I’ve been doing some body weight excercises throughout lockdown and am looking into getting some weights, dumbbell or kettlebells probably. I’m not trying to build loads of muscle just improve my fitness and lose some fat, but I’ve got no idea how heavy to order or which to go for. My job means I’m likely able to use them at work which is ideal and puts me off joining a gym.

They’ve all got pros and cons depending on exactly what you want to do. There are kettlebell specific exercises so if you want to do those then you’ll need kettlebells. Probably the most versatile would be traditional dumbbells with removable weights but then there are some exercises where fixed hexagonal dumbbells are used so …

As for the actual weight: you sort of need to know what you can lift at the moment and then get a small range say 50% either way of that. Not helped by each exercise needing a different weight anyway.

Sorry not to be more specific but your question is a bit like saying “I want a bike”!

may help us help you if you tell us your goal rather than a vague-ish ‘improve my fitness and lose some fat’?

is it to shed 1 stone? be able to run/cycle further? or just to not have a goal at all really and chuck some dumbells around for 10 mins every now and then when its quiet at work, in the knowledge that ‘its better than eating a mars bar with my cuppa’….

also a budget maybe? and how much space do you have? you can get one set of adjustable dumbells that will save space but cost a possible £200 upwards, or buy cheaper second hand multiple weights from ebay etc that will take up more space.

https://www.shape.com/fitness/gear/best-adjustable-dumbbells

If you want to build overall fitness and strength then kettlebells. If you want to look like one of those freaks down the gym with big biceps and pecs with a beer belly and skinny legs, then dumbbells (the clue is in the name). 😉😉

My goal is to lose 2 stone and cycle further/faster. Realistically itd be throw them around for ten minutes rather than watch YouTube etc.
Space wise I have plenty but a compact set up would be nice and I haven’t really thought about budget if I’m honest. £100 ish most likely

got to admit i dont think youd get much for £100, maybe a kettlebell or two then, but with those goals, id say dialling in a decent diet would be the easiest, most cost-effective method of success, which would also have the knock on effect of making you cycle further/faster.
so a calorie deficit, maybe coupled with a bit of a ‘circuit’ thatd work up a bit of sweat. youd only need a mat, medicine ball, skipping rope, couple of cheapo weights, that type of thing.

My goal is to lose 2 stone and cycle further/faster. Realistically itd be throw them around for ten minutes rather than watch YouTube etc.

What sadexpunk said. Research some ‘proper’ circuits that will take about 40 mins to complete. Throwing them round for 10 minutes won’t achieve much.

For reference I recently spent just under £100 on a couple of kettle bells. An 8kg and a 20kg. So thatifhthat might be an option.

I use the 8 for some lighter duties like warming up shoulders and then tricep extensions. Also hang onto it doing alternate leg lunges.

20kg for kB swings, upright rows, bent over rows (one handed), deadlifts, bicep curls and shoulder press (one handed also).

I could do with a 16/18 as well really and a heavier option for deadlifts.

Argos do some cheaper men’s health kettle bells, while not polished and gymlike in appearance they do the job. Don’t be tempted by the vinyl ones, they are much much larger for the given weight.

£100 is more than enough to get started. The only problem I can foresee is actually getting a hold of stuff, January and lockdown has created a bit of a demand for kit. Adjustable dumbbells, competition kettle bells and Olympic weights are all very nice but not needed. Aldi and Lidl stuff is absolutely fine and have a look in Argos too. By all means upgrade later if it’s something you get into but it’s not exactly complex kit, it won’t break that easy. There is a barbell set for sale in Aldi tomorrow, £30, it would certainly start you off on the right path.
Quite a few cycling coaches advocating weight training, especially for older bikers, as a having a great benefit to cycling performance. Have a look at the Trainer Road, Dylan Johnson, Pinkbike YouTube channels and go from there.

Not sure you will lose 2 stone by throwing around some weights for 10 minutes.
Work out how many calories that 10 minutes will use and that will probably open your eyes a bit.

For general fitness and weight loss I think kettlebells are the way to go. I started with an 8kg bell which you should be able to find for around £30.

I followed work-outs on youtube and also bought the Kettlercise Just for Men DVD.

25-40 minutes with this weight gives a great workout. If you are trying to primarily build strength then you would need heavier bells and follow a program such as Simple and Sinister.

