The Strength Builders: A History of Barbells, Dumbbells and Indian Clubs

Although weight training is rapidly becoming one of the world's most popular recreational activities, we still know relatively little about its origins. This article explores the evolution of resistance training by examining the history of its most important hand-held tools - the barbell, the dumbbell and the Indian club. It is not meant to be a comprehensive history of resistance exercise but, rather, an attempt to trace the first reports of various kinds of equipment and to see how training and equipment evolved over time.