Our Editors Recommend These Adjustable Kettlebells for Your Home Gym

Get stronger, however, and you’re going to need a kettlebell that’s heavier—and that can be pricey. Our favorite solution is the adjustable kettlebell, which like the best adjustable dumbells and the best weighted vests, are highly versatile pieces of equipment. Our editors researched and tested the most popular—and even lesser-known—adjustable kettlebells to find the six best worth considering for your own home gym.

What to Consider

Weight Range

Most adjustable kettlebells have a weight range between 10 and 40 pounds. We looked for brands that offer either a wider range of weights in one kettlebell or multiple kettlebells with different weight ranges.

For movements like swings, deadlifts, rows, and push presses, any weight under 40 pounds is too light to be challenging to anyone who isn’t a beginner. Ten to 30 pounds is great for isolation exercises (think curls, lateral raises, and extensions), but won’t pose a proper challenge for the explosive movements that people expect to perform with kettlebells.

Handle

The handle of your kettlebell needs to be easy to grip, comfortable, and able to fit both of your hands for a variety of exercises. The size of the handle refers to both the diameter (measured in millimeters) and the width of the handle. A competition-grade kettlebell has a handle diameter of 190mm (or 7.5 inches). Unless you’re training specifically for kettlebell sport, you don’t need to worry about buying a kettlebell with those specific dimensions.

In fact, some of our testers prefer handles that are thinner in diameter (they’re easier to grip) and wider in length (you can better grab it with both hands). That said, all the kettlebells on this list feature handles that our testers think are comfortable and effective and are millimeters within competition-grade specs.

Shape

You want an adjustable kettlebell to look and function like a traditional kettlebell, so we mostly chose products that resemble single-weight kettlebells. That said, if there’s a pick on this list that strays from the traditional shape, it’s because we deemed it nonetheless comfortable and/or easy to use.

Adjustment Mechanism

You’re going to run into a handful of different changing mechanisms for the kettlebells below. The two most common are a dial and pin. For the dial, the kettlebell usually sits on top of a stack of plates. You turn the dial to the weight you want, and the mechanism automatically engages the appropriate number of weight plates. To use the pin, you’ll manually insert it into different holes in the kettlebell that correlate to a specific weight (it’s no different than using a weight stack at the gym). Both dials and pins are quick and efficient mechanisms.

Dials are often made from plastic so they can be prone to breaking, but this is, in our experience, a rarity and likely won’t happen as long as you use your kettlebell sensibly. Competition-style kettlebells may require you to ratchet open the bell with a wrench and manually add or remove metal plate weights before closing it back up. This is a pain, but the trade off is more stability and durability, and an adjustable kettlebell that’s shaped like and performs like a traditional one. Kettlebell handles aren’t really kettlebells, but handles with an extended pole for you to load weights onto. This process shouldn’t feel too different from loading a barbell.

How We Selected

Our team of Men’s Health fitness editors, including certified trainers and former athletes, have used dozens of different models of adjustable kettlebells during our decades of work in the fitness industry. On top of that, we reached out to our large network of experts, including our Advisory Board, to share their insights.

We combined this expansive experience with targeted testing of the top devices on the market, done along with the writer Andrew Gutman, from upcoming and established brands. During this testing these kettlebells during a wide range of workouts in a variety of environments, whether that was CrossFit WODs at our local box, kettlebell flows in the Men’s Health studio gym, or HIIT workouts in our own garages. Look below to check out our favorite picks for every kind of athlete.