A pair of spinlock dumbbells with 2 kg plates.

A dumbbell is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It is a weight that is held in one hand. Dumbbells therefore normally come in pairs. Dumbbells originated in Tudor England - the devices used for ringing church bells were widely known for their impact on increasing muscle size, creating a trend in the 16th Century which saw rich young men installing similar devices in their homes, consisting of a pulley with a weighted rope which the user pulled as though they were ringing a church bell. These were known as "bells", but as there were no actual bells on the end of the pulling ropes and were silent, they came to be known colloquially as "dumb-bells". Over the centuries, the pulley and weighted rope fell out of fashion, leaving just the weight. By the early 19th Century, the familiar shape of the dumbbell, with two equal weights attached to a handle, had appeared. There are currently two main types of dumbbell: Download high resolution version (573x684, 70 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (573x684, 70 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A complete weight training workout can be performed with a pair of adjustable dumbbells and a set of weight disks (plates). ... Allegory of the Tudor dynasty (detail), attributed to Lucas de Heere, ca 1572: left to right, Philip II of Spain, Mary, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Elizabeth The Tudor period usually refers to the historical period between 1485 and 1558, especially in relation to the history of England. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Adjustable dumbbells consist of 14 inch (35 centimetre) long steel bars that are one inch (2.5 centimetres) in diameter. They look like miniature barbells. The centre portion is engraved with a crosshatch pattern (knurling) to help users get a good grip. 1 to 40 kg of cast iron weight disks (plates) are slid onto the outer portions of the dumbbell to obtain the desired total weight. These weights are secured with clips or collars. A "spinlock" dumbbell's outer portions are threaded, and the collars are large nuts that screw on and secure the plates through friction.

Plastic-coated dumbbells are often used for light weight training exercises.

• Fixed-weight dumbbells are weights created in a dumbbell shape. Expensive varieties consist of cast iron coated with rubber. Cheaper versions consist of a rigid plastic shell that is filled with concrete.

Due to their flexibility, dumbbells can be used in all types of resistance weight training, but the most popular dumbbell exercises remain the Bench press and the Bicep curl. Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial unit of length. ... A centimetre (American spelling: centimeter, symbol: cm) is an SI unit of length. ... Steel framework Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... A U.S. Army soldier uses a barbell with Olympic plates (but no collars) to perform a bench press. ... A pattern is a form, template, or model (or, more abstractly, a set of rules) which can be used to make or to generate things or parts of a thing, especially if the things that are generated have enough in common for the underlying pattern to be inferred or discerned... The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ... Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but can mean any of a group of iron_based alloys containing more than 2% carbon (alloys with less carbon are carbon steel by definition). ... A nut is a type of hardware fastener with a threaded hole. ... Download high resolution version (700x1044, 68 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (700x1044, 68 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky emulsion (known as latex) in the sap of a number of plants but can also be produced synthetically. ... The term plastics covers a range of synthetic or semi-synthetic polymerization products. ... This article is about the construction material. ... A soldier from the U.S. Army performs a bench press; the amount of weight being lifted in this photo is far above what most people are capable of. ... The bicep curl is sometimes performed on the preacher bench, which helps to keep the upper arm motionless. ...

Disambiguation

The Dumbbell Nebula is a planetary nebula (M27), which is shaped like a dumbbell. Messier Object 27, the Dumbbell Nebula The Dumbbell Nebula (also known as Messier Object 27, M27, or NGC 6853) is a planetary nebula in the Vulpecula constellation, at a distance of about 1250 light years. ... NGC 6543, the Cats Eye Nebula A planetary nebula is an astronomical object consisting of a glowing shell of gas formed by certain types of stars at the end of their lives. ...