Hex Dumbbells

As with many types of fitness equipment, dumbbells have had several innovations over the years to increase their safety both for beginners and experienced athletes. Modern fixed-weight dumbbells are designed with hexagonal or octagonal shapes at each end. These flat-sided dumbbells are universally referred to as hex dumbbells.

A common problem using dumbbells with rounded sides is that if they are dropped during exercise they can easily bounce or roll. A bad bounce can land on an athlete’s foot or crack a gym floor, while a rolling dumbbell with enough weight and momentum behind it can crash into other athletic equipment. Since many types of fitness machines are designed for easy disassembly, this sort of accident can easily wiggle a loose screw enough to cause the entire machine to fall apart. This can cause injury anyone using the machine in question and render irreparable damage to the machine itself.

With all this in mind, the solution to redesign dumbbells with flat sides changed the way the entire fitness industry manufactured these handweights. Although rounded dumbbells can still be found today, its hex-shaped counterpart is often the preferred choice for athletes.

Additional dumbbell safety features have included hexagonal dumbbells with rounded edges to prevent hand injury, as well as dumbbells with weights padded in soft rubber or vinyl. Textured grips along the central bar can serve to counteract the sweat and oil from the athlete’s hands that make dumbbells slippery during a workout, further guaranteeing that safety is a vital part of every dumbbell fitness program.

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