The Evolution Of Gold's Gym | Bodybuilding Chronicles

Shawn Ray's first hand experience with Gold's Gym - from it's prime to today.
Gold's Gym is like a beacon of light in the history of bodybuilding. Known as The Mecca of Bodybuilding, Gold's Gym Venice is in many ways the genesis of bodybuilding as we know it today. It brought together the original legends such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sergio Oliva, Franco Columbu, and more. Sadly, the Gold's Gym of today isn't the same (both ideologically and physically - they changed locations since it's inception). Now the idea of The Mecca exists mostly as legend and inspiration for young aspiring bodybuilders. Corporate America, globalization, and the rise of digital and online media has changed the way bodybuilders socialize, get training information, and evolve as competitors.
That's why Shawn Ray gives us a detailed oral history of his experience with Gold's Gym. It may not have been the 70's Golden Era with Arnold Schwarzenegger - but it was still a moment of a boom for Gold's Gym. It was a time when the gym was popularized by Pumping Iron - but had yet to lose the intimate spirit that made it such an important place in bodybuilding history. The Gold's Gym of today will always hold some charm and clout - as it's name alone still brings in celebrities and talented bodybuilders. But like anything in this world, it's never the same as that glorious moment when it all happened naturally. Before it's reputation dwarfed the actual gym itself. The best we can do now is relive those glory days from bodybuilders who were actually there - like Shawn Ray.
It's the closest we can get to actually living it. And trust us, it will provide more than enough motivation for your next workout. Watch the full episode above.
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[@GREGG_VALENTINO]

I WAS THERE BEFORE SHAWN WAS THERE....AND WHAT'S THERE NOW IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT I EXPERIENCED IN 1980-81-82-83 AND SAME WITH WORLDS GYM SEEING ARNOLD IN THE GYM AT 5am TRAINING STILL YOUNG AFTER WINNING THE 1980 MR OLYMPIA WAS SOMETHING I AM PROUD TO SAY I WAS PART OF!!!!...GV

[@vaiona5156]

Gregg Valentino YOU WERE LUCKY TO SEE IT ALL IN THE GOLDEN ERA. LUCKYGUY!!!

[@GREGG_VALENTINO]

THANK YOU MY BROTHER,,,YOU ROCK!!!!...GV

[@mrlegs1544]

Electric

[@dreambigdoc]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zl6TkpSjftqbhaM

[@aaronparra4521]

I’m an LA local and this video is an accurate description of what you’ll experience if you work out at Gold’s Gym Venice. One of the perks of working out here is when the professionals see you doing something wrong and they come over and give you advice on how to accurately perform an exercise. The bodybuilders might be huge, but they’re teddy bears 😊

[@steviethomas1988]

I lived in Venice 89-94 trained at golds twice a day all what Shawn is saying is correct all the pros were there and when there was a pro show comin up ALL the pros were there I’ll never forget one day walked in in the middle room doing incline bench press was Lee Haney then also doing hamstring curls was Dorian Yates and Lee labrada Vince Taylor and Mike Christian in the gym too and don’t think there was ANY show on ! (Maybe photo shoots) I say 80% if not more all pros came to golds and they used to nearly all stay at the Marina pacific hotel on Venice beach (now hotel Erwin I think ) in that hotel at restaurant was the chef named RAJ who done all the pro bodybuilding food for the pros !... yes they trusted Raj!! He was that good of a chef ... I think honestly for golds Venice the peak years were (once it moved to where it is now) 89 to 99 I would say ... nothing stays the same ... it’s not BAD now it’s just DIFFERENT ...... change of times

[@kerpal321]

what a great time in history to have been there

[@Colossus1993]

Bodybuilding in the 80s and 90s looked so cool, the atmosphere in the gyms, the camerydy between people. I'm from 93, training since 2011 obviously I didn't experienced that, like Shawn said, now days, it's the world off technologys/influencers... Great video, thanks 💪

[@belingonza318]

First time for me was 1974 different atmosphere back then. Nobody had money but they liked to work out. Haven't been out there since they rebuilt the weight pit on the beach. I know I'm old but i have alot of memories!

[@rorycampbell8753]

Belin Gonza you’re a legend!

[@paulhupp4293]

You were one of the lucky ones that trained n the original GG on Pacific Ave....

