Getting started in kettlebell training

[jqmaverick]

I live in UK and I emailed Mike Mahler asking which kettlebell to get from UK (importing is out of the question) anyway he recommended londonkettlebells.com so anyway I'm still waiting for them to restock. As I said earlier I'll be getting a 16kg and 24kg.

They are offering a free dvd:
Mike Mahler size and strength
Mike Mahler speed and explosive strength
Mike Mahler fatloss and mental toughness
Art Of strength Providence
Art of strength Newport
Art of strength firepower
Kettlebells the iron core way volume1
Kettlebells the iron core way volume2

SO which one should I get for the complete beginner?
I've got ETK dvd and am expecting the book anyday soon.

[jqmaverick]

Blarg

How "complete" is Steve Cotter's encyclopedia volume one?
I don't really want a massive collection of kettlebell dvds so I am considering just encyclopedia volume one to go with ETK (and maybe one other). I have a funny feeling if I watch volume one that I'll end up with volume two and along with his others?

[Blarg]

I've never seen Mahler's stuff, but have seen nothing but tremendous praise for his kettlebells for size and strength one. However, it is oriented toward using double kettlebells of the same weight, so while you will likely learn a lot that is useful, the routines themselves won't really fit you if you have different weight bells. I'd very strongly warn against using two different weight bells, especially for overhead lifts. Kettlebells are off-balance in the first place, and using them overhead at different weights is much more dangerous than, say, doing that with dumbbells. I also would avoid double KB swings with two different size kettlebells, as your lower back is much involved, and I can see harm and imbalance coming out of that easily.

I'll put in another word for Steve Cotter's FullKOntact kettlebells DVD's. I own both and they're great. Their emphasis is on using KB's in ways that will pay off for martial arts, and there's a lot of leg work in there. You can go to his website and see short clips for free. His towel-swings and duckwalks while towel-swinging and pressing KB's are tremendous. Lots of his stuff starts out simple, but variations gives you really cool goals to work toward.

[jqmaverick]

If I'm buying 3 kettlebells should I get...
1) 16kg 16kg 24kg or
2) 16kg 24kg 32kg

?

[longbody]

depends.

If you want to work more on things like bent presses, windmills, TGUs, overhead squats, military presses, etc., get the 16-24-32 setup. Working up to the 32 doesn't take all that long with the grinding lifts.

If you want to work a lot of two arm or one-arm high rep stuff go with the 16-16-24. You might wish you went with two 24s and a 16 though if you don't feel like buying more bells in a while. 16s are pretty light, but I still use one for juggling, and hand to hand (Jeff Martone's dvd) stuff. You could also start working the competition lifts with two 24s.

[longbody]

I'd also recommend Pavel's Super Joints book or dvd, or Steve Maxwell's follow along joint mobility dvd, because you're going to get sore and tight, and nothing is better for loosening up tight backs and shoulders than a good joint mobility program.

I haven't seen Cotter's dvds, but I think he does this stuff in some of them with kettlebells.

[Blarg]

If you get two, I'd make them the 24's, for a male. longbody is right that the grinds will get you to 32 surprisingly quickly, even if you're not very strong at all. So two 16's will be, well, "underkill," I guess.

I think you'd be better off not doubling up on anything until you have at least a 16, a 24, and a 32. Also, I'd ignore all the weights in between. If a bell is too heavy for a while, just do holds with it, partial reps, or negatives, and you will make surprising progress quickly. Gaining moderate strength is not nearly as hard as gaining mass, and can come pretty quickly.

[jqmaverick]

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I think you'd be better off not doubling up on anything until you have at least a 16, a 24, and a 32.

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Blarg what I don't understand is that if I'm using worked my way up to one 32kg then wouldn't I have out grown the 16 and 24 and if so isn't it pointless to double up on these?

[Neko]

My guess is that it is a significant leap in skill to handle two balls at once.

I'd imagine that once you start using two at once you're going to want to back down a level on the weights again until you're really confident cleaning two at once etc.

[Blarg]

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I think you'd be better off not doubling up on anything until you have at least a 16, a 24, and a 32.

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Blarg what I don't understand is that if I'm using worked my way up to one 32kg then wouldn't I have out grown the 16 and 24 and if so isn't it pointless to double up on these?

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I am not big on getting two KB's of the same weight, but some people like to do that. I think you're much better off getting one of every standard weight (35, 54, 70) up to at least the 88 before you go back and double up.

Regarding outgrowing weights, you will always use different weights for different exercises. For instance, you will outgrow a 70 for bent over rows very quickly and for military presses eventually, but it will take you a long time to outgrow a 54 pounder for windmills or turkish get-ups or high-pulls or snatches. A 35 pounder is also by far the best and safest to learn a new exercise on, and is worth using for a while on any new exercise to refine technique.

Additionally, there are different types of work-outs that go best with different weights. If you are doing swings, you can get a good work-out with a 54 or a 70 or an 88, whatever. They're just different work-outs. It depends how you want to put your scheme of reps/sets together, for your goals and comfort.

Finally, if you eventually duplicate weights, you have new work-out possibilities and again breathe new life into old weights, as using and balancing two kb's requires more stabilization and is harder.