Those are some big heavy balls

I've seen these things around and have always thought they would be fun to work with but never knew what to call them other than Big Heavy Balls.

Now I know what they're called - Kettlebells! I'm sure glad I learned a nicer name for those big heavy balls before starting my fitness class next week because I certainly don't want to sound like a big ol' dumbbell!    

Did you ever wonder why dumbbells are called dumbbells? Well the term goes way back to medieval times when ringing heavy church bells took some strength. Bell ringers in training would have to strengthen their arms in order to do the job properly. Their training involved pulling a rope weighted by scrap metal to simulate the weight of the church bell. Because the scrap metal "bell" weight didn't make noise like a real bell it was referred to as dumb, as in silent. And that is where the term dumbbell originated.