6kg kettlebells

For women, 6kg is within the range recommended for beginners. Opinions differ, but 6kg to 10kg is a consistently recommended beginner weight for women to use with key kettlebell exercises like swings. 12kg to 18kg is usually recommended for beginner men. 6kg kettlebells suit those completely new to kettlebell training who are learning the movement patterns and timing. This stage is not to be overlooked as kettlebell exercises often involve the use of muscles in the hips and lower back. Explosive and dynamic "hip hinge" movements, using this area of the body need to be approached with care to avoid serious injury. Whilst you may use a light weight to learn the techniques and for warm ups, within a few weeks you should start seeing progress. 3 months of regular training and you'll be proficient and lifting much heavier kettlebells. Different kettlebell exercises, also require different weights. If you are using 15kg for a kettlebell swing for example, you may want to use a weight close to 6kg on exercises such as goblet squats, strict presses, Turkish get-ups and single leg deadlifts. 6kg kettlebells may also be recommended for older adults, people returning from injury, and anyone building confidence with the hip hinge movements like swings before adding weight. On ballistic movements like the two-handed swing, where the large muscles from the hips and back drive the lift, many beginners find 6kg light and progress past it fairly quickly. A practical approach is to learn technique on presses and get-ups with 6kg and move to a heavier kettlebell for swings once the movement and the timing feel solid, consistent and approved by an instructor. For deconditioned beginners, children, or those in early-stage rehab, 6kg can remain a useful weight for longer. It is always a useful weight for warm ups, and for isolation exercises like lateral raises, as well as mobility exercises like windmills, Bulgarian split squats and cossack squats. For beginners a 6kg kettlebell is often a starting weight, for advanced kettlebell lifters, it is still a handy weight to have for warm ups and certain exercises and modalities.

For iconic kettlebell exercises, like swings, 6kg is a beginner weight and it will be too light for most lifters after a few weeks. However, whether 6kg is too light, depends entirely on the exercise and the lifter. For ballistic movements such as two-handed swings, and cleans, 6kg is light for most adults and will quickly stop providing a strength stimulus. However, it still works well for warm-ups, technique practice, mobility exercises, single leg work and high-rep conditioning. For slower, single-arm and overhead movements, including strict presses, Turkish get-ups and snatches, 6kg is far less likely to feel too light, because these rely on smaller muscles and much more control. For a fit, experienced lifter, 6kg will be too light for most strength work, but can still earn a place for conditioning, flows and shoulder-focused accessory exercises. Buying a second, heavier bell is the usual next step once 6kg feels easy on the big lifts.

For building maximum strength and muscle, 6kg is not heavy enough for most adults, including women on the "bigger lifts" like kettlebell 2 handed-swings. 6kg is a good starting weight for most women on swings, but after 2 or 3 weeks a lifter will likely be looking to increase the weight to 8kg or more. It does however, depend on what the training is for and what the specific exercise is. For learning technique, conditioning, rehab, mobility and high-rep endurance work, 6kg is heavy enough to be useful and is often ideal. For developing real strength through swings, squats, push press and cleans, most adults will need to progress heavier, because the large muscles these lifts use adapt quickly. You can still build explosive power, with for example, jumping squats holding 2 x 6kg kettlebells, and you can develop great mobility with windmills, halos and cossack squats with a single 6kg kettlebell. If strength is a goal however, 6kg is probably going to be too light. If 6kg allows easy, endless reps on a given exercise, it has become too light for strength and muscle gain, and a heavier bell is the next step.