Why is the dumbbell so popular?

Does it approximate everyday objects? Nope.

Is the shape uniquely suited to performing every exercise? Not exactly.

Is it easy to hold in multiple ways? Nope.

Kettlebells have been giving them slight competition. But dumbbells are much more popular.

For one simple reason. Tradition. Familiarity. Everyone knows what to do with a dumbbell. The design is self evident. And we’ve seen enough people use one. It’s the norm.

That hasn’t stopped the industry from trying to improve on it.

To be sure, objects like the stones with handles, maces, long rods, top loaded rods have prominently featured in many cultures across the millennia to train athletes.

We continue to iterate and refine these ideas to make them more accessible and scalable.

Takeaway

The simple idea underlying the need to create a new tool: there is always a better tool for every job.

There is a whole lot going on in the world of fitness to make lifting more accessible that is not quite mainstream just yet.