Dumbbell

The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs (one for each hand).

Contents

History

The forerunner of the dumbbell, halteres, were used in ancient Greece as lifting weights[1][2] and also as weights in the ancient Greek version of the long jump.[3] A kind of dumbbell was also used in India for more than a millennium, shaped like a club – so named Indian club. The design of the "Nal", as the equipment was referred to, can be seen as a halfway point between a barbell and a dumbbell. It was generally used in pairs, in workouts by wrestlers, bodybuilders, sports players, and others wishing to increase strength and muscle size.

Etymology

"Dumbbells" as a word originated in Tudor England – referring to equipment simulating the action of a bell rope for the purpose of developing technique, and especially strength, for the purpose of practicing English bellringing (see Change Ringing), but without making a noise (hence dumb). When strongmen started to make their own equipment, they kept the name, even though the shape and form changed. See Oxford dictionary definition.

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:

References

  1. ^ Norman Gardiner, Athletics in the Ancient World, Dover, 2002, on Google books
  2. ^ Bill Pearl, Getting Stronger: Weight Training for Sports, Shelter, 2005, on Google books
  3. ^ Stephen G. Miller, Ancient Greek Athletics, Yale University Press, 2006, on Google books

Jan Todd, From Milo to Milo, A History of Barbells, Dumbbells and Indian Clubs, Iron Game History, vol 3 No. 6, 1995, viewed at: [1]

See also

External links