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Friday, November 23, 2012

The Kettlebell Weight Guide


Remember that these are just guidelines. An elderly woman looking for some gentle activity will probably be better off starting with basic movement patterns, bodyweight and resistance bands. Likewise a competitive strength athlete would be better on the platform with a weight set. 


6KG

The 6kg is the baby of the family and recommended for the following groups –

  • ·         Women that have never trained or used a gym for a few years
  • ·         Women using resistance machines or cardio equipment that are over 50
  • ·         People looking to rehab minor injuries through low intensity and functional movements


8KG

The 8kg is a perfect start for most women that are already following some type of training routine either cardio or weights based in the gym. It offers a broad range of exercises that can easily be progressed when the weight does not stress the system enough. For example, after a few months of training you may well be able to two hand swing for high numbers, but still find pressing quite a challenge. You can move on to one hand swing and still get maximum use for the 8kg before progressing to a 12kg.

12KG

The 12kg is for women already resistance training or familiar with weight training workouts on a regular basis. While these weights are not challenging for single lifts, the aim is to lift them multiple times by performing set workouts in a certain time period. After 20 minutes the 12kg will feel heavier than it did at the start!

The 12kg is also a good starting weight for men that have not been training for some time or those over 50. It will provide many months of challenging exercise routines until you can progress to a 16kg

16KG

The 16kg is the entry level weight for most fit and active men. It will provide and challenging mix of cardio and strength training and very noticeable gains in these areas in a matter of weeks. Regardless of how strong you are, it is important to learn with a weight that does not challenge you or cause your technique to break down over time. So unless you compete at worlds strongest man a 16kg will do the job nicely.

20KG

The 20kg pretty much bridges the gap between the standard competition weights of 16kg and 24kg. The 8kg jump is a bit of a shock for most people and so the 20kg eases this into smaller steps. As a very general rule of thumb, if you can snatch a 16kg 20 times per arm or press it 10 times per arm with 1 hand change then you are ready for the 20kg. If you numbers are higher than this the 24kg may be a better choice.

24KG

The 24kg can be regarded as the “getting there” kettlebell. If you can use this comfortably then you have strength and fitness levels well above average and are approaching the area of “athlete”. However, just because you can 2 hand swing it a few times does mean you will be able to do much else with it. And remember, there are ways to make even a 16kg near impossible for some exercises!

28KG

Like the 20kg the 28kg bridges the gap between the competition standard weights of 24kg and 32kg and makes the jump more manageable. This will be a very challenging weight for most average gym users and if you are at this end of the scale then you know what you can and can’t do.

32KG

The gold standard of kettlebell training for competition events. The 32kg is the “target” weight of most aspiring male kettlebell lifters and you should only really be looking to purchase this if you have a long history of kettlebell or related strength training as there is no point just using it for squats or 2 hand swings. Mastery of the 32kg speaks for itself when you can snatch, press, windmill and perform controlled get ups on demand.

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