Chapter III: Dumbbells, and How to Use Them

BY W. J. GORDON.

In the previous chapter are given comprehensive instructions on Indian Clubs. The editor thus gave the clubs the preference, as they are in growing favour amongst gymnasts, and in regular gymnasia are fast driving out the ancient dumbbell, owing to their wonderful power of quickly opening the chest and squaring the shoulders. We say ‘ancient dumbbell’ advisedly, for it is at least two thousand years old. It was first introduced amongst us after being noticed on the Greek vases. The shape there given differed somewhat from that now in use, but there is no break in the chain. The oldest form was that of a pointed capital D, the curved line being the handle; afterwards, as shown on the vases, the athletes adopted the form (Fig. A) from which our present bells are derived. Curiously enough, these bells were used in springing and leaping, the power given by the weights being well known to the ancient as well as the modern records. Lawton’s standing wide jump of 12ft. 6-1/2in. in 1876 was done with dumbbells in his hand, and Howard’s flying jump on Chester Racecourse in 1854, when he cleared 29ft. 7in., was done from a block of wood, with a five-pound dumbbell in each of his hands, quite in the old Greek style. However, it is not with the ancient, but the modern, practice that we have here to do. And we have no space to devote to archæology.

In the first place, then, two pounds is quite heavy enough for any dumbbell, and under any circumstances no bell, even for a full-sized man, should exceed five pounds. Heavy bells of fifty or even a hundred pounds have been used, but they are now obsolete. For merely lifting purposes weight was all very well, but as soon as it was shown that health owed more to suppleness than rigidity, and exercises were designed in accordance with the new theory, heavy bells became simply impossible. When they were used by the very strong they were found to give one-sidedness, and by the weak they could not be worked with at all. Four pounds the pair is heavy enough for any boy, and most boys when they come to try the exercises will often wish that the bells were lighter. A word should be said as to price. Plain bells of cast iron cost from twopence to fourpence per pound; if covered with leather, and thereby made considerably more comfortable to the hand, the price is from fourpence to sixpence per pound. For two shillings a lad can get a pair of bells that will suit him in every way and last him a lifetime. The shape of the bells does not matter; the heads may be round or octagonal, according to fancy, but the handle should be thick enough to give a good grip, and it should be half an inch longer than the hand is wide.

Next, let it be clearly understood that dumbbell practice performed in a slovenly way does more harm than good. It is essential that the exercises be done in strict time, not jerkily, but quickly and accurately, as if to the word of command. When the bells are required to be raised together, they should go up together, not one after the other. When they are required to go up alternately, they should go up alternately, at equal speed, the left as fast as the right; when they are to be held out in front together, they should be held out together, and change to the recovery as soon as the weaker arm begins to yield.

This brings us to our third caution. Never overtire yourself. Ten minutes is quite long enough to practise at a time. Take the exercises in the order in which they are given, advancing gradually from the easy to the difficult, succeeding as you go. Do not practise after much head-work, and do not attempt any of the exercises before or after a heavy meal, no matter how light the bells may be. The best time to practise is immediately after the morning bath, and the best costume to wear is that of the mermaid, or as near an approach to nothing as is consistent with decency. Of course in gymnasia special dresses are worn; but, as absolute freedom is required, the model dress of the gymnast should be easily stowable in a glove-box.

And now for the first exercise (Fig. 1). Stand at attention, holding a bell in each hand. Let the arms and legs be quite straight, the body upright, the heels close together, the toes well apart. Hold the bells so that a line through your hips would pass through the centre of each handle. Move the bells an inch from your legs, and twist them round, keeping your arms straight and working your wrists. Do this backwards and forwards with both bells ten times. Then twist the left bell ten times. Then twist the right ten times; then twist them both together five times; thirty-five twists altogether, counting each reversal of the hand as one, beginning with knuckles backwards, and ending with knuckles forwards.

For the second exercise, stand at attention and bend up your forearms only from the elbow, holding the bells out from your chest with the handles vertical and parallel. Now twist them ten times simultaneously, and then ten times with the left hand, ten times with the right, and five times together. Let your elbows be well back, pressing your sides all through this exercise.

For the third exercise, begin at attention, raise your arms from your sides till they are level with your shoulders, forming one straight line with them (Fig. 2). Let your knuckles be on the top, and do the thirty-five twists as in the former exercises. The arms must be quite straight, and there must be no giving at the knees or bending at the waist.

These three exercises are quite enough for the first morning, even though the bells may be under two pounds apiece. Next time we can run through these three exercises quickly, and then try something rather more complicated.

For the fourth exercise begin at attention, and keeping the elbows against the sides, double up your arms so as to bring the bells against your shoulders. Open your chest as far as you can, throw your shoulders well back, and while in this position take a long deep breath (Fig. 8). In fact, in every exercise take long free breaths as often as possible, so as to expand your chest from within as well as from without. Bring the bells up and down ten times both together. You are now ready for the fifth exercise, which consists in bringing the bells from attention up to the shoulders, as in the fourth exercise, and then thrusting them up straight overhead (Fig. 3). Hold them up as high as you can, keeping your feet on the ground and body erect. Then do the twists ten times together, ten times with the left, ten with the right, five together; then with ‘one’ to the shoulder, and ‘two’ to the hang, you recover your starting position.

