Kettlebell Set or individual: how many kettlebells you really need

The core question

How many kettlebells do you really need?

The honest answer depends on how far along you are. Which type of construction actually suits you is clarified by the Kettlebell Buying Guide; here it is solely about quantity and gradation. For the first few months, a single kettlebell is enough because practically all fundamental exercises run with a single kettlebell: swing, goblet squat, deadlift, clean and press, Turkish get-up. As soon as the technique is down, you hit a limit that has nothing to do with strength. For overhead pressing movements, you need significantly less weight than for hip-driven swings. With only one kettlebell, therefore, one of the two exercises is always incorrectly loaded, either too light for swinging or too heavy for pressing. From this point on, the second weight is the biggest improvement you can buy for little money. A third is added when you want to train with two arms or when more than one person uses the equipment. Everything beyond that is equipment, not progress.

In practical terms, this means: buy the first kettlebell individually, train with it for eight to twelve weeks, and only buy the second weight when you notice where you're struggling. This is the path you take with a single cast-iron kettlebell, which are available in twelve stages from 4 to 48 kg. The downside: you pay for shipping twice and make a decision twice. That is precisely why sets exist, and exactly why they aren't automatically the better purchase.

Three paths, one goal

Individual, set, or adjustable: which way suits you?

There are three ways to get multiple weights, and they differ less in price than in behavior. Buying individually is the slowest and the most honest: you buy the exact weight you currently need and learn along the way which level you are actually missing. A kettlebell set takes this decision away from you and delivers a ready-made progression, typically 4, 8, and 12 kg as a three-pack or eight levels up to 32 kg. That saves mental effort and usually a bit of money per kilo, but it costs space and commits you to a specific increment. Finally, the adjustable kettlebell packs multiple levels into one housing: one device, one storage spot, but a larger, more angular body and an adjustment mechanism that takes a few seconds between sets. Which path is right is decided less by your training level than by your living situation and the question of whether you like ordering twice.

Who has little space, but still wants several steps, is with the adjustable kettlebell with six levels best served from 3.5 to 18 kg. It replaces six balls in the space of one, measures 32 cm in height and 22.5 cm in width, and covers the range where most home workouts take place. Those who train dynamically and with high repetitions, on the other hand, are better off with fixed balls because nothing rattles and nothing needs to be adjusted.

The gradation

Which gradation makes sense: 12, 16, 20 or finer?

The most common progression in strength training is in 4 kg increments, and the search for a 12 16 20 kettlebell set shows exactly why: for most trainees, this is the range where the leap from learning to serious training takes place. Four kilos sounds like a lot, but for a hip hinge, it is precisely the step you can cleanly manage after a few weeks. Finer increments of 2 kg are only worthwhile below 12 kg, where four kilos represents an increase in load of about one-third proportionally. Above that, you are wasting money on intermediate sizes that will just sit on the rack. It is also important that a kettlebell grows with its weight: with cast iron bells, the handle diameter increases from 29 mm at 4 kg to 39 mm at 32 kg. Anyone jumping from 12 to 20 kg will therefore have a noticeably thicker grip, which is a training stimulus in its own right during high repetition counts.

Competition kettlebells go the opposite way: they are the same size and have the same handle for every weight so that the technique stays the same when progressing. Anyone training in this direction builds up their progression sensibly piece by piece rather than buying a ready-made set. For everyone else: If you Cast Iron Kettlebell Set 4 to 32 kg you look at it, you don't buy eight training weights, but two to three training weights and five reserves for later or for other people.

Price per kilo

How much does a kettlebell set cost and when is it a good deal?

