The story of York Barbell all begins with one man, Bob Hoffman. Hoffman first began lifting and making weights in his oil burner factory in York, PA in 1929. The athletic club at that factory quickly took up weightlifting until eventually it would be the main staple of the club. The name was then changed to the York Barbell Club and attracted musclemen from all over the world into the little town of York.
During the 1932 Olympic Games the United States showed an extremely poor performance in weightlifting. Shortly after this Hoffman began promoting weightlifting heavily and began publishing his own magazine on the topic. From this effort stemmed new interest in the sport and the first US victory in weightlifting since 1904 in the 1936 Olympic Games. The winner, it just so happened, was a member of the York Barbell Club.
Two years later Hoffman sold off his interest in the oil burner company and in 1938 York Barbells began its concentration on weightlifting equipment. The interest caused by this company is part of the reason that by the late 40’s York was known as “Muscletown.”
After over a half-century York Barbell is still the industry standard in weights. The York name appears on more barbells than any other name in the world and is currently the only Olympic certified United States based manufacturer of weights.