Muscle Beach | |
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Location | Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
Coordinates | 34°00′30″N118°29′41″W / 34.0084425°N 118.494603°W |
Founded | 1934 |
Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Muscle Beach is the birthplace of the United States physical fitness boom, which started in 1934 with predominantly gymnastics activities on the south side of the Santa Monica Pier. [1] Muscle Beach Venice is the contemporary title of the outdoor weightlifting platform constructed in Venice, California, a distinct neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, 18 years after Muscle Beach was established.
Muscle Beach dates back to the 1930s when the New Deal agency Works Progress Administration (WPA) installed exercise equipment immediately south of the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California. [2] [3] Popular gymnastic and acrobatic exhibitions were routinely held there on city-provided equipment. A platform on the beach with weight lifting equipment provided a workout area for such famous bodybuilders as Vic Tanny, Jack LaLanne, and Joe Gold. [4]
In 1989, the City of Santa Monica officially dedicated the original Muscle Beach and today it serves gymnasts, acrobats and youth with an extensive gymnastics training area. Meanwhile, the adjacent City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department has continued the primary barbell, weightlifting and bodybuilding aspects, and events of the original Muscle Beach fame at the Venice weight pen. In 1987, the City of Los Angeles officially dedicated "Muscle Beach Venice" with the added word of "Venice" in the title to distinguish it from the original "Muscle Beach" in Santa Monica. [5]
Muscle Beach Venice was officially titled in 1987 by the City of Los Angeles with the distinguishing name "Venice" added to the location to honor the original Santa Monica site. [5]
By the 1950s, Muscle Beach established worldwide fame and helped to popularize and bring legitimacy to physical culture with acrobatics and bodybuilding. [6]
Today it is an open playground with a gated area that encloses weightlifting equipment. The second area is a sand box with gymnastic, rope climbing, and acrobatic bars. The City charges a fee to use the outdoor gym. [7]
Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic purposes over functional ones, distinguishing it from similar activities such as powerlifting and calisthenics.
Venice is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California, United States.
Pumping Iron is a 1977 American docudrama about the world of professional bodybuilding, with a focus on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and 1975 Mr. Olympia competitions. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore and edited by Geof Bartz and Larry Silk, it is inspired by the 1974 book of the same name by photographer Butler and writer Charles Gaines and nominally centers on the competition between Arnold Schwarzenegger and one of his primary competitors for the title of Mr. Olympia, Lou Ferrigno. The film also features segments on bodybuilders Franco Columbu and Mike Katz, in addition to appearances by Ken Waller, Ed Corney, Serge Nubret, and other famous bodybuilders of the era.
Joe Gold was an American bodybuilder and businessman. He was the founder of Gold's Gym and World Gym. He has been credited with being the father of the bodybuilding and the fitness craze.
David Draper was an American bodybuilder, actor and author.
The Santa Monica Pier is a large pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing. The pier is part of the greater Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
The history of Santa Monica, California covers the significant events and movements in Santa Monica's past.
Larry Dee Scott, nicknamed "The Legend" and "The Golden Boy," was an American IFBB professional bodybuilder. He won the inaugural 1965 Mr. Olympia competition and defended the crown at the 1966 Mr. Olympia contest before retiring. He also won the Mr. America title in 1962 and the Mr. Universe title in 1964. With his Olympia victory in 1965, Scott became the first man to win the three major titles of his era. A student of Vince Gironda, he became best known for his arm development, particularly his impressive and unusually long biceps. He was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 1999.
William Arnold Pearl was an American professional bodybuilder and athlete. During the 1950s and 60s, he won many titles and awards, including winning the Mr. Universe contest five times, and was named "World's Best-Built Man of the Century". He later became an expert trainer and author on bodybuilding.
World Gym International LLC is an American fitness center founded in 1976 by Joe Gold during the glory days of "Muscle Beach" in Venice Beach, California. Joe Gold is also the founder of Gold's Gym, another unaffiliated gym chain, which he sold in 1973. The gym was often frequented by celebrities and famous bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Dave Draper and Franco Columbu.
Tony Sansone was an Italian-American bodybuilder and model.
Universal Gym Equipment was an American manufacturer of exercise equipment, in particular weight machines. It was founded by Harold Zinkin in 1957. In 1998, it was acquired by Flexible Flyer. In 2006 it was acquired by Nautilus, Inc. The Universal Gym brand was subsequently discontinued except for a line of selectorized dumbbells.
Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton, née Eville, was an American professional strongwoman and forerunner of present-day female bodybuilders, who became famous through her involvement with Muscle Beach in the 1940s.
Deforrest "Moe" Most was a gymnast and the unofficial "ambassador" of Muscle Beach.
Victor "Vic" Tanny was an American bodybuilder, entrepreneur and physical culture advocate. He is considered a pioneer of the modern health club.
A gym, short for gymnasium, is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term "gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational institutions. "Gym" is also the commonly used name for a "fitness centre" or health club, which is often an area for indoor recreation. A "gym" may include or describe adjacent open air areas as well. In Western countries, "gyms" often describe places with indoor or outdoor courts for basketball, hockey, tennis, boxing or wrestling, and with equipment and machines used for physical development training, or to do exercises. In many European countries, Gymnasium also can describe a secondary school that prepares students for higher education at a university, with or without the presence of athletic courts, fields, or equipment.
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Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can include: developing physical strength; promoting health and fitness; competing in weightlifting sports; and developing a muscular and aesthetic physique.
Fitness culture refers to the social and cultural practices, values, and behaviors centered around exercise and physical fitness. It is commonly associated with activities performed in gyms, wellness centers, and health clubs, which have become popular spaces for individuals seeking to improve or maintain their physical fitness.
Kenneth Ray Sprague is an American bodybuilder, businessman, author and school teacher. He is best known as the owner of the original Gold's Gym in Venice, Los Angeles, which he purchased and managed between the years 1972 and 1979.