In the sixth exercise you bring the bells to the shoulder, and keeping your chest well open, thrust your arms, not overhead, but straight in front of you (Fig. 4), and again do the thirty-five twists. In the seventh (Fig. 12) you bring the bells to the shoulder and open your arms right and left, holding them out high and well back at full length, then recovering to the shoulder, and then down. Then ‘up,’ ‘out,’ ‘in,’ ‘down’ again, and so on for ten times. Keep your shoulders well back during this exercise, and do not lose your uprightness! It is a most important and obviously good practice, should be done with care and regularity, and forms a fitting end to lesson number two.

In our third batch we have said good-bye to the twists. For the eighth exercise stand at attention, bells to side as before, and always start from attention. Let this be understood, and it will save repetition. Bring the bells up under the armpits as far as you can get them (Fig. 5). Bring them up together ten times, then ten times with the left hand, ten times with the right, and five times together.

In the ninth exercise bring the bells up to the armpit, and then extend the arms right and left, starting with the bells brought up in front of the shoulder and reaching the same position as in exercise seven. Then bring the bells back to the armpits and recover. Do this ten times; that will be quite enough for the first trial.

For number ten bring the bells to the armpits, and then take them up overhead as in exercise five. Up together ten times, then with the left and right alternately stroke for stroke ten times each (Fig. 7). Then try number eleven, in which the bells are brought to the armpits, then thrust up, brought down to the chest, and down to the hang--‘one,’ ‘two,’ ‘three,’ ‘four’--ten times together, ten times alternately. Then try number twelve (Fig. 6), in which the bells go to the armpits, then aloft, then down well back on to the tops of the shoulders, then extended with a sweep as in number seven, back to chest, and down--‘one,’ ‘two’ aloft, ‘three’ to shoulder, ‘four’ to the limit, ‘five’ to chest, ‘six’ down to hang.

For our fourth lesson we start as before, upright at attention, ready for the thirteenth exercise. Bring the bells to the armpits, and then aloft together, and then keeping them together, bring them down in front, with the arms and legs as straight as you can until you deposit them at your toes. Then lift them again to armpits, aloft, and down with a sweep to your toes, ten times in all, three motions in each.

Now for number fourteen. Lay the bells at the toes from aloft as in thirteen. Then make a full step to the rear with the left foot, the right foot following. Make a half turn to the right. Step to the front with the left foot, the left hand grasping the thighs just above the knee as the foot comes to the ground, the right arm extended in the line of the right leg. Next seize the bell with the right hand, keeping the lower limbs in position. Now lift the bell above the shoulder to the full extension of the arm, leaning strongly on the left knee and pressing the breast to the front during the ascent of the bell, the lower limbs to the knee, and the left arm forming a continuous line from foot to shoulder. Lower the bell, replace it, and recover. Then upright again, step to the rear, right half turn, step to the front with the right foot, and go through the same motions exactly, only with the other hand. Complete this exercise ten times with each hand.

In number fifteen lay the bells at the toes, then stoop and recover them to the hang, then charge out, as it were, with the right foot, taking a good long step, and throwing out your arm to its full length as you do so (Fig. 9). Keep your left leg straight and your shoulders back, and double up your extended arm so as to bring the bell to the top of your shoulder. Move the bell backwards and forwards ten times, and at each return sink towards the ground, bending as you straighten your arm. Then move as in Fig. 17. Then recover, strike out with the left leg and arm, and repeat all the motions (Fig. 18). In sixteen go through the same preliminaries, but instead of striking the hands straight out strike them aloft, sinking as the arm is extended (Fig. 10).

In the next group of exercises the bells are swung.

For number seventeen (Fig. 12) swing the bells up from the hang to the horizontal, and then round till they meet in front, ten times together, letting them fall each time to the side--one, ‘up,’ two ‘round,’ three ‘down.’ For number eighteen bring them to the front first, and then swing them round to the back and down. Keep the finger in front of the handle all through this exercise; do not twist the bells as they pass to the rear. In number nineteen (Fig. 11) swing to the front, then to the back at extension, then from extension swing overhead till the bells meet, then bring them down to the chest and so to the hang, five motions in all. Then step forward with the left foot and go through the same five motions. Then with the right foot advanced go through the same five motions. The object of all these exercises is, of course, to bring into play as many muscles as possible, giving each a turn in time. Whenever possible an exercise should always be done from the three positions--heels together, left foot forward, right foot forward.

Now for our last group. Ready for number twenty (Fig. 13). Stand erect with bells at the side, bring them up to armpits and aloft, and holding them high in the air together twist your body round to the left as far as it will go, but do not move your legs. Then bring the bells to the chest and lift them simultaneously and alternately thirty times as before, then turn your body to the right and do likewise. In twenty-one bring the bells to the chest, twist the body and strike out straight with them together and separately, first twisting to the left, then right. In twenty-two (Fig. 14) raise the bells overhead and sink to the floor, and with knees bent go through the ten first strokes. Then rise and down again and do the ten strokes with the left; then up and down again for the ten with the right.

In twenty-three, as the body sinks the bells are brought to the chest and the arms are extended, moving round to the front horizontally, and brought to the chest again, much as in the act of rowing. This is a very tiring exercise, and at first makes itself felt in every joint in the body: ten times together is quite enough for the first day’s work. Twenty-four (Fig. 16) is an easy exercise, but a valuable one. Swing the bells aloft, and then bend backwards, letting the arms slowly open and extend backwards towards the ground; then bring them back aloft from behind without bending them, then bend in front, and lay the bells at your toes.

There are other exercises, but they are all, like many we have given, mere combinations easily invented by the proficient. The examples herein are quite enough to bring out the full powers of the dumbbell as a gymnastic appliance, and a steady practice of them for ten minutes a day after the morning tub, will not only set the student well up and shape him properly, but add an inch or so to his girth if not to his stature.