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Why these weights (almost) replace a trip to the gym: my home workout with Bowflex kettlebells

13-1-2025

Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson

Hybrid workout methods are the future of fitness. What providers such as Johnson Health Tech mean by this is the combination of home and gym workouts as well as digital and analogue elements. Sure, I still go to the gym, but I also exercise at home using Bowflex kettlebells.

Representatives of the fitness industry recently flocked to the ISPO sports trade fair in Munich to showcase new products and talk about new trends. The verdict? The industry’s booming and the market’s continuing to grow. If you want to know more about the fair, check out the following story I wrote about it.

News + Trends
Recently discovered: Perhaps the "smallest gym in the world"
by Patrick Bardelli

Hit the gym or stay home? Both!

According to the 2024 HFA Global Report, hybrid fitness models that combine digital solutions at home with trips to the gym plus wearable technology will become mainstream in the next few years. There’s just one problem regarding workouts at home: space.

As most people in Switzerland rent, probably only a minority can afford setting up a gym with barbells and dumbbells, ergometers and the like in their own home. Other forms of workouts, such as with sling trainers from TRX, however, don’t take up much space. Having said that, permanently mounted to the wall or ceiling, they’re likely to leave large holes in the masonry. Even a temporary solution, such as using the door frame to mount your equipment, can sometimes cause the door to come off its hinges. For me, this is therefore a suboptimal solution.

One kettlebell, many weights: the SelectTech 840 from Bowflex for home use.
Source: Patrick Bardelli

Bowflex Kettlebell SelectTech 840

A few months ago, I started incorporating kettlebell training into my routine. I started off at the gym, and for a few weeks now, I’ve also been using the products from Bowflex at home.

Kettlebells

Bowflex Selecttech

1 x 9 kg, 1 x 16 kg

There are plenty of benefits when you’re training with kettlebells: your metabolism’s boosted, muscles built up and fat reduced. Not to mention improved stamina and coordination. Six kettlebells in one: SelectTech 840 from Bowflex The weight increments are 3.5, 5.5, 9, 11, 16 and 18 kilogrammes.

I now have around 20 exercises I can easily do in a confined room at home (about 2 by 1.5 metres) using the Bowflex. I still go to the gym twice a week and take advantage of all the perks of a professional setup. But especially on those days when the rain just keeps on pouring and you don’t want to set foot outside, I really appreciate the home workout option with the kettlebells as an addition.

Header image: Patrick Bardelli

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Patrick Bardelli

Senior Editor

Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.ch

From radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.

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