Laree
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Full name: Laree Draper
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09-16-04 10:50 PM - Post#35787
A few people have signed up to write their early gym stories in response to Dave's newsletter column and my invitation, which was more to get current gyms added to our Flight Plan database. Old gym stories don't really fit there that well, and probably won't get the attention they deserve, so let's start a "gym story" thread here.
You guys already know mine: Dynamo Barbell Club in College Park, Maryland, followed by Power Unlimited, Santa Cruz, California, where I used to occasionally bump into Dave, hehe.
Tap the reply button and tell your stories!
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AaronS
Total Posts: 1
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Irvin Johnson (later to become Rheo H. Blair) had a Good Neighborhood Gym on the Corner of 5th & Van Buren in DownTown Chicago - 5th Floor - right off the L. Bob Gayda, who managed to outpoint The Myth at Junior America, trained there. Bob, you may recall, authored the P.H.A. Training routine - Peripheral Heart Action. Jessie StoneWall also trained there, and worked in the Health Food Store on the first floor.
The Irving Park Y, outside Chicago, had a Decent Weight Room and occasionally hosted a number of National Weight Lifters.
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clarke
Total Posts: 1
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the gym that brings back great memories for me was mid-city gym in n.y.c. This was not the same mid-city gym that dave mentioned in his column. That gym was the original one. Tom Minichiello moved his gym to 49th and 8th ave. The gym was like a mecca for a lot of the top bodybuilders and wrestlers in the nation back around 1977,78. I never saw dave there but did see mostly everyone else there from time to time. I remember Tom as a father figure to me, always telling me to watch my posture,watch who I associated with etc; That Mid City Gym in the basement at 49th street and 8th was a magical place back then all in part to the personalities who trained there as well as people who came from everywhere else to stop by from time to time and see Tom and train.
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Garykissell
Total Posts: 442
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How bout Bill Pearls Gym...not his but one in his chain! Real good place!
| "Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be."........."But what will happen in all the other days that ever come."........."can depend on what you do".........."today." Ernest Hemingway, For Whom The Bell Tolls |
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cajinjohn
Total Posts: 12495
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Vince Gironda's in the 60's enough said. St. Louis downtown YMCA, Granite City YMCA basement right now. Iron everywhere, and men moving it. Strictly a blue coller place.
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Wicked Willie
Total Posts: 16864
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Pontiac (Michigan) YMCA Gym In the basement. Dingy and poorly lit. Funny smell similar to the wrestling mats at school. Heavy, handmade equipment, padding taped up with a lot of duct tape. Lots of iron and mismatched plates. Occasionally, someone like Don Ross, Pat Rhuelle (sp?) or Tom Platz would show up. My first "real" gym experience. Michigan State University weight room Fairly large and well equipped. Back room had two weightlifting platforms. Stair step squat rack, power cage. Fair amount of Olympic sets and lots of miscellaneous iron. If you were observant - you would occasionally see Fred Lowe or Roger Callard. Penny Jordan also trained there...it was intimidating to be outlifted by a 123 lb. lady powerlifter. My brother-in-law and I had many enjoyable workouts there.
"I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in."
"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man comes to the Father, but by me." John 14:6 |
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Manor
Total Posts: 6773
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10 Years old – weights borrowed from Uncle, outside on the lawn in the summer and in my room for the winter, 1 barbell 2 dumbbells, total weight, I guess around 120 lbs bar included, we lived in a trailer park then. 12 Years old – We then had a house used the same weights, in my basement bedroom. 14 years old – Uncle wanted weights back, Sportsplex gym (16 years old and over only allowed) met a guy (Ken) that took me under his wing, taught me a lot of what I still do today, except for OLY lifts and Deads. This gym had one free weight bench, one squat rack and a Universal type apparatus in the centre for multi stations, such as shoulder presses, horizontal leg press and standing calf raise, bench and cables for lat pulls/pushdowns. 16 years old – My best friend’s crawl space, home made squat rack, dirt floor, and various weights that were donated by neighbours and family, still visited the Sportsplex about once weekly. 18 years old – Sportsplex over hauled, more free weights, a DB rack up to 90 lbs, added mirrors, some nautilus Triceps/Bicep and the lower back apparatus stuff and cardio equipment showed up like the lifecycle and Stairmaster. Ken also told me that there was nothing more he could show me, felt as though I graduated. 21 years old – YMCA, thought I died and gone to heaven, all the machines you could imagine (at that time for me anyway) a couple of cages, OLY weights, DBs up to 150 lbs! I think there was mostly Cybex equipment, cardio bunnies all over. Did my football comeback training here. 22 years old – worked as a Gym instructor at Vanier Fitness in Ottawa, owned by Mr. Quebec Joe Marleau. I think of it fondly as the place that true bodybuilders worked out, met a recreational BB Moe Ghetler, he was about 15 years my senior a real “magazine” type dude, he could rival Zane, truly inspirational taught me some more stuff. Met my Bride there. It had a squat rack, universal unit as described before, more free weights (DBs up to 110 lbs) more OLY weights, benches etc. almost everything you would need plus the usual cardio stuff. 24 years old – Danièle and joined the YMCA as above. 25 years old – Apartment with Bowflex. Spent some time at the University of Ottawa Gym where we learned the OLY lifts with a Canadian Olympic Weightlifting coach (Dan Black) 27 years old – Started buying weights for home use, although I still lived in an apartment (Actually half of a rented house) the owner said I could use his crawl space for my weights. 30 years old – bought our first house, bought more stuff for home. Between 30 years old and 39, I have workedout at work and home. Work, first it had only a universal unit and an aerobics class. They later changed to free weights in addition to the universal stuff and added more cardio machines and dropped the classes. Since 40, we workout only at home, having the time of our lives. Dan
aka SAVAGE/JDIDAN/Dan the Protein Man
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Earn your supplements
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Laree
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Cajin, wasn't that absolutely amazing at Bash 02 for you and two other guys to recognize each other from Vince's, circa 1970? I just couldn't believe that when I saw you guys chattering away.
