to set up your first kettlebell training appointment, or place that order for an instructional DVD and kettlebell to use at home, here are a few more things to consider:
While it's true that you don't need to be an advanced exerciser to use kettlebells, it's also worth keeping in mind that kettlebells are not the easiest tools to learn to use correctly. Their shape makes them harder to control than dumbbells of comparable weight, so there tends to be more of a learning curve than with free weights. A typical novice weightlifter can learn to perform, say, a 1-arm dumbbell row pretty competently in a matter of minutes, but it may take weeks before a novice kettlebell user can perform a clean--also a pulling motion, but a much more complex one--without banging up his or her forearm. I speak from personal experience here :)
(So why do cleans at all, you may be wondering, especially if you don't like going around with bruised-up wrists? Cleans--and this is true of all kettlebell exercises--don't just work your lats and biceps the way rows do. Actually, this is oversimplifying because of course your core muscles are also coming into play as stabilizers when you do a row, but for right now just take my word for it that you are using way more muscles when you do a kettlebell clean than when you do a 1 arm dumbbell row. The more muscles you use in a single exercise, the greater the intensity ... which is great if fat loss is a goal, or if you're just looking to get your workout done at warp speed. Many exercisers feel more fried after a 15 minute kettlebell workout than they do after an hour of free weights.)
My point here is that if you're into instant workout gratification kettlebells may not be your best bet. If you are new to resistance training you can buy a Gin Miller DVD and a couple sets of dumbbells and expect to be able to follow along pretty well from the get-go, but you're picking up a kettlebell for the first time you can't just pop Art of Strength Providence into your DVD player and go to it. I mean, you can--it's a free country and all that--but I really wouldn't recommend it unless of course you consider back pain, shredded hands, and bruised wrists a desirable outcome. Which you may. After five years in San Francisco not much surprises me any more.
You might also want to give some thought to your goals before you decide whether it's worth it to you to put in the time learning to use kettlebells. If you are an aspiring physique competitor you may decide that they are more trouble than they are worth. This is not to say that kettlebells can't fit into a bodybuilder's training regimen--in fact, many top physique competitors and fitness models DO use kettlebells--but they probably shouldn't be the foundation of it. Again, it comes down to the total-body nature of kettlebell exercises. Great for conditioning, not so helpful for maximum hypertrophy and symmetry. Turkish get-ups will give you fantastically strong and healthy shoulder joints, but they won't do a thing to "cap your delts" or bring up any other lagging body part. For that you need isolation exercises, most likely either freeweight or machine. The bottom line here: you always want to pick the best tool for the job, and sometimes the best tool is not a kettlebell.
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