The state of California had two gold rushes. The first occurred in the 19th century, when rumors of gold inspired prospectors to take the long, arduous journey to the west. The next gold rush, so to speak, took place in the 1960s, when Joe Gold opened his Venice Beach. gym, and inspired bodybuilders from all over the world to take the long, arduous journey toward extreme muscle growth.
Early Years
The bodybuilding mystique got Joe Gold's attention while he was still in high school. He founded a small workout gym in a car repair shop, and called it the Dugout Athletics Club. When he wasn't at school, Gold spent his leisure time hangout out on Santa Monica's Muscle Beach with professional bodybuilders and stuntmen. It was there that actress Mae West discovered him, and recruited him as part of her loin-clothed all-male chorus line.
Venice Beach Gym
Santa Monica's Muscle Beach Gym was hardly a luxury facility, recalls professional bodybuilder Dave Draper. The old, dingy building that housed the gym smelled and had frequent leaks and antiquated equipment. Local bodybuilders were ripe for a change when Gold built his Venice Beach Gym in 1965.
Gold updated and redesigned many of the original forms of bodybuilding equipment, setting the standard for modern equipment manufacturers. Instead of using milk crates, for example, he created professional weight-training benches. Instead of scattering weight plates across the floor, Gold designed stands and stacking mechanisms.
Schwarzenegger Years
Three years later, an unknown Austrian weightlifter named Arnold Schwarzenegger walked into Gold's Gym. Since he was short on cash, Gold let him work out free of charge. Schwarzenegger became a regular fixture at Gold's Gym, and he eventually rewarded his mentor's kindness by using Gold's Gym as the setting for his 1975 film "Pumping Iron." The film put Gold's Gym on the map, and franchises sprang up throughout the country.
Gold's Gym Evolution
Gold's Gym began life as an all-male fitness center focused exclusively on bodybuilding, but as ownership changed hands, fitness managers added different types of program. Gold's is now a coed gym, with programs such as core training, which uses stability balls, plyometrics and Pilates. They even designed their signature Gold's Gym Dance Workout. The home version of this dance workout uses the Wii game balance board.
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