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Kettlebell What weight is the best all rounder for a intermediate kettlebell lifter

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Jamesjones

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What is the best all round weight for someone who can do Two hand swings with a 32 kg But can only do get ups with a 20kg I’m looking at buying a new bell I’ve used a 32 before but don’t own one and I only have a 20kg at home so looking to get a new bell
 
Guess it would depend on the training you’re looking for. I can get in some serious smokers with a 16 if I push myself. 24 is heavy for me so I have to keep things in the lower rep range. But I like it.
The Get up/swing difference seems kinda big. I wonder why that is. I couldn’t even press the 24 into position when I first started S and S but now use the 24 for both. Could the get up difference be a technical issue?
 
Jamesjones said:
What is the best all round weight for someone who can do Two hand swings with a 32 kg But can only do get ups with a 20kg I’m looking at buying a new bell I’ve used a 32 before but don’t own one and I only have a 20kg at home so looking to get a new bell
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It would probably be best if you let people know what you hope to do with this "all round weight".

Are you going to work on S&S? Probably 24kg.

Maybe ROP? Maybe you could do that with 20kg, or maybe you would like 16kg or 24kg for that -- you haven't mentioned where your press is.

Maybe you want to work on snatches? 20kg might be a fine place to start, or maybe 16kg is a better place to refine the technique?

Maybe you would like a second 20kg, because you want to do double kettlebell stuff, like the Total Tension Complex?

There are many people here with a lot of experience and willingness to provide useful help. If you would be a little more specific about your plans, I'm sure you'll get good advice.
 
Eric Wilson said:
It would probably be best if you let people know what you hope to do with this "all round weight".

Are you going to work on S&S? Probably 24kg.

Maybe ROP? Maybe you could do that with 20kg, or maybe you would like 16kg or 24kg for that -- you haven't mentioned where your press is.

Maybe you want to work on snatches? 20kg might be a fine place to start, or maybe 16kg is a better place to refine the technique?

Maybe you would like a second 20kg, because you want to do double kettlebell stuff, like the Total Tension Complex?

There are many people here with a lot of experience and willingness to provide useful help. If you would be a little more specific about your plans, I'm sure you'll get good advice.
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Excellent reply.

OP, you give very little indication where you and absolutely no indication of where you want to go. There's really no way to give advice to something with absolutely no specificity.

You'd be best served by posting a video of your 32kg swing and your getup, along with any other movements. That would definitely help us help you.
 
28kg in my opinion... 28 will be challenging enough for swings, goblet squats, and snatches while you can continue to own the 20kg for get ups and presses... I find myself using my 28s more than my 24s
 
Jamesjones said:
What is the best all round weight for someone who can do Two hand swings with a 32 kg But can only do get ups with a 20kg I’m looking at buying a new bell I’ve used a 32 before but don’t own one and I only have a 20kg at home so looking to get a new bell
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Budget?

If you're unclear about the specific use cases you want, you could go for an adjustable. I don't own, but I have used, the KB Kings adjustable comp bell and it's the only adjustable bell I've played with that I didn't think was awful or hinky.

But it's $275, which makes it quite a bit more expensive than 'regular' bells.
 
I think of 2 options:
Double 16kg : for swings, snatches, clean & jerk and front squats.
Or a single 32kg as you don’t own one. For goblet squats, double handed swings, carries, single leg deadlift , suitcase deadlift.

as you have already a 20kg , which imho is fine for snatches, TGU and one handed swings.
I would do both :)
 
Go heavy or go home.

I started with a 16, needed a 24 almost immediately, got a lot of use from it but could have used the 32 much sooner than I ponied up for it.

If I had to do it again, I would split the difference of the first two with a 20 and then get a 32. The dramatic contrast makes it very easy to choose which bell to use and which movement variation to do with it.
 
Here's something to think about..

The test bell is usually set since it's the "learning bell"

So when you've been doing something different for a period of time, not had access to those size bells or whatever reason, it serves as a good starting point...

Sure you may not be strong enough to handle that weight now or you need a heavier bell for most of your training..but that is exactly the lesson, you need to get stronger or when reviewing something, go back to that size bell
 
Round down of 1/3 body weight , or 1/4 of body weight. For majority those would be 24 and 16.
Relevance to body weight matters.
 
Jamesjones said:
What is the best all round weight for someone who can do Two hand swings with a 32 kg But can only do get ups with a 20kg I’m looking at buying a new bell I’ve used a 32 before but don’t own one and I only have a 20kg at home so looking to get a new bell
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It depends on what you want to do, doesn't it?

If you're looking at simple and sinister, picking up a 24kg makes sense to keep your get ups progressing.

The nice thing about having a 20kg and a 24kg is if swings and getups get too easy, you can easily progress to cleans and snatches and presses.

A 28kg bell gives you more spread, but that spread is useless if it is too heavy for you right now.

The great thing about a 24kg bell is after you crush it for swings and get ups, you can start learning to crush it for the 5 or 10 min snatch test, clean and press, "strength aerobics" (1 clean, 1 press, 1 squat), ROP, bent presses... There's so many options! Shoot, you could even use Al's strong endurance plan if you just want to keep swinging (sets of 10 OTM, building up to over 40 min of swinging).

But if you go too heavy (say, a 28 or a 32 for you), you'll ONLY be able to swing it and it will be a long (and most likely frustrating) time before you can manage to snatch it or press it. By the time you've learned to completely crush the 24kg, you'll have been able to save up for a 28kg or a 32g and can start all over.

Once you crush a given weight with swings and getups you have three options:
1. Go up in weight (bigger kettlebell).
2. Go up in volume (more reps and/or sets).
3. Go up in movement skill (swing->clean->snatch).
- I'm not sure skill is the right word here...

If you're limited by your weight (to only a 20kg, or only a 24kg), progression is still possible. If you're tight on money, you can do all this with your 20kg now and not need to buy a new bell.
 
If memory serves, when Pavel first popularized KBs in 2002 or so, he said that because of its versatility, the 24 kg was the bell size most commonly found in military courage corners, where minimalism is crucial.

If it’s good enough for fighting aged males, the 24 kg is good enough for you and me in the single bell scenario.
 
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