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Five years ago, a serious man named Pavel Tsatsouline, a lean, muscular Russian who listed his former occupation as a physical trainer for Soviet special forces (which I assumed meant KGB), took me through a workout with an odd, low-tech device I’d never seen before called a kettlebell, a dense cast-iron weight, with a handle, that looks like a solid tea pot.

“This is the fitness secret of Russian strongmen,” he said. “Everyone will use these someday.”

He was right. Today, kettlebells are a hot fitness trend; shelves in sporting goods stores bulge with them, alternative designs are sprouting left and right, gyms are rushing to offer kettlebell classes, and “experts” abound, all kneeling before the now-legendary Tsatsouline.

When I left that day, relieved it was over and still obsessed with the man’s Soviet past, I casually asked, “Have you ever killed anyone?” Tsatsouline smiled a second time. “Only in workouts,” he said.

Heavy metal

New York Barbell Kettlebells: Conventional cast-iron kettlebell.

Likes: Among the lowest-priced of the traditional kettlebells. Wide handle makes for comfortable two-hand swings.

Dislikes: None

Price: $42 for 35-pounder; models start at $15 for 10-pounder. 800-446-1833; newyorkbarbells.com

No-scuff sphere

Power Systems Kor Kettleballs: Weighted, semi-hard, rubber-coated spheres with a built-in polypropylene handle. All weights are 6 1/2 inches in diameter.

Likes: House-friendly construction won’t scratch or dent wood floors the way iron kettlebells can. Although bigger in size with a slightly different balance than iron bells, they can be used for all the standard kettlebell exercises.

Dislikes: Rather expensive

Price: $109.95 for the 35-pounder; models start at $39.95 for the 5-pounder. 800-321-6975; power-systems.com

Adjustable system

FlexTrain K-baG: The adjustable-weight kettlebell, this soft, round fabric bag with a zipper is filled with smaller bags of shot that can be added or removed to achieve a desired weight (this sentence as published has been corrected in this text).

Likes: The adjustability (1 to 20 pounds or 1 to 35 pounds) allows you to use different weights for different exercises, eliminating the need to own several kettle bells. And the soft fabric won’t scratch the floor.

Dislikes: The flexible handle, which collapses when the K-baG swings overhead, can be irritating for those used to a standard kettlebell.

Ready to swing

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GoFit Kettlebell: A well-made iron kettlebell coated in floor-friendly vinyl.

Likes: The heaviness of iron and the protection of vinyl allow an aggressive workout in your living room without any destruction. Nice instructional DVD and small exercise booklet included.

Dislikes: None

Price: $69.99 for 35-pounder; models begin at $26.50 for 10-pounder. 888-530-4441; gofit.net