One of the more common questions I hear regarding kettlebells is, what is the benefit of competition/pro style kettlebells over standard kettlebells? The answer is simple, consistency. With competition/pro style kettlebells, you will be able to maintain the same form every single time you use them. This is true whether you are using a 8kg or a 32kg kettlebell. With standard kettlebells every size kettlebell has a different dimension. Whether it be the handle diameter, the dimension between the handle and the bell, or the bell size, it will always differ with standard kettlebells. It will not differ like that with the competition/pro style kettlebells.
The manufacturing process of the pro style kettlebells allows us to produce a kettlebell that has the same dimensions on every bell regardless of the size. That means the handles will always be the same diameter, the dimension between the bell and the handle will always be the same, and the size of the bell with never fluctuate. This will enable you to consistently, with every movement, keep the same form and feel regardless of the weight. This is an extremely big advantage over standard kettlebells.
Another benefit of the competition/pro style kettlebells is the weight tolerance. On a competition/pro style kettlebell the weight tolerance is typically +/-.3%. That's right, less than a half of a percent. That means that even on a 32kg kettlebell your weight might fluctuate about. 2 lbs(3.2 ounces). Again, that will only help create a more consistent lift and movement on all of your workouts.
Competition/pro style kettlebells are also 100% steel construction. This differs from standard kettlebells which are typically solid cast iron. Because steel is stronger than cast iron, this will generally create a higher quality kettlebell that will withstand more abuse.
Think of this in terms of the bumper plates that Olympic lifters use. Every bumper plate has the same diameter. Why is that important? Again the answer is simple, it is consistency. If you are doing Olympic movements like a clean for example, and the 10lb plates are a different diameter than the 45lb plates, when you do a 65lb clean you are starting at a completely different position than if you were doing a 135lb clean. If you cannot have consistency with those plates, you will never have a consistent form. The more consistent your form, the safer and easier it will be to move up in weight. Why would you want it to be any different when you are doing kettlebell work? You wouldn't!
So why do people use standard kettlebells instead of competition if there are so many benefits to the competition kettlebells? Well, one of the main drawbacks to the competition kettlebells is the price. They are, because of the quality, more expensive than a standard kettlebell. That means you would have to weigh your options as to what is more important, consistency and quality, or money in your wallet? At Christian's Fitness factory, we have our own line of competition kettlebells at very competitive prices.
