Pro Style VS. Hard Style Kettlebells

Pro Style VS. Hard Style Kettlebells:

Today in the blog I want to talk about hard style vs. pro style kettlebell training and the differences between them. I also want to cover how the two different styles apply to the average person that train with kettlebells for their own health. Here’s a quick breakdown of the differences between the two in terms of teaching and the equipment.

Hardstyle

Hard style is about inefficiency, through exact and real world lifting patterns. It is the razors edge between making the bell feel as light as possible without giving in to the momentum of the weight.

Hard style bells are better for progressions to the basic three lifts. You will find it much easier to palm the bell of a hard style bell than a prostyle . When you begin learning goblet squats, figure eights, and any lift that requires you to lift the bell bottom up, you will want a hard style bell.

Hard style handles sit lower as the weight diminishes, making it difficult for people with tight hips to use safely from the dead position.

The center of mass is smaller on hard style bells making them easier to hold in the rack position especially for people that lack the ability to hip extend (tight hip flexors).

Prostyle / Girevoy Sport

Pro style is about maximum efficiency in a given motor pattern, allowing the practitioner to last as long as possible in endurance events. The girevik will follow the bell down with their chest in the back swing of any ballistic lift and the plank position at the top is much softer.

Pro style kettlebells are designed only for use with the three primary kettlebell lifts in mind. Not to say you can’t do different movements with them but they aren’t designed specifically for versatility. Pro style bells are meant for endurance competition for highly trained athletes.

Prostyle bells are often more expensive, but they have smoother handles and tend not to bang and bruise as much, especially when you are first developing the various techniques.

So what is the conclusion?

Personally, I don’t believe that extremely high rep endurance training with free weights is healthy for the average person. That said, if you want to dedicate your life, going through hours of coaching, practicing and lifestyle discipline, then I do believe it can be done safely and Girevoy sport is for you. If you have pro style bells already, they will be fine for the vast majority of what we do. You will see that I use them often even with hard style lifts.

I believe that you are far more likely to remain safe while snatching a heavy kettlebell for low reps than a medium-sized weight for ten minutes. Safety is all about focus and motor pattern awareness, that is much easier to maintain with fewer reps of heavier weight. Therefore, if your goal is to stay healthy and strong in your own way and not necessarily to compete, then hard style is probably the best choice for you.