Not to be confused withbarbell, a larger version of the same concept, held with both hands.
A pair of adjustable dumbbells with 2 kg plates
Thedumbbell, a type offree weight, is a piece of equipment used inweight training. It is usually used individually and/or in pairs, with one in each hand.
The forerunner of the dumbbell,halteres, were used inancient Greece as lifting weights[1][2] and also as weights for the ancient Greek version of thelong jump.[3] A kind of dumbbell was also used in India for more than a millennium, shaped like aclub – so it was namedIndian club.[4][5] The design of the "Meel", as the club was referred to, can be seen as a halfway point between abarbell and a dumbbell. It was generally used in pairs, in workouts bywrestlers, bodybuilders, sports players, and others wishing to increase strength and muscle size.
The term "dumbbell" or "dumb bell" or "dumb-bell" originated inlate StuartEngland. In 1711 the poetJoseph Addison mentioned exercising with a "dumb bell" in an essay published inThe Spectator.[6]
Although Addison elsewhere in the same publication describes having used equipment similar to the modern understanding of dumbbells, according to sport historianJan Todd, the form of the first dumbbells remains unclear.[6] TheOxford English Dictionary 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 practiceEnglish bellringing.[7]
Selectorized dumbbellsA set of fixed-weight dumbbells
By the early 17th century, the familiar shape of the dumbbell, with two equal weights attached to a handle, had appeared.[8] There are currently three main types of dumbbell:
Fixed-weight dumbbells areweights created in a dumbbell shape. Inexpensive varieties consist ofcast iron, sometimes coated withrubber orneoprene for comfort, and even cheaper versions consist of a rigidplastic shell that is filled withconcrete.
Adjustable dumbbells consist of a metal bar whose centre portion is often engraved with a crosshatchpattern (knurling) to improve grip.Weight plates 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 largenuts as collars. Alternatively, a dumbbell may have smooth ends with plates being secured by a sprung collar.
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:
Circus dumbbells: historically used in travelingcircus acts, these dumbbells have exaggerated ends and wider handles, and just like normal dumbbells, come in various weights and sizes.
.jpg)
Media related toDumbbells at Wikimedia Commons