By
Brenley Goertzen,
a writer at the Strategist covering clothing basics and bath and body.
She joined the Strategist as a junior writer in 2022 after interning at the site.
Over the past few months, I’ve noticed a kind of funny workout-gear trend: The clunky kettlebells and dumbbells of yore have been joined by surprisingly art-y weights, ones that look more like an elegant vase than something you’d use at the gym. Many of these art-y weights, like the ones Subtle Impacts is offering, are actually meant to be displayed like sculptures on your mantel. Others, like the Muna kettlebell or Bala bars, are just generally nice-looking, in neutral palettes that would easily blend in with a beige West Elm couch or a tan Nordic Knots rug.As our resident fitness expert, I’m always trying to weed out the iffy workout tools (like vibration plates) from actually useful ones (like weighted vests), so I had to see if these new weights were worthwhile. I’ve tested the ones here at home and in group Pilates or Lagree classes and tried everything from hand weights that can pass for objets to bar weights that remind me of Jonathan Adler’s pill designs. Below are the ones I’d use to work out — and display in my living room.
