Ideal Kettle Bell weight that will be used for mainly cardio/circuit training

[yesushidao]

I will be mainly doing these excercise videos. I saw most were recommending 12kg or 16kg to start with, but considering are these still the ideal weight in my case?

If it helps, I'm 5'8, 155 pounds as of the moment. I swim 5 times a week at 20 minutes, moderate pace. I've hit a plateu with swimming in terms of maintaining/losing weight and actually gained around 20lbs due to my job, so I'm looking at kettle bells to supplement swimming + proper diet.

Some few more questions. How often should I do these exercises? What's the difference between plastic coated kettlebells and the purely metal ones? I've noticed that the metal ones weigh more with the same weight listed.

Thanks for everyone who helped out. Looking forward to starting my journey with you all!

 

[jim_68]

@yesushidao 16 is good for overhead work esp strict presses. In fact if you've not done any before 12 might be better. Remember you're going to be doing a lot of reps, so you want a sub maximal weight.

Also there is no ideal kb weight you'll want as many as you have place for and the spouse allows

Do look at fb marketplace to get some good deals on used kb. Lots of folks will be getting rid of theirs son enough

 

[zach0310]

@yesushidao If you have access to any at a gym give it a go first obviously, but I think 16 is a pretty solid starting weight. If it turns out to be too heavy you can adjust reps and sets until you can comfortably complete the workout, then add more of go heavier.

 

[yesushidao]

@zach0310 I was actually just at the gym, but it didn't have kettle bells. Would dumbells be a proper comparison? (serious question hahaha)

Also, thanks for your tip, that might be an ideal solution.

 

[zach0310]

@yesushidao Somewhat of a comparison yeah but there are differences with weight distribution because bells are Offset from the handle
Also different techniques for cleans and snatched etc.

I've only been training with Kettlebells more or less exclusively for about a year and have gone from a 24kg get up to 44kg
Swings from 28-48kg
It doesn't matter what you start with, do some research, loiter about this sub and you'll pick stuff up and make progress.

If you have access to two 16s or even two 12s you could try the wolf Kettlebell programme (easy to find on google). I'm doing that at the moment with 20s and it's hard going, especially day three!
I choose to add in some Mace work before and an EMOM or Circuit to finish to bring my workouts up to 45-60 minutes

 

[shawnee77]

@yesushidao A rough comparison but not a proper comparison. The kettlebell will be offset from your wrist... you need more wrist strength for cleans/presses/snatches (exercises that are single arm and come above chest height) as it will initially feel like the weight is pulling your wrist from creating a straight line with your forearm.

But roughly ... weight is weight.

 

[faithinmet]

@yesushidao Side note:
I know you didn’t ask this, but I would avoid the upright row with a kettlebell. Also, some of those swing variations look unnecessarily complicated, like the swing with a jumping jack.

Eric Leija is legit, but I’ve never heard of those other folks. Suffice to say, there’s a lot of bad kettlebell advice out there, so I user beware.

 

[yesushidao]

@faithinmet Gotcha. Thanks for the heads up of being aware of some advices!

 

[doni3339]

@yesushidao I'd recommend getting a weight that you can press overhead with one hand at least 2-3 times.

It would be relatively light for squats / swings but for cardio or circuit training that's okay.

If you go too heavy that you can't press it you'll be limited in some of the core movements.

 

[yesushidao]

@doni3339 I did this at a shop! Found that I was okay with 16kg at 2-3 times overpress. But it was definitely heavy to a point that I don't think I could do the exercises I've been eying properly. I might settle with 12kg or 10kg.

 

[jordan11315]

@yesushidao Adjustable kettlebell 8-16kg is the answer.

 

[yesushidao]

@jordan11315 This is the answer. Prices for adjustable kettebells in my area aren't that too far off from single weight kettle bells.

Does brand/material of kettle bells matter?

 

[jordan11315]

@yesushidao Klarfit or similar. Wrist protection recommended.