Kettlebells suit swings, goblet squats, get-ups and carries in a garage or a small studio. Most people end up with two bells, a lighter one for presses and get-ups and a heavier one for swings, and a graded kettlebell set covers two people training side by side.
Our cast iron kettlebells run from 2 kg to 40 kg as singles, and the same bells come as a graded set of kettlebells from 4 kg to 32 kg, with or without a rack. The 18 kg adjustable kettlebell covers 3.4 kg to 18 kg in one handle when floor space is short. Storage is the Commercial Kettlebell Half Rack or the 2-Tier Kettlebell Rack. For catch-and-throw work, see wall balls.
What weight kettlebell should I start with?
There is no single right answer, and the weight you should get depends on your strength, your experience and the exercises you plan to do. A two-hand swing takes more weight than a press or a get-up, so the bell you swing is usually the heavier of the two you buy. Pick it by feel rather than by a number: a swing bell is right when ten hard repetitions leave your hips, not your arms, doing the work. Presses and Turkish get-ups usually need less, and single-arm work varies with the movement. Start with a load you can control through every repetition without losing technique, learn the hip hinge before you add speed, and go down a size if the back rounds or the bell gets away from you. If you are buying one bell for several exercises, choose a weight you can manage for the lightest-loaded lift, usually the press or the get-up, and add a heavier bell for swings once the hinge is solid. Our cast iron range steps in 2 kg increments to 20 kg, then in 4 kg steps, so the next weight up is never a jump you cannot train into.
Best kettlebell to buy in the UK
For home and studio training, the sensible default is a cast iron bell in the weight you will actually swing. Our cast iron bells are made in one piece, with no welds or joints and a wide, smooth handle that takes two hands for swings, and a flat base so the bell stands for renegade rows and push-ups. An adjustable kettlebell is the right answer when storage is the binding constraint: it covers several loads in one footprint, at the cost of a changeover when you switch weight, and a balance that shifts slightly as the plates change. Whichever you choose, the weight you use regularly beats the weight that looks right on paper.
Best kettlebell set for a beginner
A set earns its place when two people train together, or when one person presses and swings in the same session. Three bells at a light, a middle and a heavy weight cover most kettlebell movements, which is what the three-bell 4 kg to 8 kg set gives a household starting out. The four, five and six-bell sets from 4 kg to 14 kg suit a couple training together, because the lighter bells serve get-ups and presses while the heavier bell carries the swings. The seven-bell 4 kg to 20 kg set is the widest spread we offer at the lighter end and suits a studio with mixed clients, while the 6 kg to 12 kg, 10 kg to 24 kg, 12 kg to 28 kg and 18 kg to 32 kg sets are for floors where the lightest bells would never be used. The 4 kg to 8 kg, 4 kg to 12 kg and 12 kg to 28 kg spreads are also listed with a rack, which is worth having once you have several bells, because loose kettlebells on a training floor are easy to catch a foot on.
Where to put them
Kettlebells get set down hard. Put them over gym flooring rather than bare concrete or a garage screed, keep unobstructed space around the swing path and overhead, and give a graded set a home on a rack so the weights stay in order. A wider kit list sits in the build a home gym guide.
Free delivery across Great Britain, including the Scottish Highlands and Islands, applies to every order, 40 kg bells and racked sets included, and you have 180 days to return an order under our returns policy.
