Muscle Beach

Muscle beach in Venice (aka - "The Pen") is an outdoor bodybuilding gym and part of Venice Beach. Most people think of it as a place were super huge bodybuilders go to work out. It is. Well, mostly. It is also a fun tourist attraction with some history.

The body building trend in Venice may have been started by Arnold Schwarzenegger with the release of his film, Pumping Iron, which was filmed at Gold's Gym - three blocks east of the beach. However, the history of the original Muscle Beach goes all the way back to the 1930s, when gymnasts and circus performers would perform there for spectators.

Now to be clear, these are actually two different locations that we are talking about.

The Original in Santa Monica

The original Muscle Beach from the 1930s is just south of the Santa Monica Pier.

The bodybuilding platform was removed in 1959 and now the location is marked with a sign and is primarily a sandy beach but still has parallel bars, rings and other equipment that gymnasts can train on.

Honestly, all the times I've been there it has always been pretty empty, except for a few teenagers messing around.

Muscle Beach Venice

When people discuss Muscle Beach today they are often referring to the Venice Muscle Beach, which is an active and operating outdoor gym.

Can regular people work out there? Yes, you can! But that certainly takes some guts. There are bleachers for spectators and the area is mobbed with tourists snapping photos. To see the really "big" guys most people say that weekends are best, especially Sundays.

While I don't think that it is worth the trip alone (unless you are into bodybuilding of course) it is just one small part of the Venice Beach Boardwalk which is sure to bring you a fun filled day.