Gold's Gym
Encyclopedia
Gold's Gym International, Inc. is an international chain of co-ed fitness centers (commonly referred to as "gym
s") originally started in California
by Joe Gold
. Each gym features a wide array of exercise equipment
, group exercise classes and personal trainer
s to assist clients. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas
.
of bodybuilding
", it was frequented by Arnold Schwarzenegger
and featured in the 1977 movie Pumping Iron
. The movie brought attention not only to the gym itself, but also to the world of bodybuilding and physique in general. Jim Morrison
of The Doors
was also a frequent visitor to the Gold's Gym in Venice. To this day, it is considered a landmark
in the bodybuilding subculture and has even achieved cult status In 1970, Joe Gold sold the chain.
Today, Gold's Gym claims to be the largest chain of co-ed gyms in the world, with more than 650 locations in 42 states and 30 countries. Gold's Gym has a membership of more than three and a half million, split almost equally between male and female patrons. Gold's Gym locations are equipped with cardiovascular and strength training equipment and offer group exercise classes such as group cycling, pilates, Latin dance, yoga and stretching through the company GGX (Gold's Group Exercise) program. Many gyms also offer basketball, swimming pools and boxing studios.
The company also licenses its name to products such as fitness equipment and clothing. The famous original Gold’s Gym logo
, a bald-headed weightlifter holding a barbell, was designed in 1973 by Ric Drasin
, who was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
training partner for four years.
Gold's Gym's membership had included such celebrities as Jodie Foster, Morgan Freeman, The Rock, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Tiger Woods and Jessica Alba. To this day, the original Gold's Gym in Venice is considered a sports landmark and is recognized by ESPN.com on its list of the 100 most important sports venues.
, by Robert Rowling's TRT Holdings
in 2004 for approximately $158 million. Brockway Moran had acquired the company in 1999. The current chief corporate officers include President
and CEO Jim Snow, David Fowler as senior divisional vice president, and Aaron Watkins as senior vice president of finance and accounting. Corporate headquarters are in Irving
, Texas which is in the Dallas
metropolitan area.
Since Gold's Gym opened its first international location in Canada in 1985, the company has expanded its global franchising program to include nearly 180 international gyms including operations in Russia, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Egypt,Saudi Arabia, Mexico, India and Peru. In 2009, the company opened its first locations in Spain, Poland and Venezuela.
In 2004, the company introduced the Gold's Gym Fitness Institute to serve as a think tank on critical health and fitness issues. The Gold's Gym Fitness Institute's members includes Dr. Belisa Vranich, Robert Rheames, Mike Ryan and Eric Plasker, among others.
Gold's Gym operates a national corporate wellness program. Clients include Whole Foods, the U.S. House of Representatives, American Airlines and Exxon Mobil.
In 2004, Gold's Gym became a national fitness sponsor of the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure. In 2006 the company became a National Strategic Partner of the American Diabetes, the ADA's highest designation for a corporate partner. Since their relationship began, Gold's Gym has raised more than $2.5 million to benefit diabetes research, education and awareness.
In 2009, Gold's Gym partnered with video game manufacturer Ubisoft
to create the "Gold's Gym Cardio Workout" video game for the Wii
. The game received positive reviews.
Gold's is one of two official health clubs of the AARP
, where it offers month-to-month memberships, and is the official health club of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
. Gold's has begun offering online enrollment.
was successfully sued for fraud in 2006 for changing a contract after it was signed in 1999. Like many gyms, some Gold's Gym franchisees lure customers with "free" sign-up or gift certificates with fabricated nominal values, and then require long term contracts that are very difficult to get out of without paying cancellation fees and following long and inconvenient procedures (such as having to send a certified letter to their central billing office a month in advance). In the past, gym websites did not give membership rates and the gyms would usually not tell customers the rate over the phone, asking instead that customers come to the gym to have a tour and discussion, which often included a heavy sales pitch. Some Gold's gyms require "fitness assessments" before supplying a membership.
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
s") originally started in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
by Joe Gold
Joe Gold
Joe Gold was the founder of Gold's Gym and World Gym...
. Each gym features a wide array of exercise equipment
Exercise equipment
An apparatus or device used in any given physical activity for shaping and forming muscle groups for specific areas of the body. A mechanism or machine that is intended to promote health and fitness by using motion with varying degrees of resistance either fixed or adjustable.-Exercise...
, group exercise classes and personal trainer
Personal trainer
A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client's strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments...
s to assist clients. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
.
