and often the handle—gets larger. At very heavy weights, those handles can become unnecessarily thick and difficult to grip.

Now the equipment is creating a different limitation.

At one end, the kettlebell can be too small to fit the hand properly.

At the other, the handle can become so large that gripping and controlling the kettlebell becomes more difficult than it needs to be.

And at every incremental weight between the two, the bell body size changes, too. 

Your technique (like timing, hand position and balance) changes with each individual kettlebell.  If it takes 10,000 reps to become a master, now you need to multiply 10,000 reps x each individual weight you use.

The take-away?

Your hand didn’t change. The kettlebell did.

Competition kettlebells take a different approach.

Instead of allowing the outside dimensions to be dictated entirely by how much material is required to reach a particular weight, the exterior dimensions remain standardized.

That means a light kettlebell doesn’t have to shrink into a tiny bell with a tiny window.

And a heavy kettlebell doesn’t have to become an enormous object with an increasingly oversized handle.

The primary advantage is not that every competition kettlebell is somehow ergonomically perfect.

It’s that you eliminate the extreme changes in size and proportion that happen when a kettlebell simply grows and shrinks with its weight. 

 And as a result, moving between weights becomes far more consistent.

Your hand goes through a familiar-sized window.

Your rack position doesn’t have to change dramatically because you moved up a weight.

Your overhead position doesn’t suddenly have to accommodate a completely different-sized object.

You’re changing the load—not relearning the equipment.

But there’s an important distinction here.

A standard competition kettlebell solves the consistency problem.

That does not automatically mean its shape has been optimized for the human body.

Most competition kettlebells still use the traditional round or nearly round body shape.

And that’s where Pro Kettlebell is different.

We started with the advantages of competition-style dimensions, then asked a different question:

What if the kettlebell itself were shaped around the way the human hand, wrist and forearm actually interact with it?

That question is what led to the patented Pro Kettlebell design.

A kettlebell isn’t a dumbbell.

During cleans, presses, jerks, snatches, windmills and many other kettlebell movements, the bell actually interacts with your body.

Your hand travels through the handle.

The kettlebell rests against your forearm.

Your wrist, elbow and shoulder organize themselves around the position of the bell.

So the dimensions and geometry of the kettlebell can either help you find a strong position—or make you compensate for the equipment.

Traditional round kettlebells create a round contact point against a relatively flat forearm.

We knew the shape itself was part of the problem.

So we changed it.

Pro Kettlebell’s patented body geometry was designed specifically around the way a kettlebell sits against the hand and forearm.

The curves aren’t there just to look different.

And they aren’t there merely to make the kettlebell hurt less.

The armrest angle, body shape and balance are designed to help guide the hand and arm toward the proper position.

When your technique is right, the kettlebell fits against you naturally.

Like a glove.

That’s the difference between simply standardizing a kettlebell and optimizing its geometry for kettlebell lifting.

A traditional cast-iron kettlebell changes size with the weight.

A standard competition kettlebell gives you more consistent dimensions.

A Pro Kettlebell combines that consistency with a patented body shape designed for better fit, comfort, leverage and function.

We set out to make the most comfortable kettlebell ever.

Traditional round kettlebells can dig into the forearm, bang against the wrist, and create painful pressure points - especially during cleans, snatches, presses, jerks, and high-rep training.

So comfort was absolutely the goal.

But the Pro Kettlebell countours for your arms aren't simply shaped to reduce pressure.

Their angles are designed to guide the hand and arm into better alignment.

That alignment helps the hand, wrist, and arm find their strongest leverage - giving the lifter more control and promoting proper technique instead of forcing them to work around the shape of the bell.

So the pursuit of comfort led us somewhere bigger.

A more comfortable kettlebell became a more controllable kettlebell.

And better control means better positioning, better technique, and a better lift.

Greatest Comfort. Greatest Function. Greatest Reps. Greatest Results.