Dumbbells, as a word originated in Tudor England―th e devices used for ringing church bells were widely k nown for their impact on increasing muscle size, crea ting a trend in the 16th Century which saw rich youn g men installing similar devices in their homes, cons isting of a pulley with a weighted rope which the use r pulled as though they were ringing a church bell. T hese were known as "bells", but as there were no actu al bells on the end of the pulling ropes and were sil ent, they came to be known colloquially as "dumb-bell s". Over the centuries, the pulley and weighted rope fell out of fashion, leaving just the weight. By the early 19th Century, the familiar shape of the dumbbel l, with two equal weights attached to a handle, had appeared.