Corporate history
The first Gold's Gym opened in fall 1965 in Venice Beach, California. Dubbed "the MeccaMecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
of bodybuilding
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
", it was frequented by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
and featured in the 1977 movie Pumping Iron
Pumping Iron
Pumping Iron is a 1977 docudrama about the world of bodybuilding, focusing on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia competitions and the 100 days leading up to them. The film was inspired by a book of the same name, written by Charles Gaines and George Butler...
. The movie brought attention not only to the gym itself, but also to the world of bodybuilding and physique in general. Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
was also a frequent visitor to the Gold's Gym in Venice. To this day, it is considered a landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
in the bodybuilding subculture and has even achieved cult status In 1970, Joe Gold sold the chain.
The company also licenses its name to products such as fitness equipment and clothing. The famous original Gold’s Gym logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
, a bald-headed weightlifter holding a barbell, was designed in 1973 by Ric Drasin
Ric Drasin
Ric Drasin is an American artist, actor, stuntman, writer, personal trainer, former bodybuilder, and retired professional wrestler...
, who was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
training partner for four years.
Gold's Gym's membership had included such celebrities as Jodie Foster, Morgan Freeman, The Rock, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Tiger Woods and Jessica Alba. To this day, the original Gold's Gym in Venice is considered a sports landmark and is recognized by ESPN.com on its list of the 100 most important sports venues.
Corporate information
Gold's Gym is privately owned. It was acquired from its previous owner, private equity firm Brockway Moran & PartnersBrockway Moran & Partners
Brockway Moran & Partners is a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout investments in middle-market companies across a range of industries.The firm, which is based in Boca Raton, Florida, was founded in 1998...
, by Robert Rowling's TRT Holdings
Robert Rowling
Robert B. Rowling is the founder of TRT Holdings, the holding company of Omni Hotels and Gold's Gym.-Biography:A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Rowling has an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from Southern Methodist University.In 1972, Rowling began...
in 2004 for approximately $158 million. Brockway Moran had acquired the company in 1999. The current chief corporate officers include President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
and CEO Jim Snow, David Fowler as senior divisional vice president, and Aaron Watkins as senior vice president of finance and accounting. Corporate headquarters are in Irving
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
, Texas which is in the Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
metropolitan area.
Since Gold's Gym opened its first international location in Canada in 1985, the company has expanded its global franchising program to include nearly 180 international gyms including operations in Russia, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Egypt,Saudi Arabia, Mexico, India and Peru. In 2009, the company opened its first locations in Spain, Poland and Venezuela.
In 2004, the company introduced the Gold's Gym Fitness Institute to serve as a think tank on critical health and fitness issues. The Gold's Gym Fitness Institute's members includes Dr. Belisa Vranich, Robert Rheames, Mike Ryan and Eric Plasker, among others.
Gold's Gym operates a national corporate wellness program. Clients include Whole Foods, the U.S. House of Representatives, American Airlines and Exxon Mobil.
In 2004, Gold's Gym became a national fitness sponsor of the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure. In 2006 the company became a National Strategic Partner of the American Diabetes, the ADA's highest designation for a corporate partner. Since their relationship began, Gold's Gym has raised more than $2.5 million to benefit diabetes research, education and awareness.
In 2009, Gold's Gym partnered with video game manufacturer Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
to create the "Gold's Gym Cardio Workout" video game for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. The game received positive reviews.
Gold's is one of two official health clubs of the AARP
AARP
AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is the United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, PhD, a retired educator from California, and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a...
, where it offers month-to-month memberships, and is the official health club of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of 39 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or indirectly provide health insurance to over 100 million Americans. The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while the history of...
. Gold's has begun offering online enrollment.
Criticism
Numerous customers have reported Gold's Gym franchises acting in dishonest and unscrupulous ways. They have reported advertised deals not being honored, billing irregularities, contract terms being fraudulently altered by sales staff after signing and problems canceling accounts or relocating. A Gold's Gym in Provo, UtahProvo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
was successfully sued for fraud in 2006 for changing a contract after it was signed in 1999. Like many gyms, some Gold's Gym franchisees lure customers with "free" sign-up or gift certificates with fabricated nominal values, and then require long term contracts that are very difficult to get out of without paying cancellation fees and following long and inconvenient procedures (such as having to send a certified letter to their central billing office a month in advance). In the past, gym websites did not give membership rates and the gyms would usually not tell customers the rate over the phone, asking instead that customers come to the gym to have a tour and discussion, which often included a heavy sales pitch. Some Gold's gyms require "fitness assessments" before supplying a membership.