Kettle bell for a old weak man ??

if i cannot get to the gym i use my bullworker which really seems to work. Problem (i think) with kettlebells is if you do not use them regularly swinging them around can result in a pull. Maybe one of those pull up frames in the garage:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/roman-weight-training-chair-training-station-900/_/R-p-342926?mc=8766094

a) yes. I'm doing some kettlebell work. It helps.

b) go to a sports shop and try some out. I have 6 and 12 kgs.

If you have a decathlon nearby they usually have some on the shelf you can grab and get a feel for the right weight. 10kg would probably be a bit light for you, but 20kg is a lot for swings and as above technique is REALLY important. 

Some form of weight/resistance training will be good for you I'm sure. 

Alternatively consider a set of bands? 

https://mtb.fitness/ can give you guidance on using them, 30 days free  (then £16 a month). Good demo videos and Matt is super helpful and quickly responds to any queries.

What @anorak said. 

Matts programmes are a perfect intro to resistance training. 

I'd suggest 8, 12 and 16kg to cover most things you might do with a Kettlebell. Depending on strong you are or how much you do a 20 and 24kg may become useful in the future. I'd be wary of cheap KBs as the grip can be poor on them. I got Again Faster branded ones but when you look around these are sold by a lot of different brands. Wolverson ones are nice. Again IMO you don't want Competition Bells (all the same size just different weights)

Worth looking up Dan John on You Tube for how to do stuff. His ABC workout is nice and simple. He's a big believer in carries as well. Swings are great but not done well can cause issues. Strongfirst also. Plenty of random influencers will get you doing all sorts of overcomplicated stuff.

I would start with a 12 and 16 (I think 8 is a bit too light) then as (or if) you progress add new ones in 4kg increments.

As I have aged I find warmups are absolutely needed, so for each movement you do start with the light and build up to your "work" sets with the desired weight. ie if you have a 12 and a 16, do 2 sets with 12 and 3 works sets with 16, then if you add a 20, 1 set with 12, another with 16 and then 3 work sets with 20.

Actually thinking about it, 8's could be ok for warmups of more isolated movements of something like a shoulder press, or for doubling up for some movements, although I think one of the good things about kettlebells is the asymmetry of the movements activating core and supporting muscles. 

8kg for good for pressing above the head. 

If you were getting one to see what you think you can do get a 12kg then fill in above and below depending on what you're capable of. Like me you sound like you have no idea what you are capable of and in all likleyhood whatever it is you can just do now you'll find easy in a few weeks and need more.

In your current position, body weight exercises and banded exercises, far less likely to do yourself a mischief whilst you're building some strength back up.

Turkish get ups with a 12Kg?

To go against the grain, I am not a super tough or big guy, I can see some of myself in your comments. I infrequently use 2 x 4kg kettlebells. 

I couldn't handle more without potentially doing myself some damage. 

I use a lower weight so that I can do more reps and am less likely to hurt myself

I like kettle bells. Do them a few times a week. But, you need to make sure your technique is good or, as warned above, you can easily do yourself a mischeif. I sometimes go to a kettle bell class at the gym. helps to learn some new exercises to do wiht them and how to get the technique right. Also, start of light and work your way up slowly to using heavier weghts. easy to gte injuried by progressing too fast.

Look for “workout with Roxanne” on YouTube for kettlebell workouts. I do them with an 8kg bell. They’re a lot like Pilates, but with a kettlebell adding extra resistance.

Posted by: ton

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so a couple of questions to anyone in the know.

A. is this a good idea ?

B. what weight bell would be a good starting point for a weak old bloke ?

It's a good idea, as is any sort of resistance exercise - weights, TRX using bodyweight to provide resistance etc - muscle loss is a part of the ageing process, but training can slow or reverse the process to a point. I'd opt for whatever you're likely to keep up tbh. `i use a mix of TRX, a bit of plyometric stuff, free-weights and, since the missus gave me some for Christmas, kettlebells.

Weight depends on how honest you're being about your current state, but if you've been trained in the past, your body will respond faster than someone who's been sedentary for their entire life, so that might have a bearing on things too.

Fwiw I bought a 16kg on the recommendation of a mate who had some idea of my exercise level. Ended up with an 8kg and a few in between weights cluttering up the place gathering dust. Start with lighter and go heavier as you build reps would be my vote.

Ages ago when we had a home gym before kids turned it into a play room I got some kettle bells, some cast iron ones,we have a 20kg, a 10kg and 2x 4kg. 

I originally got the 10 in nylon and it was massive. 

They're all cast iron and a decent size. 

The two 4kgs were an impulse buy in Tesco when I saw them on clearance for 40p each . 

The 10 and 20 came from Argos. 

I need to use them again. 

