IWF120y/6 – 1910: First ‘scientific’ barbells in the market

Weightlifting is intrinsically connected with one basic sports equipment: the barbell. If today, the most modern technologies are applied to the production of the bars, plates, and collars, the initial steps of this industry were given at the beginning of the 20th century. Before that, solid globe-ended barbells or bars with hollow spheres filled with sand (to adjust the weight) were the norm. In 1902, in Philadelphia (USA), Alan Calvert founded the Milo Barbell Company, where the idea of adjustable plates of different weights was first introduced. But the world had to wait until 1910 for the first elaborated patented barbells from the German company Kasper Berg. Founded in 1860 as an iron foundry (and still active nowadays), Berg introduces discs of 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, and 1.5 kg that could be easily adjusted to the bar. The foundation of modern barbell production had started and the excellence of the company was rewarded with the presence at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam as the official weightlifting supplier! Today, the IWF rules stipulate the following plates (and respective colours) for our events: 25kg (red), 20kg (blue), 15kg (yellow), 10kg (green), 5kg (white), 2.5kg (red), 2kg (blue), 1.5kg (yellow), 1kg (green) and 0.5kg (white).

Photo credit: Kasper Berg website