Hey, that reminds me! There's a guy, Lou Mezzanotte, who will be at the NY Bash next week and was a member of Dynamo when I was there in the early '80s. He was there before me, too, when the Mentzer brothers were around, if anyone wants to pick his brain.
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Phil_N
Total Posts: 2924
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I had a next-door neighbor that lived to be 96; I think his name was Jim? Does that count?
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cajinjohn
Total Posts: 12495
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Yes Bash 2 was a trip. I can still draw a floor plan of Vince's. I guess I will never grow up and who cares. he he I liked the 60's best at Vince's. It started to change in the 70's to much for me. The Granite City ILL. Y basement reminds me of the old dungeon. Dark dingy and stinks my kind of place. Where all you hear is the clank of iron. No look at me types. Dave would be right at home there. The same cast of characters. Men and women who lift just for the fun of it. People handle iron as if they have no clue how strong they are.
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Doug in Dallas
Total Posts: 1
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Favorite gym? Easy. Tom Starring's Gym off of Forest Lane in Garland Texas, mid 70's. It's where I first started lifting. A rack of clanging dumbbells, an Olympic bar, a Universal machine and an old fashioned leg curl / extension bench that you actually had to load the weights on, kids. Oh, and a setup board. You know....setups.
16 years old, 3 sets of 10 reps of just the basics. First time I ever saw anyone lift over 300 lbs. Figured it just wasn't possible.
Thanks for the memory jog.
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Steve Wedan
Total Posts: 2112
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My first gym experience outside of home and school was at the Woburn YMCA in Woburn (pronounced "WOO bihn"), Mass. The weight room was quite small, its door near the corner of the basketball court. It had a lat bar setup with enough friction in the cable/pulley system to stop a rolling train. It was there that I began getting a clue about the importance of increasing my squatting poundage. Summer, 1974. Steve
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Laree
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Steve, you just reminded me! I did have an earlier gym intro: the tiny weight room off to the side of the rec center at the Presidio of Monterey -- the Defense Language Institute where I went to Russian language school (Air Force) in 1976. (My first real gym membership was began in January of 1980, gold shag carpets and all, but it's not one I'd want to write up for Old Gyms I have Known, lol. Well, "known" I guess, but sure not loved.)
Say, was anyone here a member of the Leistner's Iron Island gym back when Doc Ken and Kathy owned it? Or visit there?
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Bill
Total Posts: 5
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My most memorable gym was my first one, in the basement of my home in Pittsburgh. Hot and humid in the summer; freezing in the winter. I ordered my first set of weights from Weider, a 250 lb. set of green plates and bars with silver sleeves; bought a bench, too. When they were delivered, the delivery man told my mother: "Don't let your boy lift these. He'll hurt himself or get muscle-bound." It was a dark, dank place, humid and smelling of Tide and Clorox from mom's laundry hanging by wooden clothes pins in the winter months. Under the stairs spiders lurked. But it was heaven! I'd spend every day after school learning to love the iron and steel. I posted pictures of Larry Scott, Dave, Arnold and Frank on the door of the "coal cellar," directly behind my bench. Those were the days, 15 and 16 years old. By 17 I had joined the old YMCA Golden Triangle gym in downtown Pittsburgh. Definately blue collar; still one of the best I've known. Nowadays, my gym is in west Los Angeles with sparkling mirrors, expensive machinery, just the right music, a sunny atmosphere--and valet parking. Nice. But I do miss the old days of discovery and passion.
