How a Bowflex SelectTech 840 Kettlebell Changed My Home Workout Routine

The kettlebell I used for years lived under the workbench in my garage, and I avoided it the way I avoid folding laundry. I would do a set of swings, feel my right shoulder complain, and put it back. Then a neighbor brought over a Bowflex SelectTech 840 Adjustable Kettlebell and asked me to try it during a Saturday session. I am Joanna Prewitt, 52, and I teach a small group in my converted one-car garage in Tulsa. I am not a gadget person. I like equipment that is easy to use and hard to mess up.

Here is what got my attention. The SelectTech 840 replaces six kettlebells, with settings at 8, 12, 20, 25, 35, and 40 pounds. You turn a dial to pick the weight. That is the whole adjustment. I do not need a row of extra bells against the wall.

My first test was simple. I set it to 12 pounds for warm-up swings and then moved to 20 for rows. In the past, that meant walking across the garage to swap bells or skipping the change altogether. With the Bowflex SelectTech 840, I stayed in the same spot. My Saturday group noticed. One neighbor asked if she could try it between sets, and then two more did. The adjustment is quick enough that it does not break the flow of a workout.

I am careful with my right shoulder. I hurt it years ago, and I warm up longer than most people I know. What I like about the adjustable bell is that I can start light and add weight only when the movement feels clean. The handle is 28 mm and covered in rubber and metal, so my grip feels secure when my hands get warm. The unit is composite, and it measures 8.82 inches long by 7.01 inches wide. That matters in a one-car garage.

I also like that it does not take over the garage. My space is one bay, with rubber tiles, a box fan, a whiteboard, and one wall mirror. A rack of six kettlebells would eat a corner I do not have. This one sits beside the mirror and stays out of the way. Ray, my husband, has a bad left knee and works out with me twice a week. He uses it for seated rows and light squats while I finish my own sets. It has been a good shared tool, which is not something I say about most of the gear in that garage.

I can start at 8 pounds for a warm-up and finish at 40 without moving my feet. That one change made me use the bell every week.

Before this bell, my home routine had a gap. I would do bodyweight squats and a few band exercises, then stop. The jump from 12 pounds to 20 pounds felt like a chore, so I stayed at 12 far too long. The SelectTech 840 lets me make smaller jumps. I can use 8 for a warm-up, 12 for a set of rows, 20 for goblet squats, and 25 for a deadlift variation. That range is enough to keep my Saturday group interested without turning my garage into a warehouse.

I have used it for about four months, two or three times a week. The feel is different from a fixed bell, and the first few swings felt a bit foreign. After a week, I stopped thinking about it. I just turned the dial and worked. That is the highest praise I can give a piece of home equipment.

What I appreciate most is the honesty of the adjustment. You turn the dial, you hear a click, and you lift. There is no screen to tap and no setup routine to remember. The two-year warranty is also a comfort, because garage gear takes a beating.

My Saturday group is not a crew of experienced lifters. Some are beginners, some are returners, and a few have knees or shoulders that need extra care. Sharing one bell works because the weight range covers all of us. A 52-year-old woman who has never done a kettlebell swing can start at 8 pounds. Ray can use 20 or 25 for a controlled press. I can work at 35 on a good day and drop back to 20 when my shoulder says no. That flexibility is the point.

I have not dropped it, but I have banged it against the workbench once. The composite body has a small scuff and still works fine. That is the kind of durability I want in a garage, not a showroom piece.

What I'd Tell You If We Were Sitting at My Kitchen Table

If we were sitting at my kitchen table, I would tell you to think about the space between your warm-up and your hardest set. That is where home workouts fall apart. You either own a rack of bells or you own one bell that is too light or too heavy. The Bowflex SelectTech 840 sits in that gap. It is not a replacement for a full gym, and it is not the right pick if you only ever need one weight. But for a garage gym, a spare room, or a Saturday group that shares equipment, it solves a real problem. I would also tell you to check the handle with sweaty hands before you buy, because grip matters more than the number on the dial. And I would tell you to start lighter than you think. The bell will still be there when you are ready for 40.