Bala's HOT NEW Fitness Equipment: WORTH IT?
The moment I discovered Bala - I was hooked! When you workout at home, you have to keep your routine fun and exciting. Otherwise, you're not going to stick to your routine and therefore, won't reach your fitness goals.
That's one of the many reasons Bala's at home fitness equipment intrigued me, so today, I wanted to share my honest thoughts in this unsponsored, honest review!
If you're interested in shopping for today's products, consider using the link here to shop using my affiliate links! Shop all products here! (They help support DBN, I receive a small commission from these links but all thoughts are my own! I purchased all equipment with my own money!)
So today we're going to talk about two of Bala's hot products that I know a lot of you have questions on: the Bala Beam & the Bala Rings. (I will review the Bala Bars and the Bala Bangles in a future post, don't worry!)
PS - Full video reviews are at the end of this blog post if you prefer to listen in vs. read (don't worry that's my preference too haha!) Subscribe on YouTube for nutrition & fitness content, including more reviews like this one.
Starting with the Bala Beam, one of my personal favorite products from Bala - let's chat about the key features, the price, pros, cons and whether or not I feel it's worth it, all things considered (because let's be real, some of Bala's products are on the pricey side!)
The Bala Beam
Key Features: The Bala Beam is a 15lb barbell made of buttery soft silicone. It cannot support added weights, so 15lbs is what you get! It's the perfect weight for strength workouts at home, including other types of workouts like barre and pilates. You can do curls, rows, presses, and so many other moves with this beam, it's easy to get creative and just do the basics!
Price: $99
Pros:
Silicone is actually buttery soft! (no blisters)
Low profile
Easy to store away
Comes in a variety of cute, aesthetic colors (so far black, pink, sand, and sage)
Weight: 15-lbs feels like the right weight for something you can't add weights to, good middle ground
Price: Actually compares pretty well in price to other barbells online, the price point isn't much more than barbells of other materials, although hard to directly compare because there really is nothing like it! Overall, I feel the price is well worth it in the long run when you think about the fact that you won't really need to replace it unless something crazy happens to it or you lost it.
Cons:
Can't add weight to it
Larger initial investment depending on your budget (See pros)
Would love to see more color options
Overall Thoughts:
I'm going to be honest, I had to really fish for the "cons" section of the Bala Beam, because I absolutely love it. Again, not paid to say this - these are my honest, unfiltered thoughts! I'm obsessed! Really... not a lot of cons... I would recommend this to ANY fitness lover out there, especially if you are someone who prefers working out from home.
The Bala Rings
Key Features: The Bala Ring is a weighted ring, essential designed to be a more ergonomic form of a kettlebell. You can purchase the 10lb ring alone, or a set of three (5lb, 8lb & 10lb).
Price: $145 for set (5lb, 8lb & 10lb), $85 for 10lb only
Pros:
Buttery soft silicone, no blisters!
Far more ergonomic than a kettlebell, better on the wrists
Love that they add a little variety to my workouts - makes me look forward to working out!
Feels a lot safer than a kettlebell in my opinion for two reasons: Better grip on the ring so you're less likely to drop it or let it fly against your TV/computer screen and also because you're less likely to do something like drop it on your foot and cause injury (still might hurt, but not as bad as a kettlebell since the weight is concentrated at the bottom of a Kettlebell)
Beautiful color options
Cons:
PRICE! If you compare to a set of kettlebells with the same weight options, kettlebells are nearly $65 dollars less for the 10lb, and $100 less for the set based on my price comparison in September of 2021). That's a BIG difference! You can also shop my alternative recommendations HERE!
Would love to see heavier options, like 15lb. I find myself using the
Not as easy to use (vs. Kettlebells) for moves that require you to pick them up and put them down (e.g. plank with alternating side twists, or burpee with overhead lift)
Overall Thoughts:
If I had to pick between the two, I would definitely pick the Bala Beam over the Bala Rings. That said, I still believe the Bala Rings are a GREAT addition to your home gym. They help shake up your routine, they're safer and better on your wrists than kettlebells (in my experience) and they make it easy to get creative in your at home workout routine. The only thing I don't love is the price point, and with that I recommend checking out my alternative options, or just getting the 10lb weight by itself to save a few bucks (I tend to reach for that one the most anyway!)
Check out the full video reviews below, and thanks for reading this review! If you'd like to connect more, Follow me on YouTube at Dark Blue Nutrition and on Instagram @darkbluenutrition.
See you next time!