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DavidB
Total Posts: 142
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First my Dad's basement with my uncle's weights. Died and gone to heaven. Chinning pipe between 2 trees out back. That carried me through to the Navy. Some old weights left by someone on ship. Met a couple guys who were on board with JimHaislop , told me about the equipment he built and used while on ship. My wife bought me a plastic set and a couple of us sailors put together some gear and worked out while underway.A warehouse type room where we had to bring out all the gear and put it back. I remember the lat machine we built and to this day I can't picture if it had pulleys or wheels or what. Just one, so when somebody pulled , the weight would swing back and forth.Had to use a type of twine the boatsanmates used as we couldn't get rope. After that, the bedroom, second floor in a rental, basement in our new home, then everything in storage for almost 9 years. Broke it all out and set it up in my Pastor's garage for all the guys in youth group, didn't last long so we took part of my horse barn and set up a right proper gym. 400 square feet. Used to go to a gym here in town but nothing to brag about. I think the best gym I may have been to is in Kingman, Az.Went there for a workout while visiting my folks and it is owned by a blind gentleman , who wasn't always blind, and had his pics on the wall of him winning contests. He was a lot older when I was there but had some younger people there helping him run the place. Can't remember the name but he sure knew what a real gym was all about. Wondered what working out was like if you couldn't see anymore. It was evident he still was at it. Terrific size and shape and he had to be older than Dave is now. Can't remember the name. Bob, maybe.
| you can't stop getting old but you can slow down growing up |
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TKervin
Total Posts: 1976
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Police Athletic Association gym in Portland. Lots of big cops. The old style like to fight take no crap kind. I owned a pub w/a buddy who was just back from Nam. He and I would lift and then drink in the upstairs bar. Monthly dues- seven bucks. You also got three free drinks a month. Took us a bit to fit in. We were a couple of the few non police there. They had a heavy bag in a corner hanging from a steam pipe. While I could bang pretty good, my partners dad was a top west coast middle weight in the 50's and Chris could have been a good pro but Nam took all of the interest out of it for him. Once he started to punish the bag we were accepted real quick.
Yours in Iron,
Tom
"....'cause she knowed he had a Mercury......" Steve Miller
"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it." Buddha
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Garykissell
Total Posts: 442
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all right Bill, The Pittsburgh YMCA. I probably knew you. Were you there the day that Arnold walked in? Did you ever use the North Side Y, called the North Shore now...where's the ocean?
| "Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be."........."But what will happen in all the other days that ever come."........."can depend on what you do".........."today." Ernest Hemingway, For Whom The Bell Tolls |
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Tim Mendelsohn
Total Posts: 1557
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I got my start at a local YMCA way back in 1974. Before I got to High School, the Y was the only gym in town. I did'nt know what I was doing. I did a lot of bench press in that first year. No legs. After graduating from High School I also graduated to Bill Pearl's Health Club in Pasadena Ca. That gym was a real eye opener and education. Going to Bill Pearl's gym was like going to Disneyland for me. But, I'll always have a lot of gratitude towards the YMCA. From what Ive read here and in other places a lot of us got their start there.
Tim
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pointcove
Total Posts: 1136
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At about 14, I started by taping bricks on a piece of pipe that I found in my yard. Later my friend, Ernie, whose dad was in the Navy, took me with him to the Charleston Naval Base Gym. He used to go there to steal money out of the pockets of the sailors who just hung their clothes on a rack. I would wander around the gym and wonder how muscles magically appeared on those who went to gyms. I remember trying out the horse gymnastic thing and thinking I would now have muscles. Anyway, during my youth I hung out at bars on the strip outside the Naval Base and would get in fights over 1 buck pool games. If it had not been for sports, I'm sure I would have ended up like my dad, an alcoholic who died young after downing a pint of Seagrams Seven he bought at Johnny's news stand on the strip. Athletics kept me from that life and eventually led me to college and much more. It's my way of fixing things in my life these days that I have returned to weight lifting and being in shape once again. It fixed my life once before, why not now?
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Jim Bryan
Total Posts: 380
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Harry Smith's Gym in Tampa Florida. Used by the top bodybuilders of the day and most of the Pro wrestlers trained there often. Also American Health Studio in Norfolk Va. I beleive Dave was there while I was out to sea with the Navy. They had a picture of him taken on the street below.
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Utonian
Total Posts: 428
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I built my first home gym at about age 12. I still look back on those days and smile at my silly attempts. We lived out in the country and I set up my gym in the garage. It consisted of:
Barbell
Plates
17 lbs
Bar
Chin-up bar:
One of the roof support cross beams.
Dips:
Work bench in the garage was good for bench dips.
Atlas Chest Expander
Ron
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Dr.Ken
Total Posts: 127
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One of the great losses in this modern era of training, is that each gym in the 1960s, had its own, very distinct and very specific personality. This came from the guys training there (sorry, no women really trained in the hard core places until the early 70s although my wife as a member of Purdue's first women's track and field team, was the only female in the Purdue weight room, what there was of it at that time), the emphasis/purpose of the gym (PLifting, OLifting, bodybuilding, football players), the equipment, and the ownership. I trained at Pearl's Gym on Manchester in Inglewood (and lived in the gym my first few weeks in Calif, sleeping on the mats wrapped up in a sleeping bag), Vince's, Zuver's, Bill West's Culver City garage, all in Calif; York Barbell Club on N. Ridge Ave; Tony Pandolfo's Bodybuilders Inc. here in Valley Stream, Mr. V Sports Shop which was a loft over the store in Brooklyn, the Greenpoint (Brooklyn) YMCA; Springfield, MA YMCA; Granite City (IL) YMCA, George Turner's Northside Gym in St. Louis, St. Charles (MO) Boy's Club; Julie Levine's R&J Club in Brooklyn, Ray Swoboda's Greenwich Gym in NYC, Gladiator Gym on the lower east side of Manhattan, Zinn's Gym in Queens and probably a hundred other places for a workout or two. Each was different and special. Most of my training however was in the basement, garage, or loft over my father's iron shop which of course, were the best gyms.
