What bells should I buy and why?

There are a lot of kettlebells out there to choose from and I have personally tried some very poor quality kettlebells and some high quality kettlebells.  My goal is not to have you break the bank when purchasing the equipment you need for Swing Club.  One of the goals of swing club is to minimize cost and maximize efficiency.  Having said that, I have decided to back MuscleDriver's Kettlebells because they provide good quality kettlebells at prices that are very affordable.   The link to the right will take you to their website where you can make your purchase.  Before you go there, let me provide you with my review of their different kettlebell styles:

• The Black Series:  A very nice kettlebell if you are nice with your equipment.  These bells are great quality, but the paint on them will chip if you tend to bang your kettlebells together or drop them on hard surfaces.  The finish is smooth and the handles are thick.  These bells are the most expensive of the MuscleDriver bells.  These bells come in Kilogram sizes (usually at 2 kilogram increments).

• The Grey Series: I have to admit that I was hesitant about these kettlebells at first because I had used a kettlebell with a rubber bottom before and it got separated from the actual kettlebell one day doing and the kettlebell would not sit down flat on the floor after that.  I recently found out that the rubber bottom on MuscleDriver's grey kettlebells is removable and now prefer these bells.  They have a thick handle and less paint on them so they are more resistant to chipping.  The paint job, however is not as smooth as the black series (it doesn't bother my hands at all)  This is the most cost effective kettlebell that MuscleDriver provides.  These bells come in Kilogram sizes at increments of 2 kilogram increments) *** A note, I have recently purchased some off sizes from this company (6 kg, and 10 kg in particular) these bells aren't made as well as the others, they have a heavier paint job and chip VERY easily, also the 10 kg bell has a smaller handle than the 8 kg or the 12 kg and the shape is slighty different.

• The Fitness Series: I was hesitant about the fitness series bells because of the coating (I have some bells coated with polyurithane and they positively stink).  These bells however are great, especially for those who throw kettlebells around and let them bang together when doing double swings or cleans because the vinyl gives a lot of protection.  These bells have thick handles but are not as flat on the bottom as the other two in the series so you have to be more careful when doing things from a kettlebell push-up position.  These bells are slightly more expensive than the grey series but not by much.  The fitness bells come in pounds (10 lbs up to 35 lbs).  ***Note: The 15 and 20 lb bell handles are smaller than the 25,30, and 35 lb bells)

What should I look out for when buying a kettlebell?

There are many other types of kettlebells out there and you are free to purchase whatever you choose (Dragon Door and Kettlebell Concepts are two other reputable companies), but from my experience here is what you want to avoid: 

• Skinny handles - It is very difficult to do exercises from the push-up position with skinny handles and you run the risk of having a kettlebell roll on you.

• Rounded or Non-removable rubber on the bottom - Whenever you are doing an exercise that you have to push the handle down into the ground, like a kettlebell push-up or bear crawl, if the bottom is not flat or the rubber base can catch on something, you run the risk of hurting yourself.  

• A handle that is triangular, too wide, or too small - When you bring the kettlebell to the clean position you want to make sure that the handle does not dig into or touch either side of your wrist.  It may not bother you at first, but after several repetitions you may start to realize that it is highly uncomfortable.  Look for a handle that is rounded but not too wide, these handles that are made extra wide so you can hold one with two full hands when doing regular swings tend to roll around or sit in a funny position on the back of your forearm when you are in a clean or overhead press position.
• A handle that is too big - Handles that are too large can push on nerves in the forearm causing your hand to go to sleep while doing grind overhead moves like the turkish get-up.  Be wary of these bells.