Muscle Beach

Muscle Beach in Venice, Los Angeles. An odd scene for heavily muscled, tanned men and women, who lift weights, practice kickboxing and athletically swing themselves around in rings up in the air. All the while, both local inhabitants and the many curious tourists follow their every move.

The very idea of establishing an outdoor ‘playground’ for muscled men and women originated further up the coast in Santa Monica in the beginning of the 1930s.

On March 10 1933, an earthquake hit Santa Monica, which left the majority of the schools and sports facilities in the area in ruins. At that time, the unemployment rate in USA had escalated following the Great Depression, and therefore president Franklin Roosevelt implemented a number of reforms known as ‘The New Deal’. One of the reforms’ initiatives was to set up fitness equipment by Santa Monica Pier, where the public could do gymnastics, acrobatics, weight lifting and thus stay in shape. 

In 1958, Muscle Beach in Santa Monica received its fatal blow. Five weight lifters, including two members of the American Olympic Team, were accused of raping two young women in an apartment close to the beach. The authorities had had enough, and during the course of one single night, all the fitness equipment at Muscle Beach was torn down.

Muscle Beach in Venice was officially opened in 1987, and thereby took over from the original Muscle Beach in Santa Monica. To this day, body builders hang out in the middle of a crowd of surfers, skateboarders, street artists and hippies.
Arnold Schwarzenegger played a huge role in making Muscle Beach famous. The Austrian, who won Mr. Universe seven times and later became governor of California, was a regular fixture at Muscle Beach together with other prominent names, such as Lou Ferrigno, Franco Columbu and Mike Katz.
Thomas Kurganov, 19, San Fernando Valley “Muscle Beach is a completely unique place. The place gathers people. Not just people from Los Angeles, but also travelers from all over the world come here to work out and to be part of the community. Personally, I just love working out outside, the sun almost always shines, and you are right by the ocean. I think this must be the best place in the world.”
Cutis Lee, 28, Los Angeles “I come here as often as I possibly can, some weeks I am here every day. Muscle Beach is like my sanctuary, a place where I can take a long lunch break. It is about letting go of life’s realities for a while and to be a child again. We come here to use our bodies and do physical activities together.”
Aron Johnson, 38, Huntington Beach “You can characterise Muscle Beach as the heart of Los Angeles. The place is popular amongst the tourists, and many locals show up every day. Even though it takes me an hour to drive here, then I prioritise to come here two-three times a week. There is a very special atmosphere here in The Pit – everyone is welcome, and everyone talks to each other.”
The back of the legendary outdoor gym on Muscle Beach is solid concrete shaped as a barbell.