Dr. Ken
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IB138
Total Posts: 9321
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I set up my first "gym" when I was 11 years old. It consisted of some truck and car axles that I dragged home from the local dump. After about a year of tripping over them every time that he whent down to the basement, my father finally bought me a 110 pound Dan Lurie set. Made me get rid of the axles. I don't think I spoke to him for over a month. My first real gym experience was at the Westfield [New Jersey] YMCA/YWCA. The weightroom was in the basement next to the boilroom. Where else? You had to go through the men's locker room to get to it. Not many women lifted back then. It was a real blue collar kind of place. They had a step style squat rack and a lifting platform made from two by fours and plywood. Actually, most of their stuff was home made. Next to the weightroom was a small wrestling room. Great for off-season conditioning. Then the local businessmen discovered the place. Nuff said. Damn, sumnabitches!!!
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Bill
Total Posts: 5
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Gary,
I was at the Golden Triangle YMCA 1963-65, then off to the Marine Corps for the next six years. That was before Arnold's time, but a lot of pro wrestlers used to haunt the place. I posted "my most embarassing moment" about Bruno Sammartino helping me up when I fell down the stairs after a hard "leg day." It was a great place, no longer there, I'm told.
I have met Arnold here in Los Angeles, though. My kids and his go to the same school in Brentwood, so we bump into each other now and again.
Bill
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Bill Keyes
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The Central YMCA in San Jose, CA had a dynamite little weight room in the late 60's/early 70's. I use the word 'little' somewhat facetiously. Square footage wasn't much, maybe 750 sq ft, but lots of powerhouse lifters/athletes. Bob Kemper, Richard Marks, Blair Kephart, Ray Leso, John Powell, Al Fuerbach among the most notable. All benches, racks, apparatus, etc. made by the lifters themselves most of whom were firemen and policemen. York was the 'brand of choice' for barbells both Olympic and standard.<br /><br />The weight room was stuck in a box like room across the hall from the indoor swimming pool and next to the basketball gym. Lots of chlorine odor. Cinder block walls with the only ventilation being open louvres at the top of the wall. Chalk dust everywhere especially on the lifting platform. At the top of one wall was a blackboard with the best competitive lifts in all classes of powerlifts and Oly lifts. It was that high so it could only be reached with a ladder and no one could screw around with it placing bogus numbers.<br /><br />Remains one of my favorite training venues to this day.
Bill2
Integrity is what you do when you think nobody is watching. |
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Dr.Ken
Total Posts: 127
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Bill-I remember Kemper well. Did Dennis Melke ever train there? He usually trained at the Pasadena Y and at Lee Phillip's gym but was told her occasionally got together with Kemper to train.
Dr. Ken
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Richard Sanchez
Total Posts: 4023
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I think I trained there once or twice when I was still in high school. Pumping Iron Gym in Campbell, CA was the first gym I went to that actually had bodybuilders. I was still in high school and had to drive a long way. I was glad I never renewed my membership, I believe they just closed the door one day. Iron Works Gym in Cambell, CA was the place to be in the early 80's in the bar area. The winner of the Mr. Teenage America Contest came from the gym, admittedly that had to be the strangest gym to train at times. Richard Sanchez Quote:
Bill Keyes said:
The Central YMCA in San Jose, CA had a dynamite little weight room in the late 60's/early 70's. I use the word 'little' somewhat facetiously. Square footage wasn't much, maybe 750 sq ft, but lots of powerhouse lifters/athletes. Bob Kemper, Richard Marks, Blair Kephart, Ray Leso, John Powell, Al Fuerbach among the most notable. All benches, racks, appartus, etc. made by the lifters themselves most of whom were firemen and policemen. York was the 'brand of choice' for barbells both Olympic and standard.
The weight room was stuck in a box like room across the hall from the indoor swimming pool and next to the basketball gym. Lots of chlorine odor. Cinder block walls with the only ventilation being open louvres at the top of the wall. Chalk dust everywhere especially on the lifting platform. At the top of one wall was a blackboard with the best competitive lifts in all classes of powerlifts and Oly lifts. It was that high so it could only be reached with a ladder and no one could screw around with it placing bogus numbers.
Remains one of my favorite training venues to this day.
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JimFoxDavis
Total Posts: 34
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I've changed gyms a lot.
The first commercial gym I ever went to, in 1968 through 72, belonged to Earl Clark, who won either Mr. Universe or Mr. America back in the late 50's. In Chula Vista, California, it was on the second floor of a two story building, he had separate sections for men and women, a p/o/o/l h/a/l/l um, billiards parlor on the first floor, and the heavy iron was in a separate room out back which you had to be "invited" to -- it was over six months before I was allowed back there. I loved every bit of it, even if going down the stairs after a leg workout was a challenge. I don't think his son ever forgave him for being named "Kent Clark."
