Snow Personal Training

When Tyra Johansson stepped in to run Eleiko in the 1950s, the company was a producer of small electrical appliances like waffle irons.

At the time barbells were regularly bending or breaking at weightlifting competitions. Tyra made the decision to create a better barbell.

To implement that change, Eleiko needed a loan from the bank where the company had been a customer for decades.

The bank refused her request, Tyra was not even offered a seat at the bank office. The bank’s decision had nothing to do with the company’s financial standing, she was denied because she was a woman.

Tyra did not give up. She went to another bank and finally received a loan. The rest is history. Eleiko's new barbell was the first to hold up for an entire World Cup and you might say that it was a spark that helped create a weightlifting revolution.

Today Eleiko has been manufacturing barbells and other strength equipment for more than 60 years.

In celebration of International Women's Day, we pay tribute to Tyra, a strong woman who helped improve weightlifting and made the world a little stronger.

Every day we are constantly reminded of Tyra's strength. Our tagline “Raise the Bar” is a tribute to her and everyone else who is pushing their boundaries and becoming stronger.

Gender equality has come a long way since the 1950s, but there is still injustice. This is what we are trying to do from our side to decrease them.

Product: We work actively with our products to ensure they appeal to both women and men, small but important details such as the size of the grip on can have a big impact.

Marketing: We work to make more people stronger and believe strength is part of living life to the fullest. Strength does not belong to a particular gender, it is for everyone.

We aim to have a balance of men and women in our pictures. We have a policy against sexism. In our images or in other marketing material, we focus on performance.

Eleiko as an employer: We work actively to have a gender diversity across the company.

We know we can continue to raise the bar, and we try to be a little better and more equal every day. If you believe we can improve in some way, please let us know!