Kettlebell Weight

tbernie07

Hi, Im a 26 yr old female 67kg, what weight kettlebell should i be using, i have a 5lb one but i dont think it will be of much benefit to me.

Hanley

No right answer. Depends what it's being used for.

Oryx

Hanley wrote: »

No right answer. Depends what it's being used for.

That said, it would probably be ok starting out for learning moves with correct form, but you will very quickly outgrow it I reckon.

WHIP IT!

I think Lidl have fitness stuff this week, including kettlebells, starting tomorrow. Might be worth a look.

gnospher

tbernie07 wrote: »

Hi, Im a 26 yr old female 67kg, what weight kettlebell should i be using, i have a 5lb one but i dont think it will be of much benefit to me.

An average woman should start with 18lb. Ideally is to buy the set: 18, 26, 35lbs

The cheapest and good quality kettlebells I've found so far are at http://www.d8fitness.com/store/

TheBellJar

Hanley wrote: »

No right answer. Depends what it's being used for.

5lb??

A paperweight?

btkm8unsl0w5r4

My wife is 5 foot tall, has been weight training for 3 months and kettle bell swings a 28kg bell for 100 reps. 5lb is too light.

Stench Blossoms

tbernie07 wrote: »

Hi, Im a 26 yr old female 67kg, what weight kettlebell should i be using, i have a 5lb one but i dont think it will be of much benefit to me.

Your handbag probably weighs more than that

Use it for getting your technique right but as someone else said, you'll probably need to up the weight to see any benefits.

TheBellJar

Kennedi Some Broom wrote: »

My wife is 5 foot tall, has been weight training for 3 months and kettle bell swings a 28kg bell for 100 reps. 5lb is to light.

Your wife is awesome.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

TheBellJar wrote: »

Your wife is awesome.

Indeed she is, she puts a lot of the men to shame. She works with a excellent person trainer and gets a real kick out the the gym sessions.

SunnyDub1

gnospher wrote: »

An average woman should start with 18lb. Ideally is to buy the set: 18, 26, 35lbs

The cheapest and good quality kettlebells I've found so far are at http://www.d8fitness.com/store/

I don't get this? average woman?
How can you determine this when you don't know the persons strength ability etc?

Op, 5lbs isn't heavy for starters and It also all depends what exercise you are doing with the bells?
It Might be no harm for you to go to a few kettle bell classes and learning a few different lifting techniques.


I have been doing kettle bell classes for a good while and it's not as simple or as easy as just lifting a bell up,down and around etc etc. It's different from normal weight lifting imo.
There are special ways required for lifting the bells when doing most exercises to avoid damaging or hurting your back.
It can hurt a lot when you are not properly lifting any weight bell.

smallerthanyou

I started with an 8kg one being similar age and size. 5kg does seem light. But 28kg! Is bloody massive!

Oryx

I agree. You shouldnt learn kbs from youtube etc. Even in a class situation you see terrible form that has to be corrected again and again. It takes a while to get lazy glutes and back muscles to engage correctly.

TheBellJar

smallerthanyou wrote: »

I started with an 8kg one being similar age and size. 5kg does seem light. But 28kg! Is bloody massive!

It is heavy, but also depends on the exercise.

A 28kg TGU would be alot harder than a 28kg KB Swing!!

Oh and it was 5 pound he mentioned, even lighter.

Zamboni

People always think kettlebells are some form of magic
It is just a lump of iron with a handle.
So treat it like any free weight.

Start light & learn technique.
Progress in weight.

Hanley

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

I don't get this? average woman?

Do you know what "average" actually means?

I've NEVER seen a girl for whom an 8kg KB is too light to swing or squat.

So a 2.5kg is too light. With respect to the average or even below average woman.

SunnyDub1

Hanley wrote: »

Do you know what "average" actually means?

I've NEVER seen a girl for whom an 8kg KB is too light to swing or squat.

So a 2.5kg is too light. With respect to the average or even below average woman.

Yes I do know know what is actually means :rolleyes:.. but doesn't mean all "average" people have the same strength ability.

2 "average" woman recently joined the kettlebell class I attend. One could dead lift a 16kg while the other could only manage a 8kg!!!

Oryx

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

Yes I do know know what is actually means :rolleyes:.. but doesn't mean all "average" people have the same strength ability.

2 "average" woman recently joined the kettlebell class I attend. One could dead lift a 16kg while the other could only manage a 8kg!!!

In a class situation, it is safest to start with a lower weight, like 8kg. Youll always get strong people who skew the 'averages' but in general, I see beginner ladies starting on 8kg, and men on 12, to learn the moves with proper form. To heavy and all kinds of compensatory effort creeps in. People move up in weight rapidly, (depending on the moves, reps and their ability, naturally).

Hanley

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

Yes I do know know what is actually means :rolleyes:.. but doesn't mean all "average" people have the same strength ability.

2 "average" woman recently joined the kettlebell class I attend. One could dead lift a 16kg while the other could only manage a 8kg!!!

So you agree there's probably a range where the average woman should be able to work? And if you do agree with that, why did you question the poster who recommended kettlebells in the range you just referenced that "average" women in your class use?

Colour me confused.

cmyk

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

2 "average" woman recently joined the kettlebell class I attend. One could dead lift a 16kg while the other could only manage a 8kg!!!

I can't imagine anyone getting anything out of deadlifting an 8kg kettlebell or even any feedback, every female that's joined my class has deadlifted at least 24kg-32kg by the end of their first class with good form.

Oryx wrote: »

Too heavy and all kinds of compensatory effort creeps in.

Agree with most of what you said, but there are also times when the opposite is true (see above), where sometimes going heavier takes out those compensations and forces you to use the correct patterns. A good instructor ought to be able to tell when to implement that.

To the OP, just head along to a class, get a little bit of instruction and you'll know, shouldn't cost you much at all and you'll learn some technique at the same time.

SunnyDub1

Hanley wrote: »

So you agree there's probably a range where the average woman should be able to work? And if you do agree with that, why did you question the poster who recommended kettlebells in the range you just referenced that "average" women in your class use?

Colour me confused.

Yeah but the range can be really be any weight imo - it all depends on their strength ability and the techniques/exercises they intend to do with the bell.
IMO It's hard to determine what weight the op should be using when no one has any idea what her strength ability is - Who's to say the op doesn't already use weight equipment (machines) and just has very little knowledge when is comes to weight bells/bars(Probably not likely but there is always that possibility) for all we know the OP could have the strength and capability to lift a 24kg or even 32kg.

This is all why I suggested in my first post here that she should attend a few classes with a qualified instructor who will tell her and show her what weight she should be lifting, rather then been giving an assumption weight of what the "average" woman should be lifting.