I spent a year at Gold's (6/77-6/78) when it was in Santa Monica, and remember the first time I saw Ken Sprague curling -- day-umn. I confess I felt a little intimidated by some of the folks I saw there -- I was just out of the Army, and dealing with the first back problems, so heavy squats weren't a good idea, even though that's what you needed to if you wanted to be "accepted." It wasn't till I signed up with Franco Columbu to be my chiropractor that I got anywhere.
It just proved too much of a commute for me, living in Torrance and working downtown L.A., so I wound up moving to "City Gym" down in Torrance, which wasn't as notable or nice, but had a real good camraderie. It was upstairs again, with a lot of old bars and Oly equipment, and a decent set of benches and dumbells. Good, basic iron. I recall one New Years Eve when a bunch of us didn't have dates, when we decided to basically hammer legs till we couldn't any more . . . I think I was up and around by the 3rd <grin>. I was 23.
Steve Davis had a nice gym in the San Fernando Valley during the early 80s, and newly-married, my wife was eager for me to workout some place not too far away. Good equipment, some real good people, and a solid sense of work ethic.
When I was working downtown again in the late 80s/early 90s, there was another "City Gym" which was about where the parking lot for Staples Center is now, and it had a garage door at one end to open things up, and the early morning crowd there was good for my motivation. I remember how stunned we all were when one of the guys got shot in one of the freeway shootings that were happening in L.A. then.
I've just started training at the Powerhouse Gym in Northridge, and I like it a lot -- but I've got to find a time when it's less crowded by the "tone and trim" crowd. They're also very tolerant of the guy recovering from the quad tear who's still tottering around on a cane, and the young man who I get as "trainer" for three whole sessions is both knowledgeable about recovery from injury, but familiar with my particular martial art, and has shown me a few new tricks for getting my balance back as a swordsman.
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Laree
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Richard, that IronWorks, wasn't that Scott Wilson's place back then? And he sold out to someone who turned it into a Gold's?
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Bill Keyes
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Quote:
Laree said:
Richard, that IronWorks, wasn't that Scott Wilson's place back then? And he sold out to someone who turned it into a Gold's?
I believe the one Richard is referring to was out on Winchester Blvd. Scott's place was more in the downtown area of SJ.
Bill2
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Bill Keyes
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Quote:
Dr.Ken said:
Bill-I remember Kemper well. Did Dennis Melke ever train there? He usually trained at the Pasadena Y and at Lee Phillip's gym but was told her occasionally got together with Kemper to train.
Dr. Ken
Bob moved back and forth between the Bay Area and LA. Don't believe Dennis came up our way, Ken.
Bob worked as a bouncer to give him ample time to train. I don't think his career ever got back on track after he got jumped outside a SJ night spot by 7 guys (after having 86'd three of them earlier in the evening). Broken collar bone and broken forearm. Shortly after that incident the press was dropped -- which was the lift which gave Bob a comparatively big advantage over his competition.
Bill2
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Bill Keyes
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I came across this gym in the spring of 1970. I was attending school at USF and needed more than the rudimentary weight room offered by the school. Alex's was located in the Mission District of SF at 20th & Mission. Second floor walkup, extremely high ceilings with lots of windows and great natural lighting. Jim Schmitz was managing the gym (Jim went on to be the USA Olympic Lifting coach for many years) at the time and had just graduated from SF State himself. Lots of outstanding lifters there - particularly on the Oly side. Ken Patera, Dan Cantore trained there while in the area and Ken Clark traveled from Salinas (90 miles south) to train under Jim's guidance. Jim eventually bought the gym, renamed it simply The Sports Palace, and eventually relocated a couple of blocks away. The gym still exists, albeit under another ownership structure. Jim still owns a piece of the gym I understand and will train aspiring Oly lifters by appointment. The Sports Palace was my first exposure to a big time commercial gym of the era. I can still recall (with a certain amount of pain) the first time Jim took me thru a workout. I thought I was pretty hot stuff back then but I was quickly shown otherwise. I made it 3/4 of the way thru the workout before I had to rush to the men's room for a serious case of dry heaves. I can say without equivocation it was the absolute toughest workout I'd ever been thru. Jim later said that while I didn't have an 'attitude' he did want to see where I was conditioning-wise. I made it further than he thought I would. :)
Bill2
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Dr.Ken
Total Posts: 127
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Bill (and others)-when I worked for Rheo Blair, one of his students who came down to buy supplements, trained at Alex's; Stan Brice. This may have been a bit before you were there, this was 1966-68 that Brice was winning No. Cal contests. I'm sure Dave will recall him. Good physique, very nice guy. Thanks for other information.
Dr. Ken
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Old_School_Dave
Total Posts: 551
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I just wanted to thank everyone who posted on this thread for the interesting memories. Makes me wish I wasn't such a youngin', and missed so many great gyms in the 60s and 70s instead of playing with my LEGOS.