I think an 8 kg is an ideal starting point for a beginner who is not used to gym work. There are lots of programs available but I would point you to Caroline Girvan on youtube who has a range of workouts which start from just 15 minutes. Doing her warmup video then the 15 minute full body workout with an 8 kg kettlebell three times a week would be a good way to start exercising with bells.

https://youtu.be/VCcar3MA07w?si=QawywB39xmE9LWnL

In your current position, body weight exercises and banded exercises, far less likely to do yourself a mischief whilst you're building some strength back up.

Yeah jump straight into handstand pushups 🤕 NOT

Point being it's your bodyweight you're working with, so yeah there is risk of injury.

The last  6 months I've switched mostly over to kbs.

The swing is the probably the movement that is most likely to get your back injured. And it's generally from putting the bell down at the end. But you can skip swings to start and do other stuff.

The trick with bells is you gotta enjoy it.

Many find  the basic lifts very boring.  2 handed swing, 1 handed swing, deadlift, farmers carry.

The more advanced lifts are more fun. Clean and press/jerk, snatchs,  windmills, Turkish Getapps.

Because the weight jumps are so big (4/8/12/16/20/24/28/32) in order keep using a lighter bell you that you  already own, you need to add reps and sets and hence it can take up more time.

I'm happy to do a 2 handed swing breath ladder for 45min straight . Very few would be.

If you are tall then 12kg competition bell is a good start.  IMHO, Competion bells swing better and are kinder on the wrists with doing  chest and overhead work.

Ending up working out with 20 /24kg is not a bad goal.

Hi Ton, I started lifting weights in summer 2023 and am still going strong - pardon the pun. I would recommend Caroline Girvan Iron series (30 x 30 min classes) if your aim is to get stronger. We got a set of adjustable dumbells off ebay which go from 2.5 - 24 kg. The iron series has 30 sec gaps so you have time to increase/decrease weight as you need. It's been a game changer

I've been using kettlebells for about 5 years and it's made a real difference. I started out with 8 kg and 12 kg and have gradually increased the weight over time. I now use 4 most weeks, ranging from 20 kg up to 32 kg in 4 kg increments. The tricks for making it work for me were to find the exercises I wanted to do and combine them with stretches and other easy wins to improve core strength (planks etc), work out the best frequency of exercise (twice a week is sufficient for me to allow time for recovery and fit around other activities such as cycling; three times a week and I get fed up with it), and get some help with technique. I found the Kettlebell Workouts website to be quite helpful for that. I also think that it pays to go steady at the beginning and get the technique sorted out for each exercise at a weight that is lower than the one you are targeting to lower the risk of injury.

Posted by: sirromj

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In your current position, body weight exercises and banded exercises, far less likely to do yourself a mischief whilst you're building some strength back up.

Yeah jump straight into handstand pushups 🤕 NOT

Point being it's your bodyweight you're working with, so yeah there is risk of injury.

? Don't follow.

Where have handstand push ups come from?

I have found kettlebells invaluable as I get older - I have various weights now, there are loads of workouts and exercises that are easy to follow on youtube, they are easy to store / stash without needing a full load of gym kit.

Decathalon kettlebells are good as others have said, I would stay away from the crappy plastic ones with rubbish handles.

Take up archery - a proper bow can have over 25lb draw, mine’s around 34lb; that can certainly help with upper arms and shoulders, after a couple of hours shooting sticks at a target 40 yds away, I can really feel the effects! A couple of pints in the pub afterwards helps relax the muscles a bit, though. 😜

2 x 16kg competition style. (Maybe a 12kg initially for overhead stuff)

Not the best style for swings (narrow handle opening) - Kettle bell swings are ok (with good form obvs) when starting out but you will very quickly adapt to the weight and need heavier bells. A good conditioning exercise and contributes to overall atheletism but a better strength exercise would be the kettle bell clean.

I've been doing kettle bells at a gym for 6 months now for pretty much the same reason and have now ended up at 16kg being pretty ideal.  Need bigger for a few things but most of the time I'm on 16now

I'm by no means an expert but I do get the impression a lot of people do themselves injuries by using over-heavy weights.  You're looking to get in reasonable shape, not completely change your body. We had a personal trainer living next door for a while and I spent a couple of years doing a weekly workout with him. Now that he's moved I do a 60-90 minute session at home once a week.  A mix of squats/arm curls/presses/kettle bells for core and upper body.  That's been enough that I've got clothes that fitted well that are tight across chest/shoulders.  Getting any bigger would be expensive. 

In the usual 'recommend what you have' mix dumb-bells and kettle.  I use 8 (sit ups/Russian twists) and 12 kettle (swings/squats/lifts) and a pair of 10kg dumb bells.  If had an injury sometimes use our 5kg for a round of flys just to get moving. And have some ankle weights as well (leg lifts/bycycle crunches etc) 

K is liking the Nike Fitness app at the moment for her workouts. 

Mentioned above, the free Nike app (NTC I think it's called)  it is good for organised plans, they don't have any kettlebell wruff on there but plenty of home workout stuff to do 

Juice and Toya on YouTube have some good kettlebell workouts to use