Rob dives deep into the very beginning of dumbbells, their evolution, and then compares them to what we have today.

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Sources

Special thanks to Dr. Jan Todd and The Stark Center!

“2 for 1 York Dumbbells are also Swingbells!” Muscular Development, Volume 5, Number 1, Strength & Health Publishing Company, January 1968

“Dumbbell.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbbell

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Jowett, George F. “Dumb-Bell.” Patent US1672944A, Google Patent, 12 June 1928, https://patents.google.com/patent/US1672944A/en

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“The Sandow Ringing Dumbbell.” Barbells and Bios, The H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, 19 August 2020,

https://starkcenter.org/2020/08/the-sandow-ringing-dumb-bell/

“Solid Iron Dumbbells.” Muscular Development, Volume 5, Number 1, Strength & Health Publishing Company, January 1968

Todd, Jan. “From Milo to Milo: A History of Barbells, Dumbbells, and Indian Clubs.” Iron Game History, Volume 3, Issue 6, The H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, April 1995, https://starkcenter.org/igh_article/igh0306c/

Todd, Jan. “The Strength Builders: A History of Barbells, Dumbbells, and Indian Clubs.” The International Journal of the History of Sport, March 2003, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249030520_The_Strength_Builders_A_History_of_Barbells_Dumbbells_and_Indian_Clubs

Wood, Robert. "Olympics Weightlifting All Around Dumbbell Contest." Topend Sports Website, July 2010, https://www.topendsports.com/events/discontinued/weights-allround-dumbbell.html

“York Aristocrat Dumbbell Set.” Muscular Development, Volume 5, Number 1, Strength & Health Publishing Company, January 1968