Not because I think they will turn you into a super ninja spetsnaz killa, nor because I think they are more "functional" to anything else. I like them because they are fun.
The gospel of the armchair lifter quotes that funny implements can be self-esteem savers and help get in shape. I can't count the times I've planned the "perfect" workout for the next day and then, when the time arrived, felt too tired, pissed-off or just plain demotivated to start loading up that barbell and train. Much better go play "God of War" on your son's playstaion2 (that game kicks major ass, btw). Then you wake up the next day feeling bad about yourself for not having trained as planned.
The next pearl of wisdom of the armachair lifter's gospel quotes never to skip a training session because you will likely skip even the next one. Skip a full week and you've pack-up training for good or at least for quite some time.
So what do you do in these cases? If you have a fun training implement you just have to force yourself to start using it. After a few minutes you will get going and actually be able to get a good workout.
I do this with my sandbag. It's a bit of a waste since I could actually use it in a smarter manner for some hardcore training, but I don't care. I keep it at a fixed light weight (40kg) and really only use it during "one of those days", which is actually quite often. I just do all the exercises I know on it no stop without having to stop, rest, write down the reps and all that. On my diary I just write "sandbag".
I see the use of kettlebell quite in the same optic. Same as with sandbags, there are people that actually train seriously with these implements, so this is just my point of view.
Seeing that I wouldn't use kettlebells as my prime source of "serious" training, I don't mind the fact that each has a fixed weight. I have even considered buying one... but then I saw the price. I found on the net a site that sells 'bells in my country, and a 24kg one comes at € 90,00 before taxes. That means € 108,00 total. I don't know how much delivery would cost, let's say an optimistic 12 euros (I think more), you have 120 euros for a 24kg kettlebell. That means you're paying 5euros per kilo of... CAST IRON! Now, I'm no Bill Gates but that doesn't mean I can't give up 120 euros for something not completely usefull to life (or even set them on fire, for what matters). It's more of a matter of principle. I bought all of my standard plates at 40 eurocents per kilo. They are made of cast iron, so same material, with the same process and probably even in the same foundry (somewhere in China) these kettlebells are made. I doubt the foundry charges more for 'bells than for plates.
Anyway, enough ranting...
Again, not much of an update. Just been thinking of what I could do to upgrade the model and have a definitive homemade kettlebell.
I like the handle of the plumbing tube kettlebell. I know it should be somewhat curved and that is not, but I don't care much about that. What I like are the rounded corners with no sharp edges. A first idea would be to do a square structure with the plumbing tubes, as a fixed kettlebell with 4 nipples and 4 corners. Minimum work required, apart from screwing just cutting and welding back 1 of the tubes. So it would look like the "copied" kettlebell above but without the T's and end cups sticking out. I think it would look quite neat. The only problems are: you need to get luck with your plates size and the size of the nipples to get a proper job. I'm not gonna buy new plumbing tubes and not gonna get tubes cut and threaded to size. I have the extra 2 elbows and nipple already so I want to use the structure of the old one minus the T's. The second problem is that, even if you do get lucky and can fit 4 plates allright without having to under-screw or add washers, you still have a structure that's wider than needed. Utilizing pipes already makes it a more than 5 cm wider structure compaired to the plates wideness, plus the elbow joints leave a roughly 1,5 - 2 cm extra space per side so that in all you have an "X" plate wideness (whick is what you have to relate to a cast iron kettlebell to make a sound homemade project) and a X+9 cm overall wideness. This is unacceptable. A better way dould be to simply use non plumbing tubes or even stock and fully weld the square structure together around the plates, with the side posts against the plates. No need to get lucky here, just good measuring. It would still have 5cm wider structure than the plates but it would be better.
Still have to think about it.
Obviously an improved 2nd picture model would be better since it utilizes flat stock. Just need to find a way to remove or at least "hyde" the bolts. With flat stock fully welding would be a bit complicated if one wants the structure to be tight against the plates. Unlike with the round stock or tube above where 45° cuts allow you to weld the 2nd plate side (obviously you have already prepaired the first), with flat stock you wouldn't have space. I already have an idea on what to do, I just have to judge whether it would be worth it, since it could require some time.
Instead of over-theorizing I decided to bite the bullet and give a first try at the plumbing pipe kettlebell improvement descibed above.
click on pic. to open page
I have played a bit with the fixed 24kg model above and I must say that it does work quite good despite its limitations. I built the first 2 models a while back (couple of years I think) but never really used them a lot, especially the first one, so I am quite fresh on kettlebells. As a start the thing feels A LOT heavier than 24kg. I can clean and strict press it for reps (few reps) but it's really quite an effort. 2 hands swing is rather cool, 1 hand swing is tough for me at this stage. Since my aim, at least on a fixed kettlebell design, was to have something to "play with" when feeling demotivated about training (much like my 40kg sandbag), I think I overestimated my strength regarding kettlebells here. The 24kg model is a bit over the top as a "leasurely lifting" implement for me at least at this stage. What I want to do now is to build another fixed kettlebell handle like the above but weighting 15-16kg. I will have to buy a few plates, 2x5kg and 2x2kg and 2 reduction elbows, I already have the pipes and 3/4" elbows. I've seen some decent plates ("decent" meaning that at least they don't have a stupid hub and the rims touch) at €1,00 per kg which is more than double what I payed for most of my plates but admittedly I bought them in bunch during a clearence sale and it was at the time when we still had Lira as currency. 1 euro x kg is among the cheapest you can find today in Italy, I think. So the new model would cost me about 15 euros and still take me about 10minutes to build. Won't be good for snatches but I really don't care for now. Will put up a small page once I've built it which should be soon.
New fixed 16kg kettlebell.
Click on picture to open page.
Just a text update. I'm pretty happy with the new 16kg fixed kettlebell. Very usable. Since space in the new house is limited, a choice has to be made. The 24kg fixed model has got to go live in the garage. Since I don't really have any use for it in the garage, it's going to be dismantelled, the handle tube chucked away, the other parts saved for another project and the silly plates permanently mounted on a shortened version of the T-bar on this page to be used as a swinging implement to warm-up my deadlift prectice. I will anyhow keep the page up for now. Whenever I get the chance I'll buy other 4x5kg plates and build the 20-odd kg version of the 16kg kettlebell above, and see how that works. Not yet though.