How to get started with kettlebell training.

This post is derived mostly from the ideas I get from following the experts at StrongFirst.    If I deviate from SFG standards it is because I am interpreting something wrong or my own training agenda is sneaking out.  Either way I think this is a good primer for a student with no kettlebell experience interested in learning the methods of Pavel Tsatsouline and his  StrongFirst training programs.  It may be the first step towards achieving all of your strength, conditioning and body composition goals! 
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The best place to start is the with the Program Minimum. You should read Enter the Kettlebell which describes it in detail but it is very simple. I got my ETK on Kindle but I think you can find it in hard copy online. If you're a strong man you will use a 24 kg kettlebell.   If you are less than strong you will use a 16 kg bell.  Strong women can start with a 16 kg bell and less than strong woman will use a  12 kg bell.   What do I mean by strong?  There are many ways to define strength but in this case it specifically means you are strong in at least 2 of the following 4 exercises:  overhead press, bench press,  back or front squat and deadlift.  If you don't do these exercises or you do them with less than your bodyweight for reps you are not considered strong by this standard.

The PM is 2-3 days a week of only swings and getups. If you focused all of your energy on getting strong in these 2 exercises (and ate properly) you will achieve all of your strength, conditioning and body composition goals. You will also become strong from head to toe and have better conditioning than most endurance athletes.

The 2-hand swing is the center of the kettlebell universe. You will need to become competent at the 2-hand swing before you move to 1-arm swings, cleans and snatches.  The 2-hand swing is considered so extremely important because every Strongfirst movement  we practice is hip driven. The 2 hand swing teaches the student how to properly load their hips and drive them forward with explosive force.   Every athlete should include the 2-hand swing in their S&C programs since nearly every athletic movement is hip driven. You could spend probably 6-12 months teaching yourself this exercise and still not be happy with your form. If you can afford to  spend the money on a few lessons with an SFG it will most likely save you that 6-12 months.
  
2 hand swings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfCm4focxQY

Your short-term goal with the 2-hand swing is to be able to work 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off for 12 consecutive minutes with the properly sized bell.  Much harder than it sounds!

The Getup is good for building strength throughout the entire body. It is particularly good for  increasing shoulder and hip stabilization. I can tell you from personal experience that the kettlebell getup is a rehabilitative movement known for healing damaged shoulders.  I dislocated my shoulder when I was 20 which caused me chronic pain for the next 20 years.  I credit getups with healing the shoulder almost 100% in less than 6 months.  You should not underestimate the power of this exercise as I did. The general rule of StrongFirst kettlebell training is that you would never do a military press or a snatch with a weight that you couldn't first comfortably do a getup with.

Getups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoXqiTW2Uss

Your short-term goal with the Getups is to be able to do 3-5 rounds with little to no rest in between using a properly sized bell. 

As far as reps and sets and timing and all that stuff - it varies from person to person depending on any other training they do and how clean their diet is.   Guys that are doing jiujitsu and weight-lifting all day should do as little as possible. The could get away with doing 6 minutes of swings and 3 full getups 2x a week. Guys that are sitting around at a desk job will want to do a little more. They can do as much as 12 minutes of swings and 3-5 full getups 2-3 days a week.  If you are not eating at least 3 protein rich meals a day you will have trouble progressing.  Vegetarians need to know how to properly combine food sources to create complete protein sources.

These routines are not about teeth-clenching intensity. They are about slowly and safely making progress. It's all about setting personal records as often as possible while maintaining proper form.