Muscle Beach Venice Beach from ifbb pro maker to a thugs spot

[Flex500]

twas ever thus. just updated for the times we live in. was always like this but admittedly no bb spectacles anymore. but the atmosphere was always sketchy even back in the day

BINGO BINGO BINGO


that place has always been sketchy as hell. For the last 30 years many people say it's not even safe for a woman to walk around there by themselves. I went there two times and it was like WTF I"m outta here. Bunch of sketchy dudes all over the place and over-aggressive homeless people who are "street performers".

[Dan101]

yeah it is him and its sad what happened to this dude, he sounds messed up and stuttering does he have any family?

I was told he was always a little slow and socially inept. His Mom used to send him care packages (soap, deodorant, toothpaste etc) back in the day. Obviously she would have since passed on. Very nice and gentle man is Bill though. Got my photo with him, not bothered about the photo but wanted to be able to give him a few bucks without insulting his pride.

OP, never experienced what you described and all in all over the years I must have spent 50 odd days at Muscle Beach. Simply put the situation with Golds and Muscle Beach is:

Muscle Beach - Very few, if any, huge guys train there. Maybe they did in the 90's, but nowadays the image of big pumped up and tanned mass monsters training there is just in the films. It's used mainly by regular joes because it is a very reasonably priced and decent little gym for the area and by tourists for the history of it. Equipment is basic and older. Yes you will see some homeless guys hanging around it. It's an awesome place though, great vibe, great history (it's not the original Muscle Beach that Arnold would have trained at, but this one is a relic of the 90's/Baywatch era) and there is something very cool about clanging the rusty old school weights. Only real time you'll see big real bodybuilders would be for photo shoots, expos, show days, one wants to show off down there...

Gold's - This is where the big boys go to play. Huge place, massive selection of top range equipment. Amazing atmosphere, great history, trendy and popular with celebs. If you visit the Golds for an hour and don't see at least one guy with a mind blowing physique, I'll suck my own dink!

[Dan101]

I wonder how much the 70's version of Muscle Beach has been glorified and sanitized. For most of us, our only experience with that Muscle Beach is seeing it through the videos and photos of Arnold and the other big names working out there. But if you were just a tourist walking by in 1974, my guess is that you would have seen graffiti and trash and everything else.

I honestly don't know what the REAL Venice Beach was like back then, but it might not have been what we see in the movies.

I have been told by older people who were there that Venice as a whole is far safer now than what it was in the 80's and 90's. I have walked Venice and the board walk countless times alone and all hours of the night and day and never once felt threatened. Looks can be very deceiving and I have never found the crazy looking homeless guys anything but harmless. The only trouble I have seen come from and the only people I don't like the look of are those Mexican looking people that wear long shorts and long baggy white t shirts with gold chains. When I was training on Muscle Beach one time I saw 4 of them fighting each other and then one of them pulled a gun out. That is the only trouble I have ever seen though. I appreciate though that the vibe isn't for everyone, my gf is terrified of the place. Apparently though in the 80's and 90's come sun down the area became a horror movie setting.