Kettlebell Buying Guide
Kettlebells are relatively inexpensive, but before you buy your own kettlebells, you may want to borrow one from a friend or try them at a gym. Kettlebells have been cropping up at more big-box gyms, and you can definitely find them at a CrossFit gym. If you can’t find a gym or if you don’t have any friends, kettlebells are inexpensive, small, and can look cool lying around your gym, so it isn’t a huge tragedy if you buy one and it ends up gathering dust.
What to Look for in a Kettlebell
You’re probably not going to find great kettlebells at your local sporting goods store, but there are tons of great options online. At the end of the day, you’re looking for a metal ball with a handle so it’s hard to go wrong, but there are two key traits you’re looking for:
Thick handles
Metal handles. No plastic or rubber coating. That will tear the skin on your hands.
The perfect balance between quality and cost come from Rogue and Onnit. Their kettlebells cost about $2 per pound, including shipping. Both of these manufacturers have solid reviews all around, and I recommend either (I have a slight preference for Rogue because of the handle size).
If you live near where one of these companies is headquartered (Onnit is in Austin, Rogue is in Columbus), you can save on shipping, cutting the costs of your training equipment nearly in half.
Starting Kettlebell Weights
You really only need one kettlebell to start. But if you want more variety, you can get two kettlebells: a lighter kettlebell for pressing and a heavier kettlebell for swinging. If you only get one, get the heavy one for swings.
Your starting weight should meet two criteria: 1. You can safely perform a kettlebell swing and an overhead press; 2. Completing a few repetitions is not easy. It should feel challenging but safe.
Standard kettlebells come in a few weight intervals, generally in 8kg increments:
8kg or 18 lb.
16kg or 35lb.
24 kg or 53 lb.
32 kg or 72lb.
Men can stick to 8kg increments. Women may need to go up in 4kg increments.
Most men should be able to start with 24kg (53 lb) for swings and 16 kg (35 lb) for overhead press. However, if you are like me and you work a desk job and have never been an athlete, you might have to start lower. My first kettlebell weighed 25 lb, and it kicked my ass.
Women should be able to start with 16 kg (35 lb) for swings and 8 kg (18 lb) or 12 kg (26 lb) for overhead press.
Finding a starting weight for kettlebells is a great way to develop some inner peace around exercise: the weight doesn’t need to be perfect. Workouts don’t actually need to come in sets of 10 and you can get stronger by doing a single repetition of something heavy. If 16kg is too heavy for you to complete 10 reps of overhead presses, do 3. Next time, you might be able to do 5. Get out and do the work, and you’ll catch up to the weight. Once you’re ready to start training, check out our knowledge and resource guide.