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The haltare
The haltare was a crescent shaped stone with a handle on it. This was mad in ancient Greece almost 2000 years ago. They were used to jump farther in long jump during the Olympics but some athletes used them for weight training as well. -
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The Nal
In the middle east the nal was made for weightlifters,bodybuilders, and wrestlers. They were club shaped but shorter than a barbell and longer than a dumbbell. They also had different weights to them. -
The Original dumbbell
The original dumbbell was a church bell with the clapper removed so it didn't make noise. This was used by many weightlifters in England -
The iron weights
These were the first type of fixed weights and they were made with a metal handle and had metal plates on the side. The problem was that you couldn't adjust the weight which made it very hard to overload and get stronger. This then inspired people to make the adjustable dumbbell -
Adjustable dumbbell
As the iron weights became popular wealthy people started buying adjustable dumbbells. These dumbbells are still used today because they are the easiest to use. They were made out of a metal handle with divets in it for better grip. You would then slide metal plates n the side of the handle, therefore making it adjustable. -
The sand dumbbells
These were used because not many people could afford the iron adjustable dumbbells so they filled canisters with sand and other weights. This became very popular through the 19th century. -
The barbell
The first Olympic barbell was made in Germany in 1905. This barbell was made from a steel bar with a metal sleeve on top. This was the first barbell to be sold with weights. -
The second barbell
The second barbell was almost a exact copy of the first barbell except it had a chrome finish on the sleeve and ended up being much more popular then the first barbell. We still use this type of barbell to this day. -
The modern dumbbells
Nowadays we use mainly two types of weights in dumbbells steel and concrete, but we can also find many dumbbells with textures on it like silicon and rubber. You can find all of these in your local gyms and all have special features that separate them from each other. -
The silicon dumbbell
The silicon dumbbell is less popular in your local gyms because they are not that heavy and only go up to about 10 pounds. They are made of different types of weights and covered with silicon. -
The rubber dumbbell
The rubber dumbbell is the most popular dumbbell because it comes in many shapes and is the most gym safe because it will not damage the ground.The most popular shape is hex because they wont roll on the ground when you slam them done after lifting heavy weights. These are made with multiple types weights but covered with rubber. -
The selectorized dumbbell
This is the newest type of dumbbell and the most eye catching because on some they have colors on it. These dumbbells are basically updated adjustable dumbbells. They are much easier to adjust and much more gym safe.
