One of the largest modern day influences on the fitness community was Muscle Beach. The original Muscle Beach dates back to the 1930s when the Works Progress Administration (WPA) installed exercise equipment immediately south of the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California. Popular gymnastic and acrobatic exhibitions were routinely held there on city-provided equipment.
Muscle Beach Gets Its Start
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. Muscle House was a “crash pad” just off the beach where many bodybuilders would live for cheap rent and convenient access to the beach. It was a common waypoint for bodybuilders such as Chet Yorton, Steve Reeves, Vince Edwards, Jack Delinger, George Eiferman, and Dave Draper.
The site of Muscle Beach Venice has inherited the modern fame and attention that was initially generated by the original Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, as the tumbling platform from this earlier facility had been removed by the City of Santa Monica due to difficulties in the day-to-day maintenance and supervision of the original Muscle Beach site in 1959. Yet the original regulars of Muscle Beach in Santa Monica continued to congregate at the world-famous setting with an emphasis on gymnastics events, acrobatics and adagio training, and performances.
In 1989, the City of Santa Monica officially rededicated the original Muscle Beach and today it serves gymnasts, acrobats, and youth with an extensive gymnastics training area. Meanwhile, the 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.
After the closing of the original Muscle Beach, bodybuilding attention shifted south to the somewhat lesser-known Venice Beach Weight Pen, operated by the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department. A small spartan weight pen was built near Windward Avenue in 1952, later replaced by the large current facility during a complete renovation and Muscle Beach Venice redevelopment effort in 1990, which sports a huge concrete barbell on the roof and bleachers for spectators. Today it is an open playground with a gated area that encloses weight lifting equipment with a second area being a sandbox with gymnastics, rope climbing, and acrobatic bars.
The Start of Commercial Gym Equipment
During the last years of Muscle Beach, Universal Gym Equipment was founded by Muscle Beach alumnus and the first Mr. California Harold Zinkin in 1957. At that time, barbells and dumbbells were the primary means of physical conditioning, used only by a select few who understood the benefits of strength training. Zinkin wanted to broaden weightlifting’s appeal with equipment that was safer, more compact and worked every major muscle group.
He created a multi-station machine featuring separate stacks of weight plates that moved up and down on solid steel runner guides. Weight changes were quick and easy, thanks to his unique, selectorized weight key system. He introduced this first Universal machine to the world, and in so doing, created a fitness revolution that continues to this day.
In the prologue to his book “Remembering Muscle Beach,” Zinkin writes of his accomplishment, “If I’m proud of anything, it’s that machine and the fact that there probably isn’t one professional athlete in the world who hasn’t worked out on a Universal at least once.”
From that point on, the Universal name became synonymous with fitness. Universal pioneered many industry “firsts,” such as the Dynamic Variable Resistance technology that varies the resistance applied to muscle groups by the machine throughout the entire range of motion; and the Aerobic Super Circuit, a total body conditioning regimen that incorporates cardiovascular exercise and strength training in a single workout. Universal became the fitness equipment of choice for people all over the world, from professional sports teams and Olympic athletes to individuals who simply wanted to get in shape and make the most of their bodies.
Pumping Iron Makes its Debut and Schwarzenegger Becomes a Household Name
As previously mentioned, Muscle Beach was home to many high profile fitness competitors and bodybuilders especially Arnold Swartzenegger. Another pivotal moment in fitness history that sparked the modern day fitness craze was the docudrama entitled, Pumping Iron,
Pumping Iron launched Schwarzenegger’s career, and led to an era of fitness obsession and action heroes. It focused on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia competitions. Inspired by a book of the same name by Charles Gaines and George Butler, the film nominally focuses on the competition between Arnold Schwarzenegger and one of his primary competitors for the title of Mr. Olympia, Lou Ferrigno. The film also features brief segments focusing 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.
Shot during the 100 days leading up to the Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia competitions and during the competitions themselves, the filmmakers ran out of funds to finish production, and it entered development purgatory for two years. Ultimately, Schwarzenegger and other bodybuilders featured in the film helped to raise funds to complete production, and it was released in 1977. The film became a box office success, making Schwarzenegger a household name. The film also served to popularize the then somewhat niche culture of bodybuilding, helping to inspire the fitness craze of the 1980s; following the film’s release, there was a marked increase in the number of commercial gyms, and bodybuilding and figure training specialists.
A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry
The release of Pumping Iron accelerated the fitness industry to become a multi-billion dollar industry. Since the 1980’s numerous machine companies have formed (Nautilus, Hammer Strength, Cybex, Life Fitness, Flex, Star Trak, to name a few) along with the re-invention/creation of various resistance training programs, fitness gadgets, infomercials, nutritional programs, weight-loss programs along with a plethora of other fitness items bombarding stores, airways, billboards, and television all trying to convince the general public someone has found the solution to a perfect body and fast weight loss.
Companies have designed and redesigned strength training machines with claims their product is the answer to many of the problems faced in the strength and fitness training industry. Recently there has been a return to simplicity within the physical training industry, i.e. utilization of gymnastics, body weight exercises, track, and field training protocols, old-time strongman training as well as the old fashion barbells and dumbbells.
Across the globe training facilities are opening utilizing simple yet highly effective methodologies once deemed ineffective but now have resurfaced with claims that these simple training methodologies are actually more effective than the shiny machines marketed as more productive, time efficient, and safer. Various new systems of training are surfacing constantly stating the efficacy of a certain program via mass media.
With the advent of the world wide web, millions of people have the chance to elaborate on what is the best tool to train with, what tool makes you substantially stronger than any of their competitors, what program brings the best and fastest results (including those who seek performance increases in a particular sport) as well as the web being the definitive tool to inform the world everyone is an expert.
