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**At Eleiko, our people are what shape our story. Lars-Inge Eriksson, nicknamed ”Spinge”, is an Eleiko team member who has worked in our workshop in Halmstad, Sweden, since 1975. More than 45 years later, ”Spinge” retires after decades of hard work to create the ultimate lifting experience.**

"I started working at Eleiko in 1975. It was meant to be a summer job for a few months, but I'm still here more than 45 years later! 45 people were working on the floor and 5 in the office when I started. At that time, our main business was electronic equipment like waffle irons, stoves, hotplates, and waste management products. 

Soon, the strength training equipment took over. The first Eleiko barbell was introduced in 1963, making its debut at the World Championships in Stockholm. Throughout the entire competition, the barbell held its form – no bending, snapping or disfigurations – the first of its kind to last. This immediately caught the interest of the weightlifting community. We have stayed true to this dedication to quality when we precision-craft our barbells today. That's why you'll find Eleiko equipment in use daily, even decades after it's been delivered. 

"We used to paint our competition plates by hand in-house in Halmstad. We piled them on top of each other and simply painted the outside of the plates in different colours to make it easy to see which weights were on the barbell. Before the rubber plates came, the old plates were nicknamed "wagon wheels" since that's precisely what they looked like. The early lifting collars were mounted using two wing nuts – not very practical. There was also a shoe where you hung weights on each side to work on your knee strength, kind of like old skates, and a stick that you held in your hands and rolled up a string with a hook at the end, where you could hang the weights.

It sounds like it was better in the old days, but the equipment and how we produce our equipment are so much better nowadays. We are constantly pushing for new ways to innovate. Still, we never forget our roots – the high quality, craftsmanship, and teamwork we are known for. As I move into retirement, I'm still curious what lies next for Eleiko and how the world of training and strength develops." 



We are always pushing for new ways to innovate, but we never forget our roots –the high quality, craftmanship and teamwork that we are known for.

At the time, we painted our competition plates by hand in-house in Halmstad. We piled them on top of each other and simply painted the outside of the plates in different colours to make it easy to see which weights were on the barbell. The old plates, before the rubber plates came, were nicknamed” wagon wheels”, since that’s exactly what they looked like. The early lifting collars were mounted using two wing nuts – not very practical. There was also a shoe where you hung weights on each side to work on your knee strength, kind of like old skates, and a stick that you held in your hands and rolled up a string with a hook at the end, where you could hang the weights.  

Strength equipment has truly come a long way since then. We are always pushing for new ways to innovate, but we never forget our roots –the high quality, craftmanship and teamwork that we are known for. As I continue my journey as a part of the Eleiko team, I am looking forward to seeing what’s next for us.”

Lars-Inge "Spinge" Eriksson

Crafting the world's best bars for more than 40 years.