Hi Peggie!
So far, I've only been able to use the 20-pounder for swings and maybe a couple of other exercises. I honestly think that 35 pounds would be WAY too heavy to start out with. The thing about the KB workouts is that most are circuits, where you maybe start with an exercise (like swings) that works your legs, but then you maybe do something that requires you to use more arm strength. If you use a KB that's too heavy, you'd seriously compromise your form, and you could end up hurting yourself.
I probably didn't need to get the 20-pound KB as soon as I did, but I wanted to really feel the swings in my legs. (I had been looking forward to getting DOMS from it!}( ) For the Newport DVD I did yesterday, I pretty much used my 15-pound KB for the entire workout, except for swings, when I got out my 20.
Do you have a Target or a sporting goods store near you that sells the KB's? I'd recommend heading over there and playing around a bit with the various sizes. I thought that I would start by buying a 20, but when I went to Target to play with how they felt (I actually tried doing a few swings with it still in the package when no one was in that aisle!:+), I realized that a 15-pound one would be plenty heavy for me as a newbie! ;-)
I've only been doing one KB workout a week for maybe about six weeks, but I've already noticed a difference in my strength ability. For example, I've been using an eight-pound dumbbell to do Turkish getups, but yesterday I was finally able to use my 15-pound KB to do them.
I also try to play with the KB's a bit when I do other strength workouts. For instance, on days when I work legs with a Cathe DVD, I might add in some KB swings between a few sets. Kathryn gave me this idea, and it's been great!
Hope this helps, and let me know if you have other questions that a newbie like me can help with!