[@Stanly-Stud]

Golds was full of schmoes, drugs & homosexuality 😮

[@ianwalsh9552]

An entertainment centre rather than a hardcore gym

[@deanhoward7455]

Such rich history well told by someone who was there

[@dquinn8344]

Really? He was there at 1006 Pacific Ave and 1452 2nd Street?

[@Jcecil17]

Annoys the fuck out of me how I can't go to gold's gym because of travel cost and dangers of driving.

[@TheOpenScroll]

GREAT VIDEO !!! Thanks Shawn Ray and Generation Iron 💎💎💎👍😊

[@jefferyyoder9785]

My best experience in BB was living in Orlando FL in the 1980s training at Orange Avenue Gym. It was old school and folks weren't mega dosing and I seen guys do 415 seated shoulder presses and 500lbs squats for 30 reps. Monsters but were genetically gifted through God and not Chemically gifted!

[@jimmyjohnson6232]

Ban cell phones in the gyms

[@flexrose2552]

It souns like bodybuilding heaven! Cool story!

[@dreambigdoc]

The Hampton Drive location Shawn speaks about is the third location of Gold’s. The original at 1006 Pacific was open from 1965-1976. The second location was 1452 2nd Street in Santa Monica from 1976-1981. Then the Hampton location that Shawn is speaking about here, is the third. Joe Gold sold Gold’s in 1970 and nothing to do with it from then on. The video is a bit confusing in terms of historical accuracy.

[@dreambigdoc]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zl6TkpSjftqbhaM

[@ovathere93]

And now we have...Bev Francis Power House. The east coast Mecca.

[@archilonshadowheart7]

its a historical landmark google cant just buy it that'll be a controversy, somebody needs to buy it and keep bodybuilding alive we need a place a foundation or stronghold otherwise we dont have a place that's the place to be it'll end up flipping to the east coast and being Bev Francis gym. the bodybuilding scene has been there since the 30's really built up in the 50's. with Tanny's and Gironda's i mean its fucking historic how can it be taken and just bought?

[@LacosteBoy1]

Gold's Gym = Arnold Schwarzenegger

[@tiberiusxv]

wow very interesting video!

[@asadniazi227]

Amazing video!

[@maggimar3118]

Great story told by a great man, Shawn Ray

[@jimmendence6383]

how can you tell someone how it was you had to be there

[@FilipDropulic]

The Blade came and never go! 😅💪🏻🤙

[@hassanphoenix5479]

Vic Richards 19 yrs old 30 inches quads Now that’s something we never heard

[@dquinn8344]

Those crappy wood frame houses under construction behind Shawn look awful...Looks like cheap 3rd world construction....

[@JohnnyCage333]

Awesome! Alot of history. Classic! Venice Beach Golds Gym!🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♀️💪

[@goldenera4ever]

I would love to visit Gold's Venice. I may be wrong but I've seen Mike O'Hearn using a pull up bar that looks an awful lot like the same one we've all seen Arnold using at the Original Gold's in those old black and white photos. If that is indeed an actual original piece it should probably be in a museum, but how awesome would it be to use the same piece of equipment that golden era bodybuilders used?

[@SoleMax23]

That voice….😂🤣😂🤣🤦🏽‍♂️🥴🤷🏽‍♂️

[@OriginalPuro]

"You see literally every celebrity on their phones between sets" That's not a good thing, the world is too addicted to phones and social media, especially young women and girls.

[@iamJROD]

Vince's Gym North Hollywood was another classic gym.

[@vaiona5156]

80S 90S AND EARLY 2000 MUST OF BEEN AWESOME THERE! NOW ITS FULL OF KZbinRS😂😂😂😂 FML

[@dquinn8344]

Shawn is not talking here about the first 2 Gold's gym locations (in Venice at 1006 Pacific Ave and then Santa Monica at 1452 2nd Street) which were gone before he came to California. Those 2 iconic photos (were first seen in Weider's magazine) at 8:57 and 9:01 are at the 2nd Gold's in Santa Monica taken in late 1978....

[@BobbyTompkins-hp1nc]

Think in the Locker Room they had A Used Needle Ben to dispose your Needles.