You can tell a cheap kettlebell set not by its total price, but by the price per kilo of the training weight you actually use. The three-pack of 4, 8, and 12 kg weighs 24 kg in total and costs CHF 90.-, which is CHF 3.75 per kilo. The larger set ranging from 4 to 32 kg adds up to 144 kg and costs CHF 545.-, or around CHF 3.78 per kilo. The difference per kilo is therefore minimal, but the difference on the invoice is huge. Anyone who actually uses only two weights ends up paying over CHF 400.- with the large set for balls that won't be moved for two years. A set is therefore cheap when you make use of the progression, and expensive when you merely own it. Individual cast iron bells start at CHF 14.40, which is why the pure volume discount is rarely the main argument. The real argument for a set is that you don't have to think twice and you don't have to order twice.

The floor-friendly soft set is the most cost-effective per kilo. However, the sand core makes it a beginner and rehab tool, not a tool for heavy swings. Anyone who makes price per kilo the sole criterion will end up buying the wrong equipment. In Kettlebell selection that is why you find all three paths side by side.

The sensible introduction

Cast Iron Kettlebell Set | 4 to 12 kg

• CHF 90.-
• 3 balls: 4, 8, 12 kg
• 24 kg total
• Cast iron with rubber coating
• Art. F-66957

The gradation that is enough for the vast majority: easy to press, medium for learning, heavy to swing. Cast in one piece, without weld seams, with a flattened base for a secure stand. The rubber coating protects the floor and training area.

Ideal for: Beginners who want to save themselves a second order and want to have three levels right at home.

View set of three

Best Buy

Soft Kettlebell Set | 4 to 12 kg

• CHF 68.-
• 3 balls: 4, 8, 12 kg
• Sand core, rubber-coated
• Handle 30 to 37 mm
• Art. F-18381

The same graduation as the cast iron set, but with a sand core and plastic handle. If a ball is dropped, floor and feet take little impact. That makes it the right choice over parquet, laminate, or in an apartment where someone lives below.

Ideal for: first months, rehab and physio as well as training on sensitive ground.

View Soft-Set

Space-saving

Adjustable Kettlebell | 3.5 to 18 kg

• CHF 115.-
• 6 levels: 3.5 to 18 kg
• 32 cm high
• Handle 29 mm
• Art. F-47663

Six weights in one shell: warm up with 3.5 kg, swing with 9 kg, clean with 16 or 18 kg. Changing them takes seconds. In exchange, the body is more angular than a classic kettlebell, and 18 kg is the limit.

Ideal for: small apartments, alternating residences, and anyone who has only one parking space.

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For multiple people

Cast Iron Kettlebell Set | 4 to 32 kg

• CHF 545.-
• 8 kettlebells: 4 to 32 kg
• 144 kg total
• cast iron, one piece
• Art. F-24118

The complete 4 kg ladder from 4 to 32 kg. As an individual, you rarely need more than three steps of this at the same time; but as soon as two or three people are training in parallel, that is precisely the point where the set of eight pays off.

Ideal for: Studios, clubs, physiotherapy practices, and home gyms where multiple people train at the same time.

View set

What is often forgotten

Space, storage, and what else a set needs

A kettlebell set is more compact than most think and heavier than most furniture can withstand. Eight cast iron balls ranging from 4 to 32 kg add up to a total of 144 kg on a footprint of a good square meter. This is not a problem for a basement floor, but it can be one for an attic, a shelf, or a wooden beam ceiling. On the floor, the balls do not need extra protection as long as you set them down in a controlled manner; however, bare cast iron on tiles or parquet does not forgive dropping. If you leave the balls out in the open, you primarily lose organization: eight kettlebells in a row against the wall are a tripping hazard and visually clutter the room. Therefore, a set only becomes practical when combined with a storage solution, which costs money once again.

The Kettlebell Rack holds up to 20 standard balls on two levels, measures 150 cm in width by 58 cm in depth and supports up to 300 kg. An 8-ball set weighing 144 kg therefore fits on it with plenty of clearance, as does a second set next to it. For smaller setups, you can find further Dumbbell racks and storage in the appropriate category. Anyone who only has two or three balls doesn't need any of that: One corner is enough.

What is worth it for whom

Four situations, four clear recommendations

Frequently Asked Questions

Kettlebell Set: The Most Important Answers