York Barbell: A History of Weightlifting

Perfect Gym Solutions is a proud supplier of the York Barbell Commercial and Light Commercial range of Strength and Gym Equipment. This awesome brand offers a wide range of quality gym equipment and their longevity in the industry is testament to their excellence – reading about the history of York Barbell is like reading about the history of modern weightlifting.

York Barbell was founded in 1932 by Bob Hoffman, who at the time was a prolific author of articles and books instilling the importance of exercise and nutrition. It was during the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932 that Hoffman noticed how the teams from other countries excelled in comparison to the American weightlifting team, so that same year Hoffman established the York Barbell Company and began promoting weightlifting across the USA. To further the improvements in performance, Hoffman reached out to ostracised minorities of the time to train and compete at York Barbell.

During the Second World War, York Barbell supplied barbells to the United States military to to help the service personnel increase strength; when the war ended, the demand for barbells increased due to the military personnel, who had experienced the benefits of weightlifting, returning home.

From the 1930s through the 1970s, York Barbell sponsored over 40 USA national championships and numerous Olympic gold medalists. Hoffman became the Coach of the US Olympic Weightlifting Team during America’s Golden Age of Weightlifting in 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964 Games.

Throughout its history, York Barbell has revolutionised the design of training equipment and products. From the early glove barbell designs to today’s precision plates, innovative grip plates, finely crafted bars, and residential and commercial free weight equipment, York Barbell has consistently set the standard in product styling, performance, and value.

Today York Barbell boasts an extended list of customers and has supplied gym equipment to thousands of Collegiate, High School and Commercial Gyms around the World, and many Elite Teams across sporting genres, including NFL, NBA, NCAA Football and Basketball, SRFU, IRFU, Premiership Rugby Clubs, Premiership and League Football Teams.

At Perfect Gym Solutions, we sell the full range of York Barbell Commercial Strength Equipment. The STS Range is just the answer for Commercial Gyms which want to feature tried and tested gym equipment, confident that there will be no bad surprises. The STS Power Racks and Half Racks in particular are incredibly heavy duty and are superb in any strength and conditioning facility.