Introducing Smye's Fitness - Homemade Kettlebells

 Prep: 15 minutes                                Build Time: 1 hour                         Cure: 24 hours

I know this blog is typically a space reserved for the breaking of digital bread and the celebration of good food. Don't worry, this will still be the case 90% of the time. But at the end of the day, this blog is really about maintaining a healthy lifestyle after (or even before) bariatric surgery. To that end, I wanted to share with you a few of the things I learn along the way in terms of physical conditioning beyond diet.

Before I begin, let me be clear that I do not believe one needs any formal equipment to develop and maintain a high level of fitness - I'm all about natural movements and the joy of using your own body in work & play. However, I also recognize the desire among many of us for something a little more formal. I am not a physiologist, nor am I a fitness expert in the true sense of the word - nor will I pretend to be. I will not be offering workout tips or WODs here, just a tip or two each month that have made my life easier and more affordable.

25 Pound Kettlebell - $4.00 and 1 hour

Now the fun part. We've all seen kettlebells in the gym, maybe we've even used them a time or two. They're typically big hunks of iron with handles - tools that allow us to tap into that primal 'URGH!' of weight-training and are actually pretty fun in the process. The trouble is that they're expensive - $1.50/lb for the poorly made ones and well over $4.00/lb for anything high quality. Until now.
I won't pretend that my kettlebells are high quality or will even last you  more than a couple of years at best. In fact, if you notice any cracks or chipping in yours, it's time to throw it out and make a new one. What I do have to offer is a means to craft your own kettlebells for closer to $0.15/lb, customize the weight and dimensions, and have a good time in the garage in the process.

Materials:
1 bag of high strength concrete
3 ft of 3/4 inch PVC (electrical conduit is your best option)
1 small bag of sand
Duct Tape
1 old basketball or soccer ball
Oven
Water
1 ft length of 2X6 lumber
Hacksaw or PVC cutter

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a foil covered cookie sheet inside.

Cut a 26 inch length of PVC, this will form your handle. Cap 1 end with duct tape or masking tap and fill with sand. Cap the second end. This step is essential to making sure your handle will retain a consistent cross section throughout this process.

Let's see if I can make three at once

Be sure to fill it close to the top

Once you have both ends capped, build yourself a handle-bending jig while you wait for the oven to finish pre-heating. This will make shaping your handle in the next step a piece of cake and ensure that you always have smooth curves and consistent handles if you decide to make more in the future (or if you're a little crazy and are making several on your first try). To make the jig, screw scrap PVC onto the edges like so:

Doesn't have to be fancy to work perfectly

Clamp your jig so that it overhangs a countertop near your oven. Also fill a tub or sink with cold water near your oven so that you're ready to go as soon as your handles are up to molding temperature.

Place your PVC into the oven - be careful to ensure they're entirely on the foil and not in direct contact with any oven surfaces - this keeps PVC off of your cooking surfaces and, in the event you get distracted during the heating process and melt your pipe too far, it's easy cleanup.



They're finished when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean... or not.

Allow your handles to bake for 5-8 minutes or until they're roughly the texture of play-doh. Using hot pads, pull them one at a time from the oven, firmly grasp both ends and quickly press down over your jig, bringing the two ends together beneath the jig to form the shape of your handle.


In order to avoid losing your perfect shape, immediately place the handle into the cold water to finalize the shape.


I skipped the hot pads - don't make this mistake!

As an experiment, I didn't dunk the one on the left into the water - notice how it's too wide and warped off the counter. The one on the right I bent without using the jig, too rounded. The one in the middle used the jig and the water - just right!

Now that you've got your handles prepped, it's time to cast some kettlebells! Step 1, pick your forms. I used old basketballs I picked up at the Goodwill for a buck apiece. You can use just about anything you like, but if you're making more than 1, be sure to vary the size so you can have differing weights. Start by cutting a slit in the ball with two circular holes on each end of the slit. Use your preformed handle to figure where each hole should go.

It looks like it should start chomping little pingpong balls and cherries

Next, mix a small portion of your concrete with just enough water to get a workable mixture. You don't want it soupy or even the texture of rice pudding, you're going for more of a remarkably thick porridge. Place your kettlebell-to-be on a flat, level surface, ideally something you don't mind spilling concrete on. I used a scrap of plywood leftover from when I build the latest chicken coop.

Using a trowel, scoop concrete into the ball until it's about halfway full. At this point, verify that your slit is at the very top of the ball and that the holes are evenly spaced on either side - you don't want a kettlebell with the flat side anywhere but exactly opposite your handle. Once you've oriented the ball the way you want it, gently lift and drop it once or twice to set the base to your kettlebell. Continue filling until you're about 2/3 full. At this point, it's time to slide in your handle. Lower the handle into the ball, making certain to have it deep enough in the concrete that it's reaching roughly the center of the ball. Now fill the ball the rest of the way with the concrete. Don't worry about spilling a little here and there, it wipes up easily from the outside of the ball with a damp paper towel, even the next day. Once your ball is packed with concrete, adjust the handle carefully to make sure its oriented exactly the way you want. Now leave it alone for 24 hours to cure.



It's A-OK that they're a little messy - note that the haft of the gada is being held upright by a support

The next day, just wipe down the balls and you're set, you now have brand new, homemade, custom kettlebells. If you want to make one lighter, either use a larger form or else add scrap metal (lead shot, bolts, etc) to the mix in the center of the ball. To make a lighter kettlebell, either use a smaller form or else add Styrofoam or packing peanuts to the mix. Play with it and see what you like.

You can also make other weight training tools, from barbell plates and atlas stones to Gada maces, Jori clubs and Gar Nal neck rings. You can see in the center and right that I've made one Jori club and one Gada mace.

A note of caution when using anything with a linear handle - be sure to affix screws or bolts solidly to the portion of the haft inside the concrete to reduce the chances of the haft slipping out.

Grip that concrete!

For my Jori, I used a clay pot for the form and then simply smashed it with a hammer to remove it.

Clay pot lives!

Clay pot's sacrifice is appreciated.

For my Gada, I only filled the basketball roughly 2/3 full and then cut the ball off after the concrete had cured - it's still a good 29 pounds altogether.

Sa-wing gada gada gada, sa-wing!

For my kettlebells, however, I'm leaving the rubber balls on the concrete to act as a cushion and help reduce any cracking or shattering from throwing them around. 

 



35 pounds and so rewarding



All in all, for both kettlebells, the gada and the jori, I spent about $25. Money well spent.