Gold’s Gym History of the Apparel

Gold’s gym, and their iconic mens gym clothing range, is one of the most enduring brands in fitness. Today, there are over 700 Gold’s gyms worldwide, and the logo of a big, bald, muscular guy holding a bending barbell is world famous and instantly recognizable.

That logo, incidentally, was designed by the one-time training partner of Arnold Schwarzenegger, a bodybuilder called Ric Drasin.

The Gold’s Gym story begins back in the mid 1960s when Joe Gold, a resident of Venice, California, fed up with the lack of good gyms in his area, decided to open his own training facility.

Boasting state of the art equipment, and an amazing atmosphere, as well as being right on the beach, Gold’s quickly become THE place to train. In fact, it’s often referred to as the mecca of bodybuilding.

By the early 1970s, Gold’s Gym membership read like a who’s who of bodybuilding and Hollywood. Over the years, the likes of Muhammed Ali, Pierce Brosnan, Nicolas Cage, and Carl Weathers have all frequented Gold’s.

Many champion bodybuilders based themselves in California and at Gold’s, including Franco Columbu, Frank Zane, Larry Scott, Dave Draper, Mike Mentzer, Steve Reeves and, more recently, Dorian Yates and jay Cutler.

Golds was also the backdrop for the seminal 1970’s film about bodybuilding Pumping Iron, which helped make Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou “The Incredible Hulk” Ferrigno household names, increasing the popularity to bodybuilding to an all-time high in the process.

Gold’s gym wasn’t always the success it is today. In fact, just a couple of years after opening, Joe Gold sold his gym for $50,000 to one of his members, Ken Sprague who, in turn, sold it to Pete Grymkoski and Ed Connors. 

Sprague, Grymkoski, and Connors all did what Joe Gold could not – they turned Gold’s Gym into a thriving business, firstly by sponsoring bodybuilding competitions and hosting magazine shoots, and later by expanding into workout clothing and exercise equipment.

Many bodybuilders dream of training at the original Gold’s Gym in Venice and, if you do, you may rub shoulders with a somewhat older Arnold Schwarzenegger who still trains there and has his own private car parking space!

However, even if you can’t make a pilgrimage to Gold’s, you can still own a small piece of bodybuilding history by wearing Gold’s Gym workout clothing.

All featuring the famous logo – that iconic Drasin-designed bald bodybuilder with his bending barbell – Gold’s Gym workout wear includes:

• Golds Gym Stringer vests

• Golds Gym Hoodies

• Golds Gym T-shirts

• Golds Gym Joggers