Some links that might help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=076353c2Hik&ab_channel=BodyFitByAmy – this youtber posts great Kettlebell videos for general fitness

https://www.kettlercise.com/kettlercise-shop/category/17-kettlercise-just-for-men – UK based trainer who targets fat loss and general fitness – the main workout on the DVD is 40 minutes and tough even with an 8kg bell

https://www.strongfirst.com/simply-sinister/ – a program based on building strength – do not be put off by the “Special Forces” ethos. This may suit as it is quite a quick program.

I’m not expecting 2 stone weight loss from weights alone, should have put, ive been using mfp to track calories for six weeks and am in a deficit 99% of the time, cycle as much as I can (although mostly on a cargo bike with kids).

By the sounds of it a kettlebell or more May suit what I’m after

I’m not expecting 2 stone weight loss from weights alone, should have put, ive been using mfp to track calories for six weeks and am in a deficit 99% of the time, cycle as much as I can (although mostly on a cargo bike with kids).

that sounds spot on then, im sure yod reach your goal by continuing on those lines alone, so for an added workout i spose its which of the above suggestions youd enjoy doing most.

Just to throw a curveball in suspension trainers could be good at that price point too.

Somewhere between 8 and 12kg kettlebell would be a good start.
It’s worth looking at more body weight stuff too. Rings are good. A weight vest is useful too.

Never heard of a suspension trainer before, quick google and it won’t work for me at work, suspended polystyrene ceiling and I work from three different locations. I like the idea of it though tbh

You can vary the load enormously by varying the reps / tempo of a list. Increasing reps, slowing tempo will make lifting a given dumbbell much harder, so you can get a lot out of a small set of weights. Eg Lifting with a temp of 5 seconds up and 5 seconds down will tax you enormously compared with just up and down in 1.5 secs.

If you’re already comfortable with bodyweight movements then using resistance bands to make them harder is a relatively cheap and portable option.

A weight vest is useful too

Also a good option for making cardio harder, eg wear it and go for a walk.

Decathlon do their own kettle bells and dumbbells if you have one handy?
I have a couple of each and I use an app on my phone called Dumbbell Challenge or something like that, 30 minute sessions.

Resistance bands could be a good shout actually!

Nearest decathlon is 100 miles away! I didn’t realise they actually had shops, thought they were online only if I’m honest

I got a kettlebell for Xmas. Is fantastically adaptable.

I’d get a decent mat, or some foam tiles too – make it nicer to do floor exercises. I’ve got mine in the garage.

7 minutes is a good, free, circuit app. You need a chair and a flat wall. Loop it to add challenge. HIIT.

I bought 8kg kettlebells at decathlon, aisles are empty in store so you have to order online. I actually started with 1.5 litre plastic bottles filled with sand, cheap to get started but soon outgrew them.

So started with 1 x 8kg kettlebell, now got 2. Loads of free vids online. Decathlon don’t do a 10kg, next up is 12kg.

Brilliant kit, cost me 40e for the 2 and loads to go at.

Have you tried a sandbag? I do everything kettle bell with a sand bag.
IMHO it’s just the same but harder as it’s a dead weight.

Empty bag from eBay and sand or stones from b&q. Or be like me and just use a 20kg bag of rice.

The big problem with body weight / home gyms is it’s hard to really really load up and get strong unless you have at least body weight worth of iron.

I’ve got a home gym with a rack, Olympic bars, KBs, dumbbells, landmine, blah blah. Just been out there!

If I had to go minimal then I’d go for bowflex type adjustable dumbbells (probs up to 24kg/32kg), a basic flat bench and somewhere to do pull ups. Weights can even live on the platform under the bench for minimal space.

You can always pick up the DBs on gumtree or the bay. Decent flat bench is 50 or 60 quid.

Kettlebells are good but actually a bit of a fad and faff for many movements. Trendy rather than actually completely functional.

Even for swings and Squats I still get more out of dumbell walking lunges for example. The burn!

Then far better for presses and various isolation exercises.

Lots of sensible advice on here re. kettlebell weights, i.e. somewhere between 8-12kg.

I have seen other similar posts (maybe not on this forum) where people are recommending 16, 20 or even 24kg kettlebells for a beginner. Absolutely bonkers. I am not weak and use a 10kg kettlebell for swings, though I do do high reps.

Here’s an example workout that will definitely burn you up some calories (I’ve only completed it in full twice mind!). Done with no rests except where stated.

10 KB swings
7 push ups
15 KB swings
7 push ups
25 KB swings
7 push ups
50 KB swings
max push ups

Several minutes rest.

