What is the Best Kettlebell Weight to Start With?
Ready to get started in kettlebell training, but don’t know which weight to choose? No problem! This article will provide you with the information you need to pick your first kettlebell weight. Picking the correct kettlebell weight is vital to both learning and continued use of the kettlebell, and will help you avoid injury as you get going.
The Problem with Choosing a Starting Kettlebell Weight
There are different problems with picking a kettlebell weight depending on your weight training experience. If you have never trained with weights before, you are more likely to think that the beginner weights that I suggest are too heavy. Conversely, if you are very familiar with weight training and have used it for years, you will most likely think that the weights I suggest are too light.
What I need you to do is throw away your current perception of weight training and look at the kettlebell as something that is totally new and different; for that reason, you cannot have an opinion of the weight you need, period. You must do what every trainer in the world hopes you will do: be open, listen, and learn.
While you may not think you need to, having at least one session with a trained kettlebell professional will make an enormous difference in your results. Kettlebell training is very different from standard isolation training; you will be using multiple muscle groups at the same time through ballistic, full-body movements. Most likely, you have never trained like this before. A kettlebell professional should be able to show you the basics (for example, the Clean, Swing, Goblet Squat, Windmill, and Turkish Get Up). While you may not perfect the form, the trainer will give you tips to get started, as well as how to avoid injury. GET A TRAINER WHEN YOU START.
When done properly, kettlebell movements will improve your body control, shorten your workout time, and give you functional results (and physique) unlike anything you’ve been able to achieve before. Better yet, you’ll never get bored! The core movements in kettlebell training have exploded into hundreds of new exercises and techniques. Once you get going, you won’t ever have to stop.
Assuming you have been to at least one session with a kettlebell professional and are ready to get started, here is what I recommend based on your gender.
The Correct Starting Kettlebell Weight for Women
With very little exception, I always recommend that women start with an 8kg (18lb) kettlebell. The key with this weight is that it is not too heavy and not too light. A common misconception when women first pick up the 8kg kettlebell is that it is too heavy. A new female kettlebell trainee will walk over, pick up the weight, and automatically try to do a 1-arm upright row (without one thought of lifting technique, mind you), and immediately exclaim, “I can’t lift that!”
Again, the difference with kettlebell training is the way you’ll be lifting the weight. Unlike isolation lifts (the Dumbbell Curl is the best example of an isolation lift), kettlebell training uses multiple muscle groups at once. You won’t just be lifting with one arm or one leg, you’ll be using your upper body, lower body, and especially your core for the majority of the lifts. For that reason, an 8kg kettlebell is not really that heavy.
A big mistake is to go too light starting out (again, assuming that you have trained with a kettlebell professional). When you go too light with ballistic movements, you can muscle through a lift rather than using proper form. You’ll be throwing around a 4kg (9lb) kettlebell like nothing. If you do this, you will never perfect your form, you will never progress to heavier weights, and you will not achieve the real benefits that kettlebells have to offer. Don’t go too light!
The Correct Starting Kettlebell for Men
Again, with very little exception, I always recommend a 16kg (35lb) kettlebell for men. Unlike women, most men will look at the 16kg kettlebell starting weight and say, “That’s way too light! I bench X weight all day long!” The problem is not that you can’t “lift” more weight, the problem is that if you can’t lift more kettlebell weight. No, 35 pounds might not be much for your barbell curl, squat, or deadlift, but we’re not doing those lifts, are we? Even if we do, they are going to be done in a much different fashion than you’re used to.
Most likely, a kettlebell will be hitting muscles that you have never even felt before. Areas of your core (back, abdominals, and upper legs) will be on fire during your first session. Kettlebell training is usually combined with high intensity interval sets; short stretches of intense work with little rest in between. To maintain proper form, you need a weight that is in proportion to your skill level (which will be very low initially).
If you think that a 16kg kettlebell is too light, think again! Men who have never used a kettlebell are especially susceptible to muscling through a movement, rather than performing it with proper form. The 16kg kettlebell weight is just enough to force you to use proper technique (assuming you have been taught proper technique by a professional).
The Final Key to Picking Your Kettlebell Starting Weight
The final key to picking your starting kettlebell weight is… drop the ego (I say that a lot)! The truth is that you don’t know crap about this form of training; you need to acknowledge and accept that in order to start the learning process (sorry). Listening to your local professional is a start. So, get the correct weight, practice correct form, and get in correct shape!
ABOUT AUTHOR
Mark de Grasse is the Chief Fitness Officer of Onnit Labs, heading up the Onnit Academy. He is also the founder and editor of My Mad Methods Magazine, a publication dedicated to unconventional training methods since 2010. With a primary goal of bringing the greatest amount of people to an optimal “functional” standard, Mark has dedicated years of his life to networking with coaches and trainers who are willing to step outside the box when it comes to fitness. Working with hundreds of fitness professionals around the world, Mark collects their knowledge in the form of articles, pictures, and videos, and organizes them to make the greatest global impact. He is the editor, graphic designer, writer, and photographer of the publication.
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