Kettlebells vs. Sandbells vs. Kettleballs

This article was originally written by Simon C. of the Fitness Town Blog. Read it here.

Kettlebells have been around for a long time. As a matter of fact, The Russian word for kettlebell (Girya) first appeared in the Russian dictionary in 1704.In recent years however, kettlebell training has been getting more and more popular. This has a lot to do with the recent onslaught of functional fitness programs like Crossfit.

The traditional kettlebell consists of a steel ball as a base and a U-shaped handle large enough to hold on to with both hands. kettlebells are mainly used for compound movements such as whole body swings, snatches, cleans, Turkish get-ups etc. Due to the shape of the kettlebell, the majority of the weight is facing away from your body which adds more torque and forces more stabilizing muscles to be engaged during the movements

With functional training becoming increasingly popular, there are now several different variations of the traditional kettlebell available. The newest one was recently introduced by Ultimate Fitness and is called the kettleball. It is very similar to the kettlebell in appearance. Instead of being made of steel however, it is moulded out of a similar material as medicine balls. These devices can be used in all the same ways as the traditional kettlebell but offers a few additional benefits. If you are working out at home for instance, you don’t need to worry about the steel base of the kettlebell scratching your beautiful hardwood flooring. They are also designed so that you can let go in midst of a swing and they will simple deaden with a flat “thud” when they land on the floor. This can lead to some awesome sweat inducing workouts with a combination of swings and tosses. They also come with a lifetime warranty if something were to happen.

A couple of weeks ago I first had the opportunity to get my hands on some Sandbells. The Sandbell is disk shaped and made of a very durable and stretchy neoprene material which is filled with sand. They are made by Hyperwear and are an extremely versatile tool. You can use Sandbells for your medicine ball core workouts or swing them like kettlebells with the majority of their weight facing away from your body. The shifting sand challenges your stabilizing muscles and constantly forces you to work on your grip strength. They are also soft and very safe so you don’t have to worry about dropping them on your toes (even the 50lb ones). Furthermore you can use them for slam training or tosses. Even if you workout at home.

As long as your workout area is not covered in plush carpet, you can even use your Sandbells to replace gliders for bodyweight and core training. If you workout have a workout partner, throwing a Sandbell back and forth is a lot more fun and challenging than using a medicine ball and you don’t have to worry about stubbing your fingers.

If you are an avid Kettlebell enthusiast, then a Kettleball might be the tool for you since it really replicates the Kettlebell experience but offers a few perks. The Sandbell on the other hand doesn’t feel the same during whole body swings or snatches, but all in all is a way more versatile piece of equipment. So if you are looking for an overall fitness experience, the Sandbell might be the piece for you.