Kettlebells originate from Russia where they were originally measured in Poods. Although the pood is no longer used in Russia, the origin of the kettlebell has resulted in the old pood measurement being used as a kettlebell weight measurement, even today.
How much does a pood weigh?
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Quite a lot actually. One pood is the equivalent of 16.38 kg or 36.11 pounds. The stated kilogram or pound equivalent is usually rounded down.
What size pood are kettlebells available in?
Today only a handful of kettlebells are measured in poods as the primary weight. You can usually get them in 0.5 pood increments from 0.5 up to 2 pood.
As you will imagine even 0.5 pood weighs quite a lot and are not usually the choice of a beginner.
Pood to pound conversion
Every 0.5 pood is the equivalent to approximately 18 pounds.
| Pood | Pound |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 18 |
| 1 | 36 |
| 1.5 | 54 |
| 2 | 72 |
Pood to kilogram conversion
Every 0.5 pood is the equivalent to approximately 8 kilograms.
| Pood | Kilogram |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 8 |
| 1 | 16 |
| 1.5 | 24 |
| 2 | 32 |
Why is the pood still being used today?
As mentioned the kettlebell originates from Russia where the pood measurement was used up until the 1940s. It is believed that the kettlebell was first invented in 1910 and the weight would have therefore been measured in poods. Despite the term pood dying out, it’s still used as a traditional kettlebell weight measurement.
That being said, as kettlebells became more commercialised and produced outside of Russia most manufacturers now measure kettlebells in pounds or kilograms.
Where can I buy a pood kettlebell?
The best kettlebells available that are still measured in poods are the ones by ONNIT. They also happen to be pretty fun kettlebells. Click the link, you’ll see what I mean.