The humble beginnings of Gold’s Gym

It’s no secret. If you want to be a bodybuilder or just want to lift weights and gain some muscle you’re eventually going to find yourself in a fitness gym. These days finding a gym is pretty much as simple as searching Google and making a decision on what place suits your needs. Back in the day however finding a gym, specifically for bodybuilding, was like benching a metric ton with one hand. Pretty much impossible. But in the mid 1960’s that all changed. Gold’s Gym. In the bodybuilding community everyone knows the name. It has a history of being one of the most popular gyms in the world and in it’s heyday catered to athletes looking to shape the perfect body.

Gold’s Gym, established in Venice, California 1965, was a mecca for the bodybuilding community. Established by Joe Gold, the gym was first built as a haven for bodybuilders to train in an indoor setting. I say indoor setting like it’s unusual, but back then it truly was. With all the gym chains out there nowadays it’s a bit hard to believe that anyone would have trouble finding a place with a roof and four walls to lift some weights. Truth of the matter is that before Gold’s Gym was established many of the old school bodybuilders were training outdoors on wooden planks set up by the beach. Owning a number of beachfront properties, which were dirt cheap at the time, Mr. Gold saw an opportunity to make a change. A series of unfortunate events would push Joe to finally make a move and set up an indoor gym where his friends and fellow bodybuilders could train without worrying about being caught out in the rain. It’s first incarnation wasn’t pretty, but it had the necessary tools needed to train: a roof, some hand crafted weights, and athletes with drive and determination. Really, what else do you need?

In 1970 Joe sold the rights to the gym and the ownership passed through many hands, though this did nothing to tarnish the brand. In fact the gym would continue to flourish into The 1980’s. After the success of 1977’s Pumping Iron and the prominence of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the fitness center became a mainstay in popular culture. Featured prominently in the film, the Gym was the hub for many bodybuilding athletes, particularly Schwarzenegger who used the establishment as his main headquarters during his training camp for 1975 Mr. Olympia. Due to the success of Pumping Iron and the general public’s interest in the industry that Gold’s Gym would experience a boost in sales and popularity. The bodybuilding phenomenon took hold and Hollywood was paying attention. A spotlight was shone on these nigh supernatural fitness gods and people were taking notice. The gym became a famous hangout for many celebrities looking to improve upon their physique including Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme to name a few. The gym is still frequented to this day by bodybuilders of the likes of Lou Ferrigno, Shawn Ryan, and Jay Cutler. Gold’s preeminence had made bodybuilding into a commodity that few could ignore and that many aspire to.

The gym continues to be a mainstay and the place to go to sculpt the ultimate body. There’s no denying that the sport wouldn’t be the same today without the impact of Gold’s Gym and will go down as one of the game changers that brought bodybuilding into the light.

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