Chalking the kettlebell handle properly can improve the comfort of your lifting, and may even assist you to lift heavier or squeeze out more reps.

Here are some very good reasons to chalk your kettlebell handle:

  • Chalking will provide the optimal balance between providing a rough enough surface to prevent slipping when when you tighten your grip and allowing the handle to move freeling when you loosen your grip.  This is particularly beneficial for lifts such as snatches and cleans that rely on this sort of tension/relaxation balance with grip.
  • Chalking will make the handle more stable in your hand for any lift that require a crushing grip such as presses and is particularly helpful with any bottoms up lifts.
  • Chalking can help prevent blisters and tearing by absorbing sweat and therefore reducing the need to grip the handle too tightly in ballistic lifts like swings and snatches.

Best Kettlebells for Chalking

There are different types of kettlebells with different types of handles and some are more suitable for chalking than others.  Pro Grade kettlebells with a raw steel handle are ideal for chalking.  Kettlebells that have powdercoated handles are very difficult to chalk properly.  If you have a steel kettlebell with a painted handle you can sand the paint off and then chalk it.

There are a few different ways to chalk your kettlebell handles, here are two of the easier ones.

Chalking Method 1: Sanding the Handle to Get Started

Raw steel handles will usually come out very smooth and it's very difficult to get chalk to stick to them when they're like this.  One way around this is to rough up the handle with sandpaper.  This is my preferred method because I think it's the easiest way to get an even coating of chalk.

  1. Use a heavy duty sand paper for wood, don't use one for metal or a wet/dry one as these are designed to sand metal down to a smooth finish which isn't much use for chalking.
  2. Sand the entire handle thoroughly so that there are not smooth spots left.  The easiest way to do this is to cut a long strip of sand paper, wrap it around the handle then, with a hand on each end of the sandpaper, move it back and forth quickly along the length of the handle, then change sides until you've covered all angles.  Don't forget the underside of the handle!
  3. Wipe off any metal shavings.
  4. Once the handle is properly sanded start rubbing chalk into it.  The trick is to rub the chalk in really quickly and with a fair bit of pressure.  This will help get a thin layer of chalk coating the handle, and it's then relatively easy to build up a few layers of chalk over this to get an even coating with the perfect amount of grip.

In the below video Chris repeats this process of sanding and rubbing in the chalk, which you can also do.

Chalking Method 2: Using Water

Another good way of chalking the handle, particularly if you don't have any sandpaper handy, is to use some water to help get the chalk to stick.

  1. Start by wetting the handle, using a spray bottle is usually the easiest wat to do this.  Wipe over the handle with your hand once you've done this to make sure the handle is evenly wet.
  2. Once the handle is wet you can start applying chalk.  You'll need to apply a fair bit of pressure as you rub it in so that it doesn't form clumps.  If it does get clumpy you may have to wash it off and start again, or use sandpaper or a rough cloth to smooth out the lumps.

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