Kettlebell training for an exercise newbie?
November 20, 2011 2:40 PM   Subscribe

I'm thinking of starting an exercise program with kettlebells. Is it a good idea?

I was always a skinny guy growing up. I'm now 28, 173 cm in height and approximately 162 lbs. A lot of that weight has come in the latter years now that I can eat what I want, when I want.

My goal is reaching 175 lbs of healthy weight but I've noticed that I'm become a bit doughy as I move up.

I know exercise is the key but I find traditional methods so boring. Until, I came across the kettlebell. I'm thinking the full body workout that it provides would allow me to maximize on the limited training time that I have available.

I'm thinking of buying some instructional DVD, for example the SKOGG System or Enter the Kettlebell! and working my way into it slowly. I wouldn't trust an instructor from my country so this will be my only guide.

Is it a good idea? What else would I need to start?
posted by Mr_Thirdworld to Health & Fitness (17 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Kettleballs are a fantastic way to get in shape. You may want to work with a trainer initially, in order to learn proper form, etc.
posted by dfriedman at 2:42 PM on November 20, 2011


It sounds like you're trying to gain 13 lb of lean muscle, possibly more as you lose some excess body fat. Honestly, kettlebell training is excellent for conditioning, but not particularly efficient for actually gaining muscle mass due to the high volume (many reps) nature of the routines.

Have you tried a barbell weight training program such as Starting Strength?
posted by telegraph at 2:48 PM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


Yeah, if you want to build bulk, kettlebells are going to be slow relative to barbells. However, they are a great way to improve your overall fitness and I find them way more fun.
posted by lab.beetle at 2:54 PM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


I really like working out with kettlebells. It is, for me, the most fun way to lift weights.

I started with Enter the Kettlebell after being introduced to a few exercises by a friend.

The friend helped, but, that said, Pavel explains the proper way to do the exercises very well.
posted by edguardo at 3:22 PM on November 20, 2011


Response by poster: @telegraph, lab.beetle - I'm not very interested in building tons of muscle but I want to gain 13 lbs of healthy weight in a fun way.
posted by Mr_Thirdworld at 3:36 PM on November 20, 2011


Kettlebells are fantastic and it shouldn't be a problem for someone new to training. They are a fairly low cost and low barrier way of getting into exercise.

My suggestion would be to rent or check out of the library Enter the Kettlebell before you put any money down on the equipment. Tsatsouline goes almost farcically heavy on the Russian and "comrade" bits for marketing, but it's a great video and will give you all the basics you need.

Men are generally directed to buy a 16, 20, or 24 kilo kettlebells. If you decide to try it out, start with the 16 and stick with it at least 3xweek for two months. If you eat enough (protein) your weight will go up and you can decide at that point whether this is right for you or whether you want to continue with it.
posted by P.o.B. at 4:28 PM on November 20, 2011


You will gain more muscle faster on a barbell program. It is impossible to gain tons of muscle quick on any program; even if you are so impossibly gifted that you convert 100% of weight gain to muscle mass, you cannot gain faster than you eat.

Best results will come when you are increasing the weight you use regularly. Kettlebell stuff will improve conditioning and help somewhat with muscle mass, but progressive overload is really the way to go.
posted by Earl the Polliwog at 4:49 PM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


Mr_Thirdworld: Healthy weight is lean muscle. 13 lb of lean muscle is not insignificant. Gaining 13 lb of muscle will not be an easy or quick process, and you certainly will not end up building "tons of muscle" automatically as a result of barbell training. Barbell training is healthy and fun (I think it is very fun). I understand that kettlebells have a novelty factor, but I do encourage you to explore barbell training because it is simply much more effective for reaching your goal.

To build lean muscle in any significant quantity, progressive overload is the way to go (as Earl the Polli says). Compare to P.o.B.'s suggestion: I'm a small framed woman and I regularly train with 16 and 20 kg kettlebells. Unless you are starting out as a sedentary person, I strongly doubt that a 44 lb (20 kg) kettlebell is going to be enough stimulus for you to grow a significant amount of muscle.

If you want to have fun, improve your conditioning, and lose fat, by all means do kettlebells. But if your goal is actually to gain weight in a healthy way, you will not be using your time wisely.
posted by telegraph at 5:33 PM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


My goal is reaching 175 lbs of healthy weight but I've noticed that I'm become a bit doughy as I move up.

This, unfortunately, is the price that human physiology forces you to pay when you try to put on weight as a post-adolescent male. It's just one of those sad facts of life; you have to go into caloric excess to put on muscle weight. Some of that caloric excess will turn into muscle. Some of it won't.

Nthing the points that others have made above about barbells. Yes, traditional weight training can be a little boring. Kettlebell work can be a lot of fun. But like many boring things, barbell work is very effective and will deliver the goods, even though it isn't all that interesting.

This would be my suggestion: do Starting Strength for a few months and then you can take off the excess bodyfat with a kettlebell program. The extra muscle tissue will increase your metabolism and it'll be easier to lose the weight.
posted by jason's_planet at 5:52 PM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Let me reword my answer and give my reasoning. It seems some people are confused on what the OP is asking.
- Since the question wasn't "what's the most efficient or fastest way to gain muscle", I didn't talk about a barbell program.
- Since the OP very clearly said he was an exercise newbie, I geared my answer towards that.
- The OP asked about whether kettlebells would be boring. Therefore we're dealing with a question about behavioral adaptation. If someone finds something fun, there is a significant correlation to the fact that they will keep doing it. This isn't rocket science, and as much fun as I've had doing X,Y, and Z I'm not out here to convert you or anyone else in to doing what I like to do, asker. I would hope people who are in love with SS would at least understand that. If someone does say they find barbell work to be boring, I don't think it's anywhere near being a good answer for someone who really has no interest whatsoever to keep going back to it.

