Thee one and only - legendary - Muscle Pit in Venice Beach, California. Where young bodybuilders from back in the day (Frank Zane, Franco Columbo, Arnold Schwarzeneggar) trained regularly. Seeing Muscle Beach was one of my first stops when I first visited L.A. a couple of years back. Venice Beach looks just like it does in the movies: packed with streaming threads of tourists and street performers; lots of fit torsos and bikinis; weird, pitiful vagabonds; roller-bladers.
But I never went to the gym. I just stopped by it. Just one of those things where you ask yourself, Damn what took me so long?
The facility is run by the city parks and recreation department so user costs are super, super low ($10 day pass). It's outdoors so one gets plenty of natural sunshine and air -- and curious gawkers who don't hesitate to whip out the trusty old phone cameras. Immediate fans! Easy to see why Arnold thrived here! Like the other young cat there that afternoon, an amateur bodybuilder, no less, I worked out in a posing suit. Felt a little naked at first but gave a proverbial shrug of the shoulders and got down to business. Easy breezy. The equipment is standard bodybuilding fare and far from posh or shiny, and that's the way I like it. Want to use chalk? Use it. No pooh-pooh rules about chalk or gym attire (one guy was even dressed as Satan! Seriously. The Jesus freak was resplendent in red from head to shoe with a Devil mask covering his face and religious axiom across the front of his shirt. Seemed woefully overdressed to me) and spraying down every piece of equipment after usage; no ubiquitous television screens or electronic dance music; no pretty people/Mr Big Shots gabbing on their phones or Bluetooth or with each other.
The equipment is standard bodybuilding fare and far from posh or shiny, and that's the way I like itI can dig training in this environment on a regular basis.
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