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Richard Sanchez
Total Posts: 4023
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I think Scott Wilson managed a Gold's Gym in downtown San Jose on Notre Dame Ave. Later, he bought out Iron Works Gym in Campbell and turned it into a World's Gym. I have'nt been through that area for a long time and I'm not sure what happened to it after it became a World's Gym under Scott. If I'm even remotely in that area I'll stop by to see what happened to it. When it was first built it was like Gold's first gym. At the time I trained at our high school's small gym but ventured out on occasion to the shopping center gyms and gyms located in old buildings then Iron Works came along. A custom built building specifically designed to be a gym, everything was brand new and heavy duty. It was the perfect gym the first few years. It was managed by a guy name Larry Casio (I believe) who absolutely made the gym. After five years he left and the place went straight down hill. The walls had holes; empty steriod bottles could be found when opening a locker; syringes stuck in the wall in the men's locker room; there was a banana peel on the ground that went to yellow to black after a week (they absolutely never cleaned). Scott Wilson said when he first bought Iron Works Gym he got rid of the two powerlifting platforms since the people using it at that time were causing to much trouble. Some of the powerlifters kept putting holes in the walls and denting the gym lockers. One guy picked up a bar and threw it against a door putting a whole in it because he wanted to get psyched. It was completely out of control. Scott did an absolutely great job of cleaning it up after buying it. I'm absolutely convinced what makes a gym is not the equipment or even the gym members but the management. When you have a strong management paying attention and getting rid of the few troublemakers it makes all the difference in the world. I'll stop by soon to see if he is still running it - I'm curious about what happened to it and I would'nt mind training there again if he is running it. Richard Sanchez Quote:
Bill Keyes said:
Quote:
Laree said:
Richard, that IronWorks, wasn't that Scott Wilson's place back then? And he sold out to someone who turned it into a Gold's?
I believe the one Richard is referring to was out on Winchester Blvd. Scott's place was more in the downtown area of SJ.
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Bill Keyes
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One of the few gyms in SF in the late sixties/early seventies was Riley's Health Club on Golden Gate Ave just off Market St. This facility was a throwback to the 'studios' of the the Vic Tanny era. Carpeted throughout with everything chromed and every wall covered with mirrors. It was just below street level so no natural lighting. Low ceilings, too, so it had a really odd feel about it.
The owner, Bob Riley, was a portly curmudgeon who basically sat in his office and nipped at a bottle out of a desk drawer. It wasn't an electrolyte replacement drink, either.
I wandered in there one afternoon when no one but Bob was around. It wasn't the San Jose Y, but it was better equipped than the USF weight room so I bought a three month membership. When I actually started to train there and realized the type of clientele the gym catered to, I knew I had made a huge mistake. But as the prototypical 'starving student' I didn't have the financial latitude to make an immediate change. I stuck it out for the three months and relocated to the Sports Palace -- much more to my taste.
I believe Riley's closed in the late 70's.
Bill2
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Wicked Willie
Total Posts: 16864
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Bill:
That reminds me of the time that I "won" a free week's membership to a Vic Tanny gym. I was young, dumb and a fair amount more muscular and strong than I am now. I went out and bought a brand spanking new red and white striped tank top to wear along with my sweats (had to hide the "bird legs.)
Place was like you described. Antiseptic, bright, well equipped with all kinds of chromed equipment and mirrored walls. I dove into my workout with relish...after all, it was free!
It wasn't too long before I was approached by a rather tall gentleman in a white Vic Tanny logo T-shirt. He was holding a tee-shirt. He politely waited for me to finish my set of low pulley rows (done with entirely too much weight) and then he spoke
"If you want to continue your workout here, you'll need to put on this tee-shirt. You're upsetting some of our patrons." "Oh yeah, please don't "check pose" in the mirrors!"
ME? Upset anyone with MY physique? He and I engaged in a rather spirited (but still polite) discussion regarding working out and client perceptions. I lost. I grudgingly put on the tee-shirt (which I had to give back, BTW) and finished my workout. I haven't been back to any such establishment since then.
"I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in."
"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man comes to the Father, but by me." John 14:6 |
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/sk
Total Posts: 4826
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I went to gym like that in the late 70's too. They actually had red carpeting and the mirrors had gilt on the edges and the corners. Low ceilings. We moved a lot of weight in there. I had forgotten about that place. I taught my former wife how to swim in teir pool. She was absolutely terrified of water and pools. I am not sure why she let me do that...