Repeat the above * 4.

FWIW, doing 100 pressups in a row will really sort you out. Might take a while til you can do them all at once! But just churn them out, taking breaks when you can’t do any more. Might take you 45 minutes at first, but it’s a great exercise. As is the burpee.

What it’s worth remembering is that pretty much everything works.

Consistency is the biggest factor.

As long as you’re lifting more than 40% of your one rep max for each exercise and working hard it will work.

Most people fail because they don’t keep doing the work consistently.

What it’s worth remembering is that pretty much everything works.

Consistency is the biggest factor.

As long as you’re lifting more than 40% of your one rep max for each exercise and working hard it will work.

Most people fail because they don’t keep doing the work consistently.

This 100%

Firstly good luck finding kit a) In Stock and b) decent prices.  It’s rough out there at the moment, though not as bad as April apparently.

I used my work gym pre-Covid and it got closed in April.  I used resistance bands, TRX trainer and then a 20kg KB for a bit.

Once it became clear that the work gym wasn’t opening up anytime soon (it hasn’t yet and I can’t see it opening this year to be honest) and things were starting to be come available I decided to take the plunge into a vaguely proper garage gym.

Cleared a load of space and ditched the clutter magnet workbench amongst other things.

Put down orse stable rubber matting.

Got hold of a OKish power rack, 2nd hand bench, Oly barbell, 155kg of steel plates at “not ridiculous” prices.

Since then I have added a pulley system with a couple of attachments for pulldowns and tricep work, some olympic dumbbell handles, and, just today, a safety squat bar.

I have to say it’s the best thing I have spent money on in ages and has definitely kept me sane.

If I was to have a “travelling gym” I would get resistance bands of various “weights”, TRX trainer, maybe some parallets and a decent weight KB or pair of KBs.  eBay is a minefield for gym stuff at the mo… and check the trustpilot scores of anyone you use as again lots of new businesses have been set up and some are dodgy.

https://www.rogueeurope.eu/ have kettlebells in stock.

For kettlebell swing there is really no reason to use kettlebells weighing single digits if you are at least somewhat healthy individual. Using light weight teaches wrong swing technique. For beginner man I’d get 12 to 16kg, lighter ones only if needed for really specific movements.

“Consistency is the biggest factor.” in becoming stale

Variety is good.

Personally I’d probably try to get something like the below:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6145206?clickSR=slp:term:york%20weights%20barbell:11:12:2

And then keep a look out at Aldi for a kettlebell. I picked up a 12kg one for not much money at all – cast iron I think it is.

With all of the above you could do an all round workout (a cheapie bench would be helpful for some of them):

Barbell:

Deadlifts
Squats
Clean and press
Lunges
Upright rows
Bench press

Dumbells:

Overhead press
Flat press
Lat raises
Lat rows
Front raises
Dumbbell flyes
Tricep extensions
Dumbbell pullovers

Etc etc

I went home gym many years ago in the garage. Insulated it and cut out all the draughts and put down a mixture of rubber flooring and laminate flooring.

Bodymax Selectabells
Decent incline / flat / decline bench
Squat rack
5’ Olympic style bar
Metal plates
Pull-up bar

Cross trainer
Treadmill

Aldi kb s were on offer yesterday in Spain so I went to get some for a present as they are less than half the decathlon price. 0930 and all gone in 2 branches visited, I did notice they were plastic so q big compared to metal.

Decathlon have them to order, usually come in 4 days or so. I got 2 x 8kgs so will upgrade soon. I really like them, keep them in the back of the car so I can do a workout after walking.

Over the last 3 months I’ve managed to loose 13kg and gain a ton of muscle through using a vibration plate with a kettleball and dumbell workout. I hated doing any kind of weights workout before I got my vibration plate now I am addicted to using it. A 15 minute workout on the highest setting with weights is apparently the equivalent to 60 minutes doing weights without it and it definitely feels like it. I started doing one 15 minute session a day and now I’m doing 3 a day. Absolutely amazing bit of kit and a great investment.

https://reviber.co.uk/reviber-plus-oscillating-vibration-plate-exerciser/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fr_BRDaARIsAABw4Esg8zGhTN6frL6T1cgn2hAvEh7XLKGq_dcOATIkiwYwSnUlpg3ye0caAmEWEALw_wcB

using a vibration plate

Never seen one of those before. What do you do on it? Regular exercises just standing on the plate?