Kettlebells look small but they sure do pack a punch.

I love them like the Cookie Monster loves cookies! :)

A wee intro…

Most Kettlebells are made of metal and some are now coated with plastic or rubber.

Understanding what size Kettlebell to purchase is your first step towards strengthening and toning your body.

If your goal is to lose weight or to just become more active, then beginning a kettlebell training program is a cracking way to start!

For someone who is not used to being active lighter weights are definitely recommended…common sense, yes!

But you’d be surprised by something of the things I’ve seen over the years.

Anyhow, if you’ve NEVER done ANY form of resistance training then it’s probably best you don’t buy anything heavier than 12kg, otherwise they’ll most likely be used as an expensive doorstop.

This might sound super light, but using a lighter weight will allow you to practice each exercise without whacking yourself on the noggin, which is of course very important.

And f you don’t use the correct form you’re less likely to fully benefit from this awesome tool.

Now of course, if you regularly workout then you can begin throwing a kettlebell around with a heavier weight.

I recommended that experienced women use somewhere between an 8-16kg kettlebell and men use 16-24kg Kettlebell to get started with…

There are several ways in which you can use a kettlebell…you’ve got cardio, strength or good ol’ metabolic conditioning, aka HIIT or as I like to call it “working your nuts off!”.

The weight of the kettlebell you use will have a lot to do with what type of workout you carry out.

So, here’s an ickle breakdown for ya…

• Strength: Heavy-ish Kettlebell
• Metabolic Conditioning: Medium to Heavy kettlebell
• Cardio: Light to Medium Kettlebell

Of course, there’s going to be a cross-over in terms of all three, but this gives you a rough idea.

Once you get to grips with the various exercise techniques a good goal is for women to end up using 16-20kg kettlebells and men 24+kgs.

By the way, you can get weights that go over 60kg if you want to progress further…people really do lift these beasties…I’m not one of them! :(

Most peeps start off with one kettlebell, which is all fine and dandy.

I mean, it’s a good way to see if you like swinging an iron ball around your living room, but the problem is that some exercises will require a lighter weight than others.

Therefore, some exercises might be on the easy side and others you might leave you on your knees.

That’s to be expected and eventually you will want 2-5 different weighted kettlebells to choose from to make sure you’re pushing yourself on each and every exercise.

Some of the exercises you’ll want to master from the off include the swing, goblet squat, clean and press and the snatch.

The swing is the key to many exercises, so spend extra time learning this one (see video below).

And once you get used to all the various exercises you can have some real fun combining them with bodyweight exercises like press-ups, burpees and plank or even throw in some sprints.

The World is your lobster!

If you have any questions about the “bells” just let me know below….