A Guide to Buying Your First (or Next) Kettlebell

So youve read aboutmy favorite kettlebell exercises for beginnersand youd like to start doing them at home.

And, yes, kettlebells are commonly called bells.

The difference between kettlebell types

In the modern fitness world, there are three types of kettlebells.

Ill say more about each, but heres the basic roadmap.

Cast iron or hardstyle kettlebellsare usually black in color, and vary in size and shape.

The heavier the bell, the bigger the round part is.

They are sold in kilograms (usually multiples of 4 or 8) and are color coded.

A 16 kg bell, for example, will be yellow.

Theres nothing wrong with hardstyle bells, if you like them or are used to them.

(I think theyre less comfortable to hold, but thats a preference rather than a dealbreaker.)

As a category, Id shy away.

But if youdomanage to find a fitness bell you enjoy working with, dont let me stop you.

But first, I know theres a burning question on your mind: how heavy?

What kettlebell weight should I start with?

I dont believe in the idea that there is a single correct weight to start with.

But its common to start with one kettlebell, so people want a single recommendation.

For the lighter kettlebell, we can go with the standard recommendations youll see in kettlebell books and forums.

Feel free to go higher or lower than these examples.

Which is why I recommend that people experiment with various bells to see what makes sense.

For your heavier kettlebell, you want a bell that is so heavy youcannotpress it.

Ihave some guidelines hereon finding the perfect weight for a heavy bell that you could swing.

it’s possible for you to certainly go heavier than a 32 though.

And youcanswing your lighter bell, but Id recommend learning to swing with a heavy bell first.

The weight is instructive.

Theyre available in a range of weights, including heavy ones.

My first kettlebells were hardstyle, and they were perfectly good to train with.

“Hardstyle” is a nickname for a bang out of kettlebell training that commonly uses these bells.

Probably most of the kettlebell exercises you’ve seen in a gym are versions of this.

There are swings, windmills, presses, Turkish get-ups, and more.

The main disadvantages of cast iron kettlebells come down to the shape.

At smaller weights, a large handle has to angle itself downward into a baseball-sized lump of iron.

and the handle had better be able to support it.

If the bell feels good to use, enjoy!

That said, brands still vary slightly in size and shape.

There are also competition-style bells with indentations where your forearm goes during overhead lifts.

Here are some picks: