If you’re ready to start training with kettlebells, but don’t know where to start, There are a ton of general guidelines and suggestions out there to guide you.  For me, there are three things that are more important than others when choosing the right KB size for you. 

In this article,I’m going to break down those 3 concerns down. 

And I’ll discuss my thoughts on choosing the type of kettlebell that is most comfortable for you.

 Let’s get right to it; keep these suggestions below in mind when reading the weight recommendation range chart at the end of the article.

Top Three Kettlebell buying considerations.

What's your T level? 

There are muscle mass differences in humans with more testosterone than those with less that will dictate a difference in starting weight. 

 When you see weight recommendations for men, it’s reflective of those higher testosterone levels which create more muscle mass. ...

You got yourself some kettlebells and are READY to use em!  But…you’ve watched so many videos and read so many different things about how to use them, you’ve got analysis paralysis.

OR…

You’ve been using them for a while- like you would dumbbells- and you’re not really sure if you're doing it right, or what else you can do with them.

No matter what your exposure is to bells, here are the three most common mistakes that people with all levels of experience make.

Not understanding the purpose of the exercise (which in KB’s, most often looks like using arms instead of your backside).

From first glance, kettlebell swings and cleans look like a great arm exercise, don’t they?  Swings could be seen as a front raise. And cleans?  Seems like great bicep and shoulder work. 

And yes, your arms are being used in both these moves- but they aren’t the driving force for moving the bell.

Both these exercises are Ballistic...

The history of kettlebells is mostly told like this…

Much of the conversation around when kettlebells came into play begins around the start of the 18th century in Russia, when the word for it- ‘Giya’- was first published in the Russian dictionary.  Back then, KB’s were used as counterweights on market scales, until someone decided that throwing them around might be good entertainment.  This is thought to be the beginning of using kettlebells for weight training.

The story continues to the late 1800’s, naming Russian physician Vladislav Kraevsky as the country’s founding father of  kettlebell usage for olympic weightlifting.

But the truth is, there’s evidence of Kettlebells being around earlier, and in other countries…

Check out this enlightening article that talks about Elise Serafin Luftmann, one of the earliest strongwoman  known in history, from a German speaking region of Bohemia in 1830.

Kettlebells have...

Think about what happens when you carry something heavy- like a grocery bag- in one hand while you walk...

Specifically, what happens with your position in space, and what's happening with your grip.

You're immediately off balance.  And whether you notice it or not, your center of gravity- your core- has to fire up to keep you from falling over.

And your grip?  The tension you create carries up from your forearm to your bicep to your shoulder to your upper back muscles (see THIS post on muscle irradiation).

Carrying across a room- or marching in place- with weight on one side of your body is so much more than it appears, and one of the best functional exercises out there.

How to do this move: 

Holding a KB in one hand and arm hanging, stand tall with shoulders back, down, and squared off. With core engaged, begin marching, using your abdominals to bring knees up close to 90 degrees. Maintain balance.

Slowing down your pace and bringing your knee up, using your...

Let's first talk about KB's vs DB's...

The first obvious difference is the shape- dumbbells have an even displacement of weight, while the weight in KB's is and imbalanced (just like most things you pick up in life).

The offset nature of the bell improves not just your grip strength, but holding one turns on all those stabilizer muscles to keep it centered in your hand as you move.

This is a BIG factor in how many muscles get recruited when doing any exercise...said another way: more bang for your buck.

You can do just about every dumbbell exercise with a KB, but trying to do kettlebell exercises with a DB isn't as easy.

Switching from a power building move- like a swing- into a strength based move-- like a press- is pretty seamless with a KB- and adds a whole other aspect of strength building.

 And now, KB's vs Barbells. 

 The shape of the barbell creates a stable and fixed position- two hands and equal weight distribution- which pre-determines the path you...

All swing variations are ballistic moves- meaning they use multiple muscles and joints to both generate power and absorb it. 

In a traditional Russian KB Swing, power is generated from the back body to get the bell up to a weightless position, and then the power is absorbed in the downswing.

With the eccentric swing, it becomes both a ballistic and plyometric move, in part because we don't allow the bell to reach weightlessness. 

We build even more power by sending the bell down with force at the top of the swing.  This movement mimics the effects of a plyometric jump, where we absorb power when we land on our feet.  In this type of swing, we're absorbing the shock of the bell when it's at the top.  The more power we use to push the bell down, the greater the plyometric effect.  

This is a fun variation with lots of gains- but comfort and confidence with a traditional KB swing is required before trying this variation.

Here's the details of how to...

Have you mastered the Double Handed KB Swing?

The Single Arm Swing requires a bit more skill- but still has all of the same mechanics of the two handed.  So feeling good and confident with two hands on the bell will make one hand that much easier...

Holding the bell in one bell is an instant game changer, requiring more of your core muscles to stabilize the offset weight, and more of your upper back and shoulder muscles to keep your shoulder locked back and down while you swing.

It can be helpful- especially in the beginning- to place the opposite hand of the swinging arm on that shoulder, as a physical reminder to not disengage.

Keeping the bell high between you legs will help with this as well.

And remember, the swing is a hinge, not a squat.  So think about sending your tailbone to the wall behind you as you swing the bell back, and keep your knees soft.