Kettlebell

I have been shopping for one too!

I am interested in what a good weight is for a beginner. 5, 7, or 10?

Kettlebells are my FAVORITE workout! So much bang for your buck. I took a class for a few years, but am doing it at home now. There is a great free site, fitnessblender.com that has some workout videos on there, I think I saw a beginner one. I'd start with a 5 or 10 lb bell, especially if you haven't lifted much. I use a 15 now, a few (very few) women in the class used a 20. Oh, and don't worry if you can't do the Turkish Get Up. That one always hurts my shoulder, I just do some basic swings to move past that set.

I would recommend you use a trainer either solo or in a class for the first few times as, in my experience, its really easy to get the technique wrong and to strain your back or other joints.

And obviously, in a class, you have access to a much wider range of weights so you can work out which ones you use most before paying out!

I would recommend you use a trainer either solo or in a class for the first few times as, in my experience, its really easy to get the technique wrong and to strain your back or other joints.

And obviously, in a class, you have access to a much wider range of weights so you can work out which ones you use most before paying out!

I second this. I hurt my back trying to do them alone...they are a hell of a workout and produce a great burn!

Did the KettleWorx cardio yesterday with the ten pound. I had no idea cardio could leave so many muscles sore.

ETA: KettleWorx is an amazing series!! I haven't tried all the videos yet but I'm super partial to the core workout.

go to fitnessblender.com and see a few of their free kettlebell workouts.
Also, Jillian michaels has a dvd that has a beginer and advanced kettle bell workouts on it. it's call "shred it with weights"

Thanks guys for your post!!! I'm getting me a set of kettle bells...sounds super cool. Jillian Michaels has a set in Wal-Mart that I like. Right now I do cardio 5 to 6 days a week...how many days per wk would you suggest using the kettle bells? What are the cal burns like?

Been doing Kettlebell for about a year...Love it! Kettleworx or Skogg are great home dvds for it! That's exercising SMART!

You're going to want something that's 15 lbs at the lightest and even that is probably too light. Here's why:

The first mistake people, especially women, make in choosing a kettlebell (yes, you do only need one to do it right) is in choosing one that's too light. Many women start out with 5 or 10 lb kettlebells because they incorrectly gauge their strength based on their upper body. ALL kettlebell exercises originate with lower body muscle groups, and there is no isolation training with kettlebells. 5, or 10 lb weights, are too light for anyone who is not using the kettlebell for PT reasons. The correct way to gauge the kettlebell weight you should be using is to perform the single most basic fundamental exercise with it: The swing. The swing is a primarily lower body muscle exercise that also heavily works the back and core. Perform basic kettlebell swings for 30-40 seconds. That should be sufficient to require you to stop for a break, and you should be feeling it most in lower body muscle groups. Look for it specifically in the hamstrings as these muscles go ignored when the weight is too light. It doesn't matter if you're not strong enough to shoulder press it, that will come with practice and exercise. Start out with the swing. If that's all you can do, keep doing it. Then transition into the bump/push-press (a variation of the swing that also gets the chest, bicep, and tricep muscles involved as well) and then finally the press, the snatch, and the clean.

Most women who are beginners start out with an 8kg (~17.5 lb) kettlebell, or, if using ones rated in pounds, they'll go with either a 15 or a 20. For men, 25-35lbs, or 12-16kg.

While shopping for a kettlebell, you will find there are two types made. There are cast-iron style (which are also available with vinyl coating or plastic coating), which get bigger as they get heavier, and competition-style, which are all the same size regardless of weight (changing weight is achieved by hollowing out the center by varying amounts). Competition style kettlebells (which are unfortunately harder to find) are almost always superior for most forms of training, because the changing size with cast-iron style kettlebells can alter range of motion and the basic dynamic of the exercise as you go up in weight. With competition-style kettlebells, the size doesn't change, so your range of motion is not affected as you progress.

That is an excerpt from a blog post I wrote on kettlebell training. Regarding DVDs you will want Skogg System as, out of all the purely DVD based programs out there, it is the best at illustrating proper form. That and anything you can find by Pavel Tsatsouline.

Most women go too light on a starting weight. Pavel, the father of the Kettlebell movement in the USA says a beginning women should start at 18 lbs. If you go too light, there is a tendency to "muscle through" the exercises using your arms, etc. instead of engaging your core and posterior chain. If so, it will make it that much harder to get any benefit from it, and you many need to relearn the movements.

Here's an easy test for you: If you can take the kettlebell and lift it straight out in front of you with stiff arms, it's too light.

INDEED! Very true. Too light and you do tend to engage arms too much and .. I almost fling it across the room. LOL. As you get stronger, DEF need to move up in weight !

I'd poke around Marshalls/TJ Maxx, I got a set with a 5, 10, and 15 lb kettlebell and a DVD for $20. Also, look on YouTube for exercises.

Those weights are insufficient for proper kettlebell training even for a beginner.

OMG! I love kettlebell! It is the best workout to wake your barely used and used muscles up!! It had me sore in the thighs on my first 20 minute work out! I'm talking every step i take sore deep in the muscle tissue! But it's a good sore! I purchased a 10 lb kettle bell that came with 2 workout dvds under $30 with shipping and handling! Trust me when i say, it really gets your heart pumping and your furnace turned on to burn calories plus you are building muscle because it is strength training as well!!!!!! KETTLEBELL- a win win situation:)

I'd poke around Marshalls/TJ Maxx, I got a set with a 5, 10, and 15 lb kettlebell and a DVD for $20. Also, look on YouTube for exercises.

Those weights are insufficient for proper kettlebell training even for a beginner.

agreed.

Highly recommend going to a class to get taught all the movements before trying it on your own. Also, they are not generally the best for muscle building. Possibly some upperbody hypertrophy but they are more about conditioning that involves some strength.

I swing a 64kg (140lb) KB.

My husband does this exercise. I didn't realize so many woman did. Great job ladies!!

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2011/01/08/kettlebell-swing/
This is one of the female "case studies" in the man book 4-hour body. The video is geared toward guys but show the basics of how to do the Kettlebell Swing correctly also a link under the video shows how to build an adjustable weight kettlebell with some plumbing supplies from Lowe's or Homedepot if you already have plates(which I did). Hope this helps folks it got me into the swing.