Setting Up Your Kettlebell Home Gym

gym

Mar 8

I’m often asked by friends, and family, about my home Kettlebell setup. I always share that getting a Kettlebell paradise of your own is really simple and cheap. You only need a few things to get going.

First, you need to buy, or borrow, a Kettlebell. You can buy expensive bells, and cheap bells, online. Remember, the bells you buy will pretty much outlive you, and outlast your next hundred generations, so I am often of the mind that it is better to buy a good quality bell you will want to pick up and use, and share, and hand down.

Some bells are friendlier in your hand than others — but you won’t know that until you handle one in person. If you are male, try starting with a 12kg (26lb) bell; if you are female, you might want to begin with a 6kg (13lb) bell — and I’m not trying to make any gender determinations here about strength, or ability, I’m just sharing a generic starting point for your contemplation — you can go higher, or lower, in weight depending on your pre-existing strength-to-metal ratio.

Be sure to check out my Kettlebell Reviews for more detail about the best bells.

Next, you need to find a dedicated space to use. Some use the garage. Some use the corner of a room. You don’t need a ton of space — practice your Swing to make sure you have enough room all around you.

You will also need some sort of protective mat to fill the space for parking your bell in between sets, and for you to stand on for gripping the floor. A thick Yoga mat works fine. There are other, more expensive, mat options also available for purchase.

Finally, you need to be barefoot. At least that’s my preferred method of working out with bells. If you are concerned with dropping 26kg of iron on your toes, then get some shoes with flat soles. You don’t want any heel. You want the three points of the arch on the bottom of each foot to be grabbing the floor for stability.

Once you have those three basics in place — you also may want to add a forearm guard for protection during Clean and Snatch training, as well as some gym chalk. Chalk is both fun and messy — just like you on your path forward to Kettlebell greatness!