India’s booming fitness culture grew, but its manufacturing muscle lagged, relying almost entirely on imports to fuel its strength revolution. Nearly every dumbbell, barbell, or squat rack that found its way into Indian gyms traces its origins back to Chinese assembly lines- built fast and shipped cheap. And when you think of precision-engineered strength equipment, it’s the international heavyweights like Rogue, Eleiko, and Kabuki that come to mind, nothing homegrown. But one Indian brand is quietly and powerfully redefining what “Made in India” means in the global strength training industry. Unrack is carving a niche that blends science, engineering, and user-centric design. Founded by Sahana Gopal, Unrack is building a Made-in-India strength training brand that targets a global market, delivering durability, precision, and performance at a fraction of the cost of international competitors.
Product Innovation That Stands Out
Sahana leveraged her family’s 40-year steel legacy to develop a line of barbells and equipment engineered for longevity. Using aviation-grade stainless steel and a unique volcano knurl grip, Unrack bars are tested to hold up to 800 kilos, outperforming standard market options in rust resistance and grip quality.
The product range is thoughtfully designed for all athletes, with women’s, men’s, and kids’ barbells meeting precise international standards. For example, women’s bars feature a 25mm grip diameter (vs. 28mm for men), which improves lift capacity by up to 15 kilograms. Positioned between low-cost domestic options and pricier international brands, Unrack is roughly 60% cheaper than premium foreign equipment, offering a balance of quality and affordability that is rare in India’s price-sensitive market.
We’re not just selling equipment; we’re building tools that last for a lifetime of strength, not just a few months of sales.
Strategic Market Positioning
Unrack takes a B2B-first approach, targeting elite sports teams to build credibility before expanding organically into home gyms and boutique studios. Early adopters include Indian cricket teams and the Pro Kabaddi League’s Haryana Steelers, for whom Unrack is setting up full performance centres.
Home gyms became a natural extension, with equipment designed for small spaces and efficient layouts. By understanding the market’s segmentation and leveraging her product management expertise, Sahana ensures that Unrack serves athletes and trainers who value quality and performance over cost-cutting compromises common in commercial gyms.
Empowering Female Athletes
Redefining Strength: How Unrack Is Powering the “Made-in-India” Fitness Revolution affect young girls and women in sports. She cautions against simplistic fitness trends, stressing that only 6% of sports science research focuses on women, and advocates for individualized, data-driven training that accounts for hormonal cycles, puberty changes, and recovery needs.
Strength training with heavy, low-rep loads is safer and more effective for women than high-volume routines, and it supports overall fitness participation.
Shifting Fitness Trends
Strength training is increasingly popular among women in India. Moving away from cardio-focused routines, more women are embracing heavy lifting—motivated by mental health, productivity, and functional fitness rather than aesthetics alone. Sahana emphasises education on programming, fueling, and recovery as critical for long-term progress.
Vision for the Future
Unrack’s long-term goal is ambitious: to see Indian-made strength training equipment on the 2036 Olympic stage. Sahana envisions integrating technology with hardware to enhance coaching experiences, while remaining bootstrapped and focused on steady, meaningful growth.
“My journey from PhD research to Olympic coaching taught me that courage, resilience, and accessible strength are the real foundations of performance.”
The brand’s success is measured not just in sales but also in increasing female athlete participation, supporting grassroots sports, and establishing itself as a globally trusted name in strength equipment.
Unrack is redefining Made-in-India manufacturing with world-class, precision-engineered strength equipment.
The brand bridges the gap between quality and affordability, serving both elite athletes and everyday lifters.
Founder Sahana Gopal is also leading a conversation on female athlete health, training science, and sustainable strength practices.
Her vision is to see Indian-made bars on the 2036 Olympic platform and build a global legacy in strength and performance.
In this episode, Shana and I dive into:
How Sahana turned sports science into a global fitness brand
The gap UNRACK is solving in the women’s strength training space
The challenges (and opportunities) of building Made-in-India fitness hardware
The science behind female athletic performance and recovery
The monetization sweet spot: premium smart gear or mass-market affordability
What the future of women’s fitness looks like from Olympic podiums to home gyms
About the Guest
Dr Sahana Gopal is the Founder and CEO of UNRACK, a manufacturer of high-quality strength training equipment based out of India, with a vision to make every individual experience what strength training can do for them, both physically and mentally.
Alongside, she is a high-performance strength and conditioning consultant, previously having worked with the Olympic diving team of Great Britain for the last two Olympic cycles, contributing to medal-winning performances at the Paris Olympic Games.
She continues to contribute extensively to the area of female athlete health within the aquatic sports, through prior work as a founding member in developing a female exercise physiology database for a femtech start-up. Previously, she completed a PhD in Biomedical Science and Engineering from Imperial College London.
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