This was a very popular time among fitness buffs and bodybuilders and was said to be the best era of that yet.
Ric Drasin
I would agree, and at that time I was training with Arnold Schwarzenegger, competing in bodybuilding and working as a Professional Wrestler at night. During the day we would all audition for TV work, commercials and feature films. It was a time when there were plenty of roles for bodybuilders and it gave us the income to be able to train and have a beach lifestyle
Ric Drasin
Muscle Beach is widely seen as the home of the fitness revolution in the United States – dating all the way back to the 1930s. It all started a few hundred feet away from the boardwalk in Santa Monica, but the „home of bodybuilding” was moved to Muscle Beach Venice in the 1950s. From the acrobatics of Santa Monica high school students to the vein-popping antics of classic bodybuilders in Venice – this California landmark remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in the L.A. area!
Muscle Beach Venice has been a home to serious bodybuilders since 1959! Some of the greatest „bodies” ever – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dave Draper, Larry Scott and Franco Columbo – trained right on the beach! Even today, Muscle Beach Venice holds bodybuilding competitions and has a completely renovated public fitness area.
If you visit Muscle Beach today you’ll find weight lifting equipment, rope climbing, and gymnastic and acrobatic bars free to use! As you sink your toes in the hot sand, don’t miss the history all around you. It’s America’s fitness revolution, and it continues to this day! Go and be a part of it.
Golden Era 