I'm a small framed woman and I regularly train with 16 and 20 kg kettlebells. Unless you are starting out as a sedentary person, I strongly doubt that a 44 lb (20 kg) kettlebell is going to be enough stimulus for you to grow a significant amount of muscle.

This question isn't about you, or what you can do. It is common for men to start with a 16 kilo kettlebell to get the basics down, and work up from there.

Honestly, Mr_Thirdworld, kettlebells will work just fine. If you decide you need to move onto something else then you still have something that you can fall back on rather than having a 6 month gym membership you don't end up using. It's a solid piece of equipment to have around and works fantastic as a workout by itself. I could arguably put forth the position that it's better to learn proper mechanics for the basics lifts through using a kettlebell than it is barbells, but I digress since the bees nest will get all buzzy about that.
posted by P.o.B. at 9:34 PM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


Also, 15 pounds isn't the most lofty goal and it wouldn't be unheard of at all for you to gain that in solid weight by using a kettlebell.
Grab two extra meals of protein powder shakes a day, mix into one of them 5 g of creatine, and you'd be a third of the way there in short time.
posted by P.o.B. at 9:41 PM on November 20, 2011


Pavel's videos are good, but nothing you cant get from the better youtube tutorials. Steve Maxwell and Mike Mahler are other names to follow up.

Get the basics right - concentrate on good form, posture, breathing - and start out with a 1 pood (16kg) kb, which is plenty enough for a novice. Dont get a 20kg one as form will suffer and bad habits are hard to get out of.

Make sure you stuff yourself with clean food and 6kg of muscle will be yours!
posted by the cuban at 6:54 AM on November 21, 2011 [4 favorites]


If thing A is fun and thing B is not, then even if thing B is proven to be 50% more effective at achieving goal X, thing A will be infinitely more effective for you. So, just go for it (safely).

Worth noting that 90%* of everything you read or hear about fitness is likely to be nonsense, even the stuff that seems to make sense (like protein supplements to build muscle, for example). Check with your internet search engine before starting any exercise regime. Stick to the basics, keep your expectations realistic, and most importantly keep doing it.

*including this number
posted by dickasso at 7:41 AM on November 21, 2011 [2 favorites]


I'm a small framed woman and I regularly train with 16 and 20 kg kettlebells. Unless you are starting out as a sedentary person, I strongly doubt that a 44 lb (20 kg) kettlebell is going to be enough stimulus for you to grow a significant amount of muscle.

This question isn't about you, or what you can do. It is common for men to start with a 16 kilo kettlebell to get the basics down, and work up from there.


Sorry to threadsit, this is my last response: my point was not what I do, my point is that I am significantly smaller than the OP, but a 16 kg kettlebell is not enough weight (enough stimulus) to build muscle in me. Therefore it is even less likely to be effective for him in gaining mass, since it will be relatively lighter for him. Again, great for conditioning, but unlikely to lead to healthy weight gain.
posted by telegraph at 8:55 PM on November 21, 2011


Response by poster: Maybe I know too little about exercise to know what's right and what's not. What I do know is that I want to gain weight in a healthy way and keep it on. I also know that I need something novel to keep me focused and motivated. I actually have access to dumbbells but have little interest in using them. Why? I'm not sure. But I remember seeing some kettlebell drills that made me want to exercise. I simply love the versatility that they (seemly?) provide.

Some posters as saying that I'll grow out of a 16kg. That may be true, but if that happens after reaching my goal and I'm still able to use them to maintain what I achieved I'll be happy.

I really asked the question so that I would be aware of the risk involved and the benefits derived from using them while pursuing my goal. I know there would be other ways of getting there, but I'll willing to try this way first.

Side question: What's the difference between conditioning and gaining muscle mass?
posted by Mr_Thirdworld at 4:48 PM on November 22, 2011


There are lots of different ways to train.

Conditioning is about improving general ability to exert yourself physically and maintain that exertion for longer periods of time. This is related to the notion of work capacity.

Strength training is about increasing your ability to exert force; this is generally done by lifting weights heavy enough that you can only do 3-6 reps. Related is power training for things like olympic lifts, which involves exerting force as quickly as possible in order to lift a weight from the ground to above your head.

Finally, training to gain muscle mass is often called hypertrophy training. This generally involves doing 8 or more reps of a given movement, which naturally requires a lighter weight than strenghth training. Being stronger makes this more effective, but hypertrophy training increases strength more slowly than the other methods in order to spur greater growth in size.
posted by Earl the Polliwog at 7:31 PM on November 22, 2011


What's the difference between conditioning and gaining muscle mass?

What Earl said above, but it should be noted none of those are mutually exclusive from the others. Nor do pieces of equipment exist in a specific state of usefulness. Conditiong, power, or strength training are ways to exercise, not designations for pieces of equipment.
posted by P.o.B. at 7:41 AM on November 23, 2011


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