[@amandeepv]

1.20 guy next to Goldblum ,is he dead?

[@mrlegs1544]

Is he talking about original golds from pumping iron

[@mr.djcooncoon8196]

No...Shawn is talking about the 3rd Gold's location....

[@bic50channel]

Gold gym VITAGYMXL

[@mmmmmmm9915]

Good video

[@jefferyyoder9785]

Perfect analysis! Great video!

[@gv4476]

Shawn Ray . You had the best body ever.. ..I also like Arnold body Cool man 👍 💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪

[@dreweray5586]

Awesome content generation iron.you the man shawn

[@stankakol5195]

Athletes? He means junkies!!!

[@Reinhardt4444]

There will always be another gym.

[@vaiona5156]

Judge Dredd HOPE SO!!!

[@mr.djcooncoon8196]

What Shawn said was very accurate...You don't NEED a Gold's...You could do it in your backyard...

[@shannonmonroe5873]

I think people forget how big Pete Gyrmkowski truly was when he was training and competing.

[@mr.djcooncoon8196]

Pete was the biggest monster BB in the late 70s...Robbed of many deserved IFBB wins...

[@sharkdoo25]

Great content

[@AllenHarrison]

I'm going to make my first pilgrimage to Golds Venice in march, can't wait!

[@ericp1470]

Allen Harrison it’s fucking amazing man!

[@richardciotti2697]

Great video Shawn. How have you been? Thanks for bringing back some great memories! I doubt it will ever be duplicated.

[@ottohernandez8818]

Like anything, Google will fuck this up too....try and rewrite their own version of history of this place...

[@paulhupp4293]

LOL @4:35 Rachel McLish working out on the back deck of World Gym, not Golds.... 😎😎

[@LookAtThatFreak]

😴.... Should of had GV talking about the old Gold's

[@rochelleholmes9271]

I competed in the 80's and 90's. I'll always remember those days!!

[@phaedo1384]

Place really isn’t that special the past 15 years. Hardly any of the top pros train there anymore. Today it’s nothing more than celebs and people taking pics on their phones

[@jimmendence6383]

sorry you will be gone.just like me i was there before you

[@gunsandpoker7432]

1:18 Ric Drasin and Jeff Goldblum

[@seand67]

Awesome video

[@RadPitt]

Shawn start your own channel man your show was the shit back in the day

[@Mani_Matter]

this is natural bodybuilding

[@robertarnold7187]

Everything Ray does has to somehow be about him.

[@mr.djcooncoon8196]

The Gold's Shawn is talking about is the 3rd one that was later moved to that location after Pete Grymkowski bought it in 79.....

[@dreambigdoc]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zl6TkpSjftqbhaM

[@Thecraig23]

The golds franchise in Australia is a joke, most have closed, they, and world gym are hard sell “health clubs” more interested in “classes”than being a gym. I went to Golds Santa Monica in 97 and got to meet a number of the top guys, great atmosphere even then. Now it’s fully corporatised and

[@Thecraig23]

Relying on the name only.

[@alexgrey333]

Skibidi rizz

[@mattmuscle8249]

Nice

[@PaulKretz]

*Overexposed, missed focus and even voice distortion* ... and I'm not talking about the Shawn's attitude :D I'm talking about the episode quality. What's wrong with the cameraman?

[@iktomi5]

💯🤩

[@zola7406]

That just seemed like a total contridiction slating the shit out of it then saying it's still golds get yourself down their

[@antz19coyote73]

Funny enough everyone one of them you mentioned probably cant stand you.

[@dbo1236]

No matter how positive the theme of the video is Shawn Ray will always find a way to be negative.

[@capt.shaffer8655]

go to metroflex!

[@justindelaney9987]

It's funny what he said in the beginning. Around 1986 my Grandparents took me up to Venice beach. We went to Gold's first. Place had a party environment. I still remember Prince 1999 was playing. Then we went to World's gym. Place was old school. No music. Just clanking of weights. Got to meet Tom Platz that day.

[@fabioyslie1664]

second comment!

[@franbelta1533]

Hogan pre NWord should be in captions lol

[@dr.jaspreetsinghkhandpurChest]

9:19 it feels great to see a fellow sikh man in generation iron as animation and graphics expert - Mr. GursimranJeet Gill