Eleiko at Fitness Supply

Eleiko's story begins in 1927 in Halmstad, Sweden, where the company originally built household appliances like waffle irons and toasters. That changed in 1957, when a factory supervisor and competitive weightlifter proposed a sturdier barbell — one that wouldn't bend or snap under max-effort lifts. Using premium Swedish steel and manufacturing techniques honed over decades, Eleiko produced its first barbell, and it made history at the 1963 World Weightlifting Championships in Stockholm as the first bar to survive an entire competition without failing.

That reputation for uncompromising quality earned Eleiko official certification from the International Weightlifting Federation in 1969, the International Powerlifting Federation in 1973, and Para Powerlifting in 1992 — making it one of the only barbell manufacturers certified across all three disciplines. Eleiko equipment has outfitted more than 50 Olympic and Paralympic Games and over 500 World, Continental, and Regional Championships, and more than 1,000 world records have been set on Eleiko competition bars. For facilities that need platform-certified, competition-grade equipment, Eleiko remains the standard the sport is measured against.