The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in

weight training Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate techniques such as bodyweight exercises ( ...

. It is usually used individually and/or in pairs, with one in each hand.

History

The forerunner of the dumbbell,

halteres ''Halteres'' (; singular ''halter'' or ''haltere'') (from , hand-held weights to give an impetus in leaping) are a pair of small club-shaped organs on the body of two Order (biology), orders of flying insects that provide information about ...

, were used in

ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

as lifting weights and also as weights for the ancient Greek version of the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

. A kind of dumbbell was also used in India for more than a millennium, shaped like a club – so it was named

Indian club Indian clubs, known in Iran as meels (), are a type of exercise equipment used to present resistance in movement to develop strength and mobility. They consist of juggling-club shaped wooden clubs of varying sizes and weights, which are swung in ...

. The design of the "Meel", as the club was referred to, can be seen as a halfway point between a

barbell A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end. Barbells range in length ...

and a dumbbell. It was generally used in pairs, in workouts by

wrestlers Wrestling is a Martial arts, martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling ...

, bodybuilders, sports players, and others wishing to increase strength and muscle size.

Etymology

The term "dumbbell" or "dumb bell" or "dumb-bell" originated in late Stuart

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. In 1711 the poet

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...

mentioned exercising with a "dumb bell" in an essay published in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

''. Although Addison elsewhere in the same publication describes having used equipment similar to the modern understanding of dumbbells, according to sport historian Jan Todd, the form of the first dumbbells remains unclear. The

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

describes "apparatus similar to that used to ring a church bell, but without the bell, so noiseless or ‘dumb’", implying the action of pulling a bell rope to practice English bellringing.

Types

By the early 17th century, the familiar shape of the dumbbell, with two equal weights attached to a handle, had appeared. There are currently three main types of dumbbell: *Fixed-weight dumbbells are weights created in a dumbbell shape. Inexpensive varieties consist of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

, sometimes coated with

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

neoprene Neoprene (also polychloroprene) is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene.Werner Obrecht, Jean-Pierre Lambert, Michael Happ, Christiane Oppenheimer-Stix, John Dunn and Ralf Krüger "Rubber, 4. Emulsion Rub ...

for comfort, and even cheaper versions consist of a rigid

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

shell that is filled with

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

. * Adjustable dumbbells consist of a metal bar whose centre portion is often engraved with a crosshatch

pattern A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated l ...

( knurling) to improve grip.

Weight plate A weight plate is a flat, heavy object, usually made of cast iron, that is used in combination with barbells or dumbbells to produce a bar with a desired total weight for the purpose of physical exercise. Two general categories exist: "standar ...

s are slid onto the outer portions of the dumbbell and secured with clips or collars. Shown to the right is a "spinlock" dumbbell, whose ends are threaded to accept large nuts as collars. Alternatively, a dumbbell may have smooth ends with plates being secured by a sprung collar. **Plate-loaded (adjustable) dumbbells (a.k.a. loadable dumbbells) ***Spin-lock ***Spring collar clips ***Compression ring collar *** Ironmaster quick-lock **Selectorized (adjustable) dumbbells are adjustable dumbbells that allow you to easily alter the weight or number of plates while the dumbbells are resting in the stand. This is accomplished through controlling the amount of plates that follow the handle when lifted, for as by turning a dial or sliding a selector pin, rather than physically adding or removing plates. This makes it simple to adjust the weight of the dumbbell between exercises, and the stand is typically used to hold extra weights that aren't required for a certain exercise. There are different types of mechanism: ***Block type ***Dial type ***Glide type ***Twist type **2-in-1 dumbbell/barbell

Variations

* Thomas Inch dumbbell, also known as "172" ( handle, weighs ) * Millennium dumbbell ( handle, weighs ) * Circus dumbbells: historically used in traveling

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

acts, these dumbbells have exaggerated ends and wider handles, and just like normal dumbbells, come in various weights and sizes.

References

External links