Image of SBELLS training weights stacked in different colours

Fact: Cute work out gear can motivate you. Research proves it. And these days that also extends to our accessories. When these pretty pastel SBELL weights arrived in the URBANSWEAT office, Senior writer Larissa’s hand went straight up to review them. This is how she found them:

What caught my eye was their unique shape and the gorgeous colours – no boring black or basic primary colours here. Stylish and ergonomically-designed, SBELLs feel comfortable to hold (steel coated in comfy neoprene) and come in a delicious array of decor-worthy colours (Chalk, Grey, Mint, Papaya and Midnight – yes please!). Fashioned in the sleek shape of the letter “S’, these weights work with your body not against it. Their flat aerodynamic design means they’re not clumsy to hold or use which enables you to lift heavier than you’re used to. Example: for most of my workouts I usually use 1-2kg dumbbells – with SBELLs I can actually lift 4kg. This helps me reach my fitness goals and build that good lean muscle faster. Not sad about that!

fitness trends

While my fitness is at a decent level for my age and lifestyle (I’m in my 40s, with a desk job, try to work out 1-3 times a week), I’ll admit this SBELL workout had me SWEATING. Not just with a capital ’S’ either – I’m talking all-caps S-W-E-A-T-I-N-G. I always watch workout videos once through before I do them to get a grasp first on the pace, sequence and form for each exercise before I get in the zone of actually doing it. This looked easy enough: 10 exercises, do each one for 40 seconds then rest for 20 seconds, repeat whole sequence 3 times. I do 45 minute advanced barre and pilates classes weekly, this should be a breeze. Done and dusted in 30 mins – I got this!

Except I did NOT got this. Half way through the first round I was red as a tomato and out of breath. I ran to get my water bottle. Whilst initially I scoffed at the 20-second rests between exercises, now they seemed way too short. I can see how SBELLs get results as this is a really solid workout. The body weight exercises are familiar and easy to follow – such as lunges, squats and crunches – but super-charged with the modified inclusion of SBELLs.

What’s different about them?

The idea of making hand weights in a different shape than a conventional dumbbell isn’t a new one. But what makes SBELLs different (and I believe better) is because they’re streamlined and essentially flat it means no awkward sticky-outy bits to bump into you while you’re moving. This frees you up to focus purely on form and working the right muscles, rather than trying to balance or navigate how to do this whilst holding a clunky weight you keep hitting yourself with. Overall, it makes for much smoother movement and a more enjoyable flowing workout.

With specially-designed hand grips (they can be held on the outer bars or the middle one), SBELLs are much easier to hold than a thick dumbbell, even for my small hands, so they felt secure the whole time. No slippage due to the matte coating so I didn’t have to keep adjusting my grip as I normally would with dumbbells. The squared off edges as well are great – no weights rolling away as you put them down between sets or fumbling out of your hand mid-move. As I worked out, I felt, dare I say it, “aerodynamic”. While the workout was hard, it felt smooth and pleasing to do. Is this what people mean when they say that they actually enjoy exercise? Weird. And new for me.

S-Bell workout
How to use them:

Learn how to use them and access exclusive workouts on their website with an affordable $9.99/month subscription. With a different 30-minute workout every day of the week put together by fitness experts, the program covers Cardio, Core, Upper/Lower Body targeting, Full Body and Tabata. Tabata is a particular type of HIIT training broken down into specific intervals – typically, 20 seconds of a push-it-to-the-limit exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. This keeps your heart rate up and gets results in a short time, great if you’re short on time as you get a lot of bang for your buck. The sequences use both body weight alone as well as SBELLs. In fact, I only needed one SBELL for my workout and you can buy just one on its own if you don’t need a pair right away.

Verdict:

I’m a convert. The proof? I’ve already listed my old sets of dumbbells on Facebook Marketplace. Essentially, the versatile SBELL can replace your dumbbell, kettlebell, medicine ball and push-up stand. I like that I can get such an effective weights workout done in just 30 minutes (I have big plans to do this 3 times a week). I also live in a small inner-city apartment so to not have to store big clunky weights is a blessing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cussed when I’ve stubbed my toe on dumbbells laying around. SBELLs stack neatly out of the way like a flat book. I was dubious that 4kg is the lightest weight in the range as I’m petite, but it honestly didn’t feel harder than my usual 1-2kg weights as the specially-designed shape seems to distribute weight more evenly so it doesn’t feel like more effort. Available in weights from 4-12kg each, the range caters to all fitness levels.

TIPS:

* Make the workouts yours. The SBELL online program features timed interval workouts, rather than those based on reps. While I can see the value of this to keep your heart-rate up and maximise results, some people may feel pressure to keep up when their fitness isn’t quite there yet. We always advise to go at your own pace for safety and only push yourself as hard as is comfortable for you. This will be different for everyone. For me, I chose to watch the video through once first to see what was required, then I did the first sequence timed as designed. It was a little too fast-paced for me so I then paused the video and did what I felt was the right amount of reps for each exercise based on the timings (say 10-15 reps) and then completed the last two rounds at my own slower pace. I still put in the work, but with a slightly adjusted pace and more focus on form. With my history of back and shoulder issues (thanks to long hours daily in front of the computer), having the right form when doing any type of exercise is essential for me. You could also modify some exercises that use two SBELLs and only use one at a time, or only work one side at a time.

* Stay hydrated. I arrogantly thought I didn’t even need my water bottle for a short 30-minute workout. How wrong I was… Make no mistake, SBELL workouts pack a whole lot of punch into a short timeframe. This makes them perfect if you’re time-poor (which is all of us these days) or want an effective, affordable workout to do from home (which, again, is most of us in these WFH times when we’re trying to avoid germs and gyms).

* Don’t be scared to lift heavier. I don’t mean that you should over-do it and push beyond your fitness or safety comfort level. For me, I was initially sceptical to even try the 4kg SBELLs as I usually only use 1-2kg hand weights. I thought I’d never be able to complete the workout as it was too hard, or that I’d injure myself. However, after trying them it was clear that the unique ergonomic shape has been designed to distribute the weight more evenly than a conventional dumbbell, which enables you to lift heavier with the same amount of effort. The only way to keep getting fitter is to safely challenge yourself, and with weights that means progressively lifting heavier over time. With SBELLS, I feel confident that I can do this safely.

Keen to try them for yourself? Find out more at sbell.com.au.

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