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Buying Kettlebells

I have bought kettlebells from two suppliers in the UK. One is Powerseekers.com They sell very well made weights, from 4kg upwards. Stan Pike at Intense Fitness makes all sorts of training equipment including kettlebells at his forge in Northumberland. His Kettlebell weights include 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 16, 25, 32kg and go up to 45kg (!).

What weight kettlebell?

It's hard to say what weight you should start with - your age, weight and sex are the main factors there. I am in my thirties and weigh around 65kg and have always been reasonably fit, (until Chronic Fatigue Syndrome intervened!). I started with a homemade 5.5kg weight. Although at first the exercise seemed quite hard, after about 3 weeks training I was ready for something bigger and bought a 16kg from Stan which turned out to be a bit ambitious! (Although I've since got used to it). I then bought an 11kg which was about right for my build, so for most people with ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome should start with the lightest weight you can get and then judge from there if you need to go heavier.

Probably if you really can't manage a 3kg weight you are not ready for weight training yet. However don't be too dismayed if at first try the 3kg weight seems hard. Providing you can do at least 5 mins of exercise, your nerves, tendons and muscles will strengthen and you should find the exercises get easier. If you are really struggling at first just do the easier exercises, particularly the two arm swing. Then after a few sessions add in a few repetitions of the one arm swing, then with time add other exercises.

I think most people, regardless of sex, age or build should be able to manage some training with a 3kg weight, although women will generally find lighter weights will do the job. You may not think of yourself as strong but consider how much weight is in a shopping bag - consider how much your head weighs, which your spine has to constantly support! As I've said earlier beware of over-training or training if your ME/CFS is too severe to allow it, but also beware of underestimating the incredible engineering that makes up the human body.

There are websites that sell kettlebells from fitness stores in the US and Australia. Some make a point of selling cast Iron weights, as they were made traditionally in Russia. But really whether your weight is steel or iron you're not going to notice a difference - possibly steel is less likely to crack than cast iron if you drop it. I should say when rather than if. Incidentally for that reason the best place to practice is outside on the lawn, where a dropped weight will leave an indent. You can of course practice indoors but make sure you have enough space before you start, and have a sturdy floor beneath you - expensive Italian Marble or Kashmir Slate floors do not look good as crazy paving! And as said earlier, whatever size weight you are using get confident with your technique first. There will be times when you have to let the weight go and it is important that you can get clear of it and particularly that it will not strike you on the head, which could cause serious injury.

If you are worried about getting over-muscled then once you're getting over the CFS you could stick with the lighter kettlebells and do more of the dynamic exercises. For instance, after 6 months of training I can workout non-stop for 20 minutes quite happily with a 5kg kettlebell, but with heavier weights I do less repetitions and take longer breaks. For most people the problem is too much fat not too much muscle, and kettlebells are excellent at reversing this ratio. As I mentioned earlier muscle burns twice as many calories as fat, so many people find kettlebells are an excellent way to loose weight.

Again a reminder that I am not a medical professional or qualified trainer in any form of exercise. Use these descriptions at your own risk - I take no responsibility for any injuries. See my disclaimer

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