Adjustable dumbbells

The correct spelling of dumbell is dumbbell, although I use both forms because it’s a common spelling mistake. Aside from dumbell weights, I also present information regarding the dumbbell set, dumbbell rack, adjustable dumbbells and dumbbell exercises. Let’s focus on dumbbell weights first:

_

Dumbell weights

I prefer dumbbells to home gym machines. With the right sets you can develop your arms and chest even better than using expensive gym equipment. I’m a fan of dumbbells because they’re cheap, simple, and easy to use. There’s no reason to complicate simple things. Dumbbells are so uncomplicated that there’s nothing to explain, but the etymology of the word itself is quite interesting. Why is a connection made between “dumb” and “bell”? Here’s the reason: Athletes in England used hand-held church bells, made of heavy metal, to develop their muscles. To avoid the noise, they invented dumb-bells, since “dumb” in British English means silent or unable to speak and not “stupid” as is it’s connotation in the US. Therefore, the English athletic dumbell weight served as a prototype for the contemporary dumbbells we now use for building muscles.

Let’s compare the most expensive and the cheapest dumbbell set available online. The most expensive set of weights come from Body-Solid. For just $1,150 you can have one of three dumbbell sets depending on the weights: a set of 10 weights form 5lbs to 50lbs, a set of 5 weights from 55lbs to 75lbs, or from 80lbs to 100lbs (5lbs is 2,3kgs, 100lbs is 45,5kgs). A set worth more than $1,000? To be honest I don’t want to even look at the description of it. I guess the target market for this product is 5 fitness clubs in L.A., Frisco, New York, London and Tokyo. Why spend so much money for a piece of iron covered by a kind of plastic? I’m not a communist however $1,000 is about the amount of money that around a billion people survive on for a year, in some places it represents the total income for two years.

The cheapest dumbell weights from discount home gyms online stores costs less than $3. They are made of iron and re also vinyl coated, exactly the same material as the set described in the paragraph above. The cheapest dumbbell set I’ve found consists of three pairs (2, 3, and 5lbs) costs $24. That means that it’s priced 50 times lower than the first one. Let me repeat it: we are talking about EXACTLY the same thing, I mean vinyl coated iron. Did I say I’m not a communist? I like the free market. The Free market is a place where rich people who crap with money can spend $1,000 instead of $20 for the same thing. It looks like a kind of perverse justice in 4 steps:

1. you are poor, but a smart man
2. you are smart enough to become a rich man
3. once you are rich you start to pay $50 for things worth $1
4. that’s how you become stupid

_

Adjustable dumbbells

Adjustable dumbbells are much more interesting than traditional ones. Adding weights you can adjust them according to your current possibilities. Price ranges of sets vary from $25 (used adjustable dumbbells set on ebay) to over $700. The most expensive set which I’ve found through AmericanFitness net is Body-Solid Adjustable Body-Blox Dumbbells (2 dumbbells and a metal stand). The set looks really amazing. They are not simple vinyl-coated pieces of iron but sophisticated gym equipment for professionals. Total weight of both dumbbells with all weights and barbell included is 130lbs (59 kgs). The metal stand design is so appealing that it looks much better than many of contemporary artistic 3 dimensional forms.

Dumbbell rack

I strongly recommend using adjustable dumbbells, however, if you have already acquired a set of traditional ones, than a dumbbell rack may be necessary to keep basic order in your gym studio. You shouldn’t pay much more than $30 for a regular rack. On the other hand, if you’re looking for the whole set with a rack included for a fitness studio, prices can go up as high as  $2,600 and up. WillyGoat sells an impressive Standard Club Dumbbell Pack with Storage Rack. The whole set contains 16 pairs of weights. The second thing worth buying is a exercise wall mirror.

Dumbbell exercises

We can divide dumbbell exercises into different groups depending on the muscles we’re training. The basic division rozróżnia: dumbbell exercises for abdomen, chest, legs, shoulders, biceps, triceps, back, and forearms. (By the way – using dumbbells one can develop almost all groups of muscles without using any expensive gym equipment.)

Animated drawings of basic workouts will be provided soon.

For those of you interested more in stretching than bodybuilding some pilates machines that can interest you under the link.