/sk
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Bill Keyes
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Another venerable spot from the 70's that went by the wayside in SF was Allen's Health Club. It was located on the corner of Golden Gate & Jones avenues up on the second floor and right up the street from Riley's. Underneath was a 'movie house' that specialized in Tijuana stag films and a foundation that was dedicated to serving the down and out. (Edge of the Tenderloin District.) Lo-o-o-ng climb to the second floor. Fifteen steps and a landing, then fifteen more to the second floor level (yep, I used to count 'em). Located on the corner with huge windows extending from about two and a half feet off the floor to the very high ceilings -- roughly 20 feet up. Very well equipped just not a lot of redundancy (duplicates). Owned by Wayne Allen. [Wayne is his middle name and I am under penalty of a slow death if I reveal his first name -- have long since lost contact with him, but you can never tell. :)] Started training there in '71 after it became too much of a hassle to ride three connecting buses to get to the Sports Palace. Wayne became a good friend and occasional training partner. One of the best training stints of my life came was from June of '73 to Feb of '74 when we were workout partners consistently. I was training for powerlifting and Wayne was training for physique but we followed the same program and had reasonable degrees of success. One of the regular trainees was Dave Dupree -- winner of the IFBB Mr Western America one year. Former Mr America Jim Morris trained there when in town as did Chris Dickerson. Seeing those guys train gave me a good concept of what it really meant to 'train hard.' I worked out there from the spring of '71 to mid-74 and again from the fall of 75 to mid-77 when I moved overseas. When back in the Bay Area on business or vacation, I'd make it a point to stop by for a workout. Then one year it just wasn't there anymore. Actually happened by that corner a few months ago and the spot now houses a sewing factory. The Tijuana stags are long gone and the doorway to the former foundation is now boarded over.
Bill2
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mcp
Total Posts: 4
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AJAX Gym in New Orleans, LA was started in about 1953 by Joe Gold and three other members of the Mae West Muscle boys chorus line. Joe was a merchant seaman who lived in New Orleans. I moved to New Orleans in 1957 and bought a one half interest in the gym for $1,500.00 I managed it while going to law school. The gym was in a large warehouse room on the top of a luggage store on Canal Street a few blocks from the Mississippi River. It was just weights, iron no steel, and heavy benches welded and put together by Joe, no padding - that was for sissies. The floor was wood, but solid. A lifting platform was made out of heavy timbers and when a lifter dropped the weight on the floor and not the platform it shook the whole building and we were subjected to a lecture by the business below about our careless behavior.
I am sure AJAX was the model for the dungeon that Bomber Draper remembers so fondly. One of our young members was John Gourgott, age 15 who was strong before he lifted a weight. I told him that Bob Hoffman said that "John Grimick would have been a strong well built man if he had never lifted a weight but because he did lift he bacame a superman I said John, that is you. John told me years later that he always remembered that and used it to motivate himself. It must have worked, he won Mr. Teenage America at age 18, twice Most Muscular in Mr. America and 2nd place twice. He also qualified as an alternate on the U.S. Olympic team and held the world record in the seated dumbbell press. He once introduced me to his friend, same age -15- who stuck out his hand and said, "I am Red Larell, I am going to win Mr. America and have the best gym in the world. He succeded. A man with a plan.
I sold the Gym to a national Health Club when they came to town with chrome bars and carpets on the floor. Our membership was $5 a month. This natinal Health Club sold lifetime memberships for $250. After three years they closed down and moved out of town. To exercise your lifetime membership you had to go to Florida, long commute.
My experience with AJAX introduced me to healthy living and friends that I still meet for coffee. I used to lift to make me look good. I do it now,at age 73, because I like it. The newest addition to my lifting regeme is Dave's Iron/Steel Training Log. If I had started this earlier I would probably be Governor of California today.
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Wicked Willie
Total Posts: 16864
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Quote:
mcp said:
One of our young members was John Gourgott, age 15 who was strong before he lifted a weight. I told him that Bob Hoffman said that "John Grimick would have been a strong well built man if he had never lifted a weight but because he did lift he bacame a superman I said John, that is you. John told me years later that he always remembered that and used it to motivate himself. It must have worked, he won Mr. Teenage America at age 18, twice Most Muscular in Mr. America and 2nd place twice. He also qualified as an alternate on the U.S. Olympic team and held the world record in the seated dumbbell press.
Is this the same man that eventually was known as Dr. John Gourgott? This guy was big time strong...I saw a picture of him doing wide grip chins with what appeared to be a hundred pound dumbbell strapped about his waist.
"I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in."
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Laree
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Nice, Jim, thanks! Imagine owning half-interest in a gym for $1,500. Joe Gold's first gym no less. Is Red still around?
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Wicked Willie
Total Posts: 16864
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Everything I've been able to scan on the 'Net would seem to indicate that "Red" is still around...operating one of the largest, most successful health clubs in the South. I think his given name was Lloyd...but he preferred "Red" for obvious reasons.
"I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in."
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Bill Keyes
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Quote:
mcp said:
AJAX Gym in New Orleans, LA was started in about 1953 by Joe Gold and three other members of the Mae West Muscle boys chorus line. Joe was a merchant seaman who lived in New Orleans. I moved to New Orleans in 1957 and bought a one half interest in the gym for $1,500.00 I managed it while going to law school. The gym was in a large warehouse room on the top of a luggage store on Canal Street a few blocks from the Mississippi River.
What a super contribution, Jim. Welcome aboard. It's interesting how gyms used to be in the oddest spaces, isn't it?
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Bill Keyes
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Quote:
Wicked Willie said:
Everything I've been able to scan on the 'Net would seem to indicate that "Red" is still around...operating one of the largest, most successful health clubs in the South. I think his given name was Lloyd...but he preferred "Red" for obvious reasons.
