Kettlebells

Spin533
Spin533 Posts: 44 Member
edited December 4 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,
Would it be ok for me to start with a 15kg kettlebell at home?
Have done a small bit of work with 10kg one in a gym class.

I am hoping to tone my arms by getting this kettlebell and doing it every day?

Thanks

Replies

  • niallcavanagh
    niallcavanagh Posts: 29 Member
    That all depends on your current physique... if you are starting from scratch, maybe try something lighter and build up your strength over a few weeks, rather than hitting a 15kg right away.
    If you are already doing mucho exercise with bodyweight (press ups, burpees, situps, crunches) and if you are muscular with a strong core then (maybe) it is ok...
    Whatever you do, make sure you have good form and don't hurt yourself.
  • Spin533
    Spin533 Posts: 44 Member
    Hi,thanks. I am definitely not muscular unfortunately. I do some of those things mentioned.I might get the 10kg one and do longer reps?
    I thought it was good to lift as heavy as you can?

    I have no experience of weight training so apologizes if these seem ridiculous questions :)
  • SolotoCEO
    SolotoCEO Posts: 293 Member
    edited October 2016
    Toning - use lighter weights with more reps. Muscle building - use heavier weights with less reps. I use 10lb. kettle bells for toning (about 5kg.).
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Spin533 wrote: »
    Hi,
    Would it be ok for me to start with a 15kg kettlebell at home?
    Have done a small bit of work with 10kg one in a gym class.

    I am hoping to tone my arms by getting this kettlebell and doing it every day?

    Thanks

    What are you doing with it and how many reps of the particular exercises are you able to do? It's not really a question any of us can answer based on limited information.
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
    edited October 2016
    Kettlebells are great, but if I didn't already have dumbbells I wouldn't get a kettlebell instead. Like rybo said, way more information is needed.

    Define "tone." If you have already lost all the weight, and you want your arms to get more muscular and defined, strength and resistance training will help. But if you still have fat you're trying to lose, the deficit will be just as important if not moreso.
  • Spin533
    Spin533 Posts: 44 Member
    I am doing swings with 10kg and bringing it around front to back.
    I can do about 3 or 4 reps of 10.

    I haven't lost all the weight yet but I thought it was good to do weight training for this and not wait till I have lost the weight?

    Thanks again.

  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
    Spin533 wrote: »
    I am doing swings with 10kg and bringing it around front to back.
    I can do about 3 or 4 reps of 10.

    I haven't lost all the weight yet but I thought it was good to do weight training for this and not wait till I have lost the weight?

    Thanks again.

    Don't get me wrong. Weight training is a great idea for everyone regardless of situation.

    I'm just saying if you're looking to sculpt and you still have fat to lose on your arms, you won't see much muscle until you shed the fat.

    I'm not sure kettlebell swings will do much for building arms. I would stick with more traditional exercises like curls and chinups (assisted if needed) for biceps, skull crushers, pushdowns and diamond cutter pushups for triceps, and db overhead press and lat raises for shoulders.

    Just my opinion. Good luck!
  • mike_bold
    mike_bold Posts: 140 Member
    you will need to learn how to clean & press, and snatch with the KB if you want to build muscle in the upper body. If you are solely relying on KBs for resistance training then I would buy two the same size, so you can double them up for squats, pressing, swings etc.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    It all depends on what you are doing with it. I use a wide range of KB weights depending on the exercise.
    KB swings, done correctly, work the hips not the arms. The KB I use for swings is 2-4x heavier than what I use for shoulder/arm work.
  • Spin533
    Spin533 Posts: 44 Member
    Thanks.
    What does clean,press and snatch entail?

  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
    I would get on a solid Kettlebell program to burn some calories, achieve more muscular tone, and have fun while doing it. Lauren Brooks has some great programs. I have used the program in her book Kettlebells for Women.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1612430279/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1477345369&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=lauren+brooks+books&dpPl=1&dpID=51j1r+3byhL&ref=plSrch

    If you are more of a visual learner, Andrea DuCane has a couple of awesome videos. Kettlebell Boomers is targeted at the senior population, but the instruction is really solid and great for beginners.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00540URU4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477345587&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=kettlebell+boomer&dpPl=1&dpID=318LTe4V2CL&ref=plSrch#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1477345611833

    To build your home kettlebell collection I would start with a 9k and a 12k if you are female. 15k for a beginner is pretty heavy.

    Here is a link to Lauren's website. She has a few instructional videos that can show you what cleans, snatches, high pulls, presses, and Turkish get ups look like.

    http://www.ontheedgefitness.com/

    If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me:-)
  • jolive7
    jolive7 Posts: 283 Member
    5kg is a pretty big jump, can you get a 12kg one??
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    weight training rocks, but shoulders are pretty complicated joints. there's a lot of strength waiting there but individually the muscles are very small and kind of prone to impingement/overuse injuries. additionally, i've found that form counts for a lot in keeping your shoulders safe . . . and form is extremely hard to learn, much less maintain, for those movements if the weight's out of your range.

    so i may be paranoid after having a couple of issues and sprains, but you might want to start way smaller than 10kg for your weight if you're doing things that involve mostly your upper arms. it doesn't have to be a formal dumbbell or kb either. i got excited about lifting and was doing various things with just about anything that had some weight to it. pound of butter. can of soup. gallon of milk.

    something i've used a lot and keep using is resistance bands. they're great for making sure you don't neglect your upper back and the muscles of your rear rotator cuffs.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories