kimj81 - 2006-10-20 2:48 PM
"It is like a zoo, but more fun. Because instead of just look at animal, you can shoot it in the head with gun." -Borat
I had not heard this Borat-ism.
Going back to the business at hand, if all you want to do is swings and/or snatches for anaerobic/aerobic conditioning - and believe me, you will be breathing hard after a set of swings - you probably only need one handle. The weights change easily on these with a hex key
(also known as an Allen wrench, which is the name I learned for it
). The hex key is included.
If you want to do presses, you can probably get by with one handle and do one arm at a time. That's how I've been doing presses lately.
The primary reason that I bought two is because I considered competing in kettlebell competitions. Yes, these really exist, and are fairly popular in Russia. There is a small grassroots thing going on in the U.S., but it's still small. Going to competitions requires plane tickets and hotel reservations, but I have tris right in my own back yard which is one reason, but certainly not the only reason, why I decided to go that route. Anyone, one of the events for men is a jerk with two KBs. I bought the handles thinking I'd load them up with a weight higher than that used in competition and train in that manner. So unless you wanted to do jerks with two KBs
(and if for some strange reason you both decided you hated tris and wanted to compete in kettlebell lifting, women don't contest jerks, so you wouldn't need that type of training
), you'd only need one handle.
Another reason to get two would be to do kettlebell front squats. Unless you plan to go over 100 lbs. in the front squat, you can get by with one handle. Load up one handle to your desired weight, clean it to one side, and squat. With the weight to one side like that, you'll be working your balance somewhat and your core and oblique muscles. I tried this once with one of my 70 lb. cast KBs and was surprised at how hard this was, and I've front squatted over 200 with a barbell.
Anyway, I'm not saying this to sell one handle to each of you so I can get an extra $5 out of each of you. I'm just hoping to make your decision easier. Let me know if you have any questions.