Red's gym (in Lafayette, LA?) is mentioned a number of times in James Lee Burke's series of novels featuring a character named Dave Robicheaux. In almost every novel Burke has Robicheaux hitting the weights in his back yard (three sets each of military presses, curls, and dead lifts) and occasionally he has the character going to Red's for boxing-oriented workouts (heavy & speed bags).
Bill2
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mcp
Total Posts: 4
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Yes, Sam. That was the same Dr. John Gourgott. A group of lifters were doing bench presses (we used to call them prone presses, a misnomer) with 300 lbs. Dr. John came over and asked if he could work in with them. They agreed and told me that they felt very strong to think that they could handle a weight that Dr. John was going to use, until he proceeded to sit on the end of the bench and do seated behind the neck presses with the 300 lbs that they were bench pressing. He was strong!
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Richard M
Total Posts: 1
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I too started lifting weights in my basement. After reading all of those comics with Charles Atlas on the back cover, I finally persuaded my dad to buy me a set of weights. I believe it was Christmas of 1959 when my present that year was a 110 lb weight set. I remember my dad taking the bar, fully loaded, with 100 pounds and lifting it overhead with one hand. I on the other hand could barely get it off the ground.
I had been training in my garage for a couple of years, when graduating from junior high (the ninth grade), a class mate told me I should look into joining a gym, and the one he knew about was Alex Gym, at Russia and Mission Streets, in San Francisco. I knew nothing of a gym or that one even existed in San Francisco. Just knowing that a gym was there made it something I had to be a part of.
On June 7, 1961, my mom drove me to the gym and signed me up. I was nearly 6'2", weighing 145 pounds and I was ready for what new adventures lay ahead. There were no co-ed gyms then, it was just the guys, and it was soon to be a new family of brothers for me. You knew everyone in the gym and they knew you. There were police and firemen, dock workers and phone workers, men that sold cars and men who worked on cars and Alex had and has today, a very warm and colorful personality. He made everyone feel like we were part of his family. During all of my high school and junior college years, I spent many evening and weekends in that gym.
When you walked in, there were Olympic bars, preset bar, dumbbells, and down stairs was a huge wrestling mat, more Olympic bars and tons of plates and weights. I trained on that bench press down stairs, until I could bench press enough weight to train with the big guys on the main floor. On the main floor, I doubt that the 45s ever came off of the Olympic bars on the bench or squat rack.
Alex was always there, giving words of encouragement, making you a new program every four to six weeks, talking about what to eat and not, and just making you big and strong. The gym is gone but the memories are forever. It is part of who I am, and I wouldn't change a thing.
All the best,
Richard J. Modolo
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mcp
Total Posts: 4
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Ken:
Thanks for your comment on my "old gyms" contribution. When I finished boot camp at the USMC Depot in San Diego, in 1950 I went to Leo Stern's gym in San Diego right after I made the obligatory visit to Tiawana. Leo was a great man and let me work out for free whenever I could get away from Camp Pendleton. He even let me sleep there at night on a couch. Many years later, Dr. John Gourgott mentioned that he had slept a few nights on that couch also. When Dr. John found out that John Gremik had died he contacted his widow who lamented that John Gremik's grandchildren had no idea of who their grandfather was. John Grimik was so modest that he had no momentos of his accommplishments. Gourgott offered to pay for a video showing Grimick's pictures, etc. but she had none and they were unable to find any old films, home movies, etc. Gourgott discovered that Mrs. Grimik was not too well off financially so Gourgott sent her $10,000./ Is any of this worth telling? Jim McP
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The Judge
Total Posts: 16490
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Jim, It is very well worth telling. John Grimek was a special champion. It was sad that after all those many years of loyalty to Hoffman and the York organization, he was cast aside and received nothing from Hoffman's will and had no pension to rely on. That was a wonderful gesture on Dr. Gourgott's part. I wish his grandchildren could learn what a fine man their grandfather was.
Judge John
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"Moderation assures mediocrity -- nice, safe. Mediocrity is for the mediocre -- simple, okay. The intense rule; the mediocre follow." - Dave Draper
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Manor
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I find that sad as well. When I was 10 I told my Grandmother that I wanted to be strong and muscular. She said I was just like my Great-Great Grandfather, he was known in the family to be very strong and modest as well, in fact she said I looked a lot like him and she then showed me a picture (painting) of him and it’s true I look similar, however he was 6’ 3” and I grew to only 5’ 8”. Anyhow she told me once he and his wife were coming from town one day with a wagon full of supplies and the rear wagon wheel broke down. He went to the back and pulled the “spare” from the wagon, gave it to his wife and he then lifted the back of the wagon, I guess in a power squat way and she changed the wheel then they were on their way again. This one story gave me inspiration as a child and so I prided myself on having a strong back, “Runs in the family “I always said. Granny also said he was naturally muscular, always helping the neighbours clearing rocks and stumps in the fields or helping them plough and she said he was popular with the ladies too and gave me a wink. Hmm maybe that is why I deadlift and squat so well? For the ladies :) Dan
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