When I initially purchased kettlebells for the gym, I bought a bunch of 16s and 24s.
Why?
Because those were the weights women and men used at the kettlebell certification I had attended. Women tested with 16 kg. Men tested with 24 kg. So, obviously, those seemed like the weights most people would need. Simple enough. Of course, I also bought a few lighter bells—8s, 12s, and 20s—a couple heavier bells—32s and 40s—and a single 48 kg bell, mostly because it looked cool and because every gym needs at least one object that just stares at you daring you to try to move it.
But then real people started training with them. For quite a while, most women used only 8s and 12s, with the occasional foray to 16 kg for swings. And most men used only 16s and 20s, with the occasional jump to 24 kg.
Fast forward 17 years, and the picture looks a little different: A number of women at TNT have performed get-ups with a 32 kg kettlebell, and a couple have used 36 kg. A number of men have performed get-ups in the 40–48 kg range—and a few have even gone heavier using a barbell!
Now that doesn’t mean everyone should eventually use those weights. And it also doesn’t mean that the certification weights were wrong as general reference points. It simply means that choosing the right kettlebell weight is more contextual than most people realize.
There is no such thing as “your” kettlebell weight
Naturally, the first question people usually ask when they’re new to kettlebell training is some version of: “What size kettlebell should I use?”
It’s a logically reasonable question, but the most honest answer is unfortunately also the least satisfying: “It depends.”
I realize that answer isn’t particularly helpful by itself—it’s the fitness-coach equivalent of responding to “How’s the weather?” by pointing vaguely at the sky. But it really does depend.
It depends on the exercise.
A kettlebell you can swing for a few sets of 5 may be too heavy to press overhead or use for an arm bar. A kettlebell you can press several times may be too light for a farmer carry. And a kettlebell that works well for goblet squats may or may not make sense for cleans, snatches, or get-ups.
It depends on your training background.
Someone who has never lifted weights before will often adapt quickly at first, but they may also need more time to learn how to safely control the bell and produce tension. Someone with years of barbell experience may be stronger on day one but still needs to learn the unique positions and timing involved in kettlebell training.
It depends on body size, age, injury history, and current physical capacity.
A frail 140-pound grandmother and a 220-pound former football player who spent the last 20 years at a desk are not starting from the same place. And they shouldn’t necessarily grab a certain bell just because a chart suggested it.
It also depends on the program and the goal.
Five powerful swings are different from 20 swings. A heavy set of 5 goblet squats is different from 5 goblet squats every minute for 20 minutes. A get-up performed as a slow, controlled strength practice is different from a light get-up used as part of a warm-up.
So instead of asking, “What kettlebell weight should I use?” it’s usually better to ask: “What should the right kettlebell feel like for what I’m trying to do?”
Too light, too heavy, or just right
A kettlebell’s size falls into one of three “Goldilocks” categories for a given exercise and plan.
First, it can be too light.
A bell is probably too light if you can move it without much attention, tension, or meaningful effort. Technique may look fine, but the weight isn’t asking much of you. It becomes more choreography than training.
That doesn’t make light weights useless. Light bells are great for warming up, practicing mobility drills, learning or refining technique, and easy/recovery training days. But if your goal is to build strength, power, endurance, or muscle, eventually the bell needs to provide enough resistance to create a useful training effect.
Second, it can be too heavy.
A bell is probably too heavy if your technique changes immediately, your range of motion shortens, your breathing quickly becomes chaotic, or a ballistic (fast) movement looks more like the bell was lifted instead of launched. That might sound dramatic, but you’ve probably seen it: A swing becomes a hip-height front raise. A press becomes a sideways lean-and-shove. The upper arm during a getup looks like a Jenga tower after too many bottom blocks have been moved.
Using a heavy bell isn’t inherently bad. Heavy weights are useful and necessary for building strength, and occasionally testing your maxes can be fun and informative. But if the load makes the intended movement look sloppy, you’re probably no longer training what you want to be improving.
Third, it can be juuust right.
This is the sweet spot.
The right kettlebell lets you perform the intended movement safely while being challenging enough to produce the desired adaptation. In other words, you can still do the thing you’re trying to do—but you have to pay attention.
The type of movement matters
Every guideline I’ve covered so far can technically be applied to almost any strength training tool: kettlebells, barbells, calisthenics (body weight exercises), sandbags, etc.
But there’s one more consideration that makes choosing a kettlebell size somewhat unique compared to other tools: type of movement.
Kettlebells are commonly used in two ways. Grinds are relatively slower lifts—like presses, squats, rows, and getups—which require force to be applied throughout the entire movement. Ballistics are relatively quicker lifts—like swings, cleans, snatches, and jerks—which require an initial application of force followed by a period of “waiting”—relaxed tension without active force production—before the next rep.
For grinding lifts, using the guidelines above to find a kettlebell that is “just right” to “slightly heavy” is usually a solid choice.
But with ballistic lifts, the calculus shifts. Research using force plates has shown that the ground reaction force produced during a fast kettlebell lift can be 2–3 times higher—sometimes more—than the bell’s actual weight would predict.
In practice, this means lighter kettlebells tend to produce more beneficial adaptations than most people expect. So while heavier bells can still work well for ballistic movements (especially for more experienced lifters), erring lighter is a sound choice at any training level—not just for beginners.
Putting it into practice
The good news is that “it depends” gets considerably easier to navigate once you know what to look for.
If you’re already training with kettlebells: At your next session, take stock of the bells you reach for most often. Pick one movement you’ve been doing consistently and ask whether it’s still making you pay attention—or whether it’s become choreography. If the latter, that bell has done its job, and it’s time to test the next size up.
For ballistic movements specifically, here’s a quick check worth noting: does the bell feel launched when you reach the top, or does it feel hoisted? If it feels hoisted, you’re likely in “too heavy” territory—try something lighter and notice whether the feeling changes. If the bell feels practically weightless at the top, you’ve made a fine choice—although there’s also likely room to go up if you choose.
If you’re newer to kettlebells or still figuring out where to start: Don’t overbuy upfront. The certification benchmarks—16 kg for women, 24 kg for men—are reasonable starting reference points for swings, but plenty of people begin lighter. If you have access to a range of bells before committing to a purchase, use it. A handful of reps at a few different weights will tell you more than any sizing chart.