Kettlebell Weight Selection

What Kettlebell Weight Is Right For Me?

Today I am going to talk about the most important thing to know before learning how to train with kettlebells, kettlebell weight selection. As my teaching progresses and I share my years of training experience with you, I want to provide workouts that require very little equipment on your behalf. I want to teach you to do more with less, that said, investment in more than one kettlebell may be necessary. You can start with just one bell, and purchase new ones only when needed, or you could start with a set of three or four bells of varying weight dependent upon your lean muscle mass and prior athletic experience. Use this guide to help you select the right equipment for you:

Female

• 9lb/4kg - Beginner, no athletic history, used only to get basic movements down. Will have to move up quickly
• 18lb/8kg - Beginner, little to no athletic experience, sedentary
• 26lb/12kg -Beginner, average strength level, decent overall posture, some athletic history
• 35lb/16kg -Beginner but strong or advanced in motor pattern awareness and flexibility from athletic training
• 44lb/20kg -Prior kettlebell specific experience, strong, flexible and smart
• 53lb/24kg -High level kettlebell practitioner, using this weight primarily for low rep lifts

Male

• 26lb/12kg - Small build, beginner, little to no athletic experience, highly sedentary
• 35lb/16kg - Beginner, little to no athletic experience, highly sedentary
• 44lb/20kg - Beginner, average strength level, decent overall posture, some athletic history
• 53lb/24kg - Beginner but strong or advanced in motor pattern awareness and flexibility from athletic training
• 62lb/28kg - Prior kettlebell specific experience, strong, flexible and smart.
• 70/32kg - Experienced practitioner, Flexibility is the key to moving beyond this two point.
• 106lb/48kg -High level kettlebell practitioner, using this weight primarily for low rep lifts.

Take notice that the increments are all 4kg (8.8lb). I am aware that there are many in-between kettlebell weights available these days. I only use the increments of true Russian kettlebells. I am not much of a traditionalist, but I think some things should be left alone. A part of the reason for the big jumps in weight is that it promotes the use of the correct muscles to lift the weight. Most people tend to use too light of a kettlebell at first. Remember when selecting your kettlebell weight, this isn’t muscle isolation. When your whole body works together as one it is far more capable of lifting heavier!

Cheap kettlebells will give you blisters because of rough handles and the coating will come off leading to rust. You may also notice there is such a thing as Girevoy Sport (GS) style and hard style kettlebells. At this point in your practice it is matter of personal preference. There are benefits to both, either one will work great for our practice. As we move into more complex movements later on the hardstyle bell will prove more versatile because of your ability to grip the bell portion more easily. I am going to go into the differences between these two philosophies in training, girevoy sport vs. hardstyle in another blog. In the meantime, may your practice be both safe and effective!

Thank you so much for reading and best of luck finding the kettlebell that is right for you!