The dumbbell , a type of free weight , is a piece of equipment used in weight training . It is usually used individually and/or in pairs, with one in each hand.
8-450: The forerunner of the dumbbell, halteres , were used in ancient Greece as lifting weights and also as weights for the ancient Greek version of the long jump . A kind of dumbbell was also used in India for more than a millennium, shaped like a club – so it was named Indian club . The design of the "Meel", as the club was referred to, can be seen as a halfway point between a barbell and
16-528: A 3 m (10 ft) long jump. Recognized as the Greek equivalent of modern-day dumbbells , the halteres served multiple uses from training to competition. Ancient Greek records shows the evidence of the halteres dating to as far back as 700 BC. In Ancient Greece, exercise and training was highly valued. By the 5th Century BC, halteres were of common use in Ancient Greek training regimes. Popularity of
24-592: A circle, but elliptical and made so that the fingers pass through as they do through the handle of a shield.” Regarding the Greeks, specifically Greek pentathletes , halteres were most popularly used to train for specific sporting events in the Ancient Olympic Games , most notably the long jumping events. The use of halteres built strength and allowed for stronger athletic performances from Ancient Greek athletes. According to Greek surgeon Antyllus ,
32-460: A dumbbell. It was generally used in pairs, in workouts by wrestlers , bodybuilders, sports players, and others wishing to increase strength and muscle size. The term "dumbbell" or "dumb bell" or "dumb-bell" originated in late Stuart England . In 1711 the poet Joseph Addison mentioned exercising with a "dumb bell" in an essay published in The Spectator . Although Addison elsewhere in
40-480: The long jump . Halteres were held in both hands to allow an athlete to jump a greater distance; they may have been dropped after the first or second jump. The athlete would swing the weights backwards and forwards just before take-off, thrust them forwards during take-off, and swing them backwards just before releasing them and landing. Halteres were made of stone or metal, and weighed between 2 and 9 kg (4 and 20 lb). They added about 17 cm (7 in) to
48-579: 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: Halteres (ancient Greece) Halteres ( / h æ l ˈ t ər iː z / ; Greek : ἁλτῆρες , from "ἅλλομαι" - hallomai , "leap, spring"; cf. "ἅλμα" - halma , "leaping" ) were a type of dumbbells used in Ancient Greece . In Ancient Greek sports , halteres were used as lifting weights, and also as weights in their version of
56-519: The halteres grew globally as by the 2nd Century BC, famous Greek physician, Galen , came up with a variety of exercises that required the use of halteres. Galen insisted halteres as a necessity for physical fitness as it trained the body for war. The Romans, who also had a strong concern on physical fitness as a civic virtue, adopted the use of halteres in their exercises as a means to strengthen their armies. In his book Description of Greece , Greek geographer Pausanias defined halteres as “half of
64-419: 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 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 . By
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