Buddha once said “To keep the body in good health is a duty otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” As citizens of the modern world, we all understand the need of living a healthy and strong life. Not only does basic strength enhance our quality of life and improve our capability to do daily activities, but it also protects our joints from injury, enabling us to live a pain-free, comfortable and fully functional life.
While strength can be defined in a variety of ways, with one person’s version of strength being completely different from another, one iconic fitness brand has redefined strength training altogether. Founded back in 1965 by Joe Gold in Venice Beach, California, and considered as the birthplace of the modern bodybuilding culture, Gold’s Gym® has since then grown to encompass more than 600 locations across 6 continents with over 2 million members and growing.
Jörg Fockenberg, Chief Development Officer for Gold’s says, “we are the home of serious fitness. Over the last 50-plus years, we have pioneered a culture around strength training and bodybuilding and have brought that legacy to each gym we operate.” Let’s find out a little more about what makes this fitness empire truly iconic.
The evolution
Gold’s Gym first saw light back in 1965, long before the modern-day health club ever existed. Established by former Merchant Marine and bodybuilding enthusiast Joe Gold, the gym was a place where Joe and his friends often got together and pumped iron as passers-by checked them out in awe. Needless to say, soon after it opened, the gym gained popularity and anyone remotely interested in serious fitness found their way to its doors.
Featuring homemade equipment and earning the nickname “the Mecca of bodybuilding” this little gym soon established a cult following of fellow bodybuilding enthusiasts, including some of the most iconic fitness legends of all time like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno and Dave Draper.
Within a few years their popularity skyrocketed further and in 1980 Gold’s Gym became one of the first companies ever in health and fitness to franchise. “In 1980, the second Gold’s Gym location opened in San Francisco, CA under a license agreement. This was the beginning of our expansion journey. Later in the 1980s, Gold’s Gym moved to a franchise model for development,” shares Jörg. This would only be the start of what would be a revolution in the fitness industry for the years to come.
The first international location of Gold’s opened in Canada in 1985, soon after which various International Direct and Master Franchise partnership opportunities started flowing in. Over the years, Gold’s Gym opened in South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, becoming a brand that every individual, whether a gym goer or not, is aware of.
Over the years, Gold’s earned the designation as one of the most cutting-edge and accessible gyms in the world with health fanatics from all over seeking to join. Notable users of Gold’s Gym have included high flying names such as Jessica Alba, Jodie Foster, Morgan Freeman, Dwayne Johnson, Keanu Reeves, and Tiger Woods, among many others. The original Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach is a popular tourist spot and is an ESPN designated sports landmark, named on its list of the 100 most important sports venues in the world.