Gold's wooden weights

[Joe Roark]

Anyone know when the wooden set of Olympic-looking barbells first made an appearance at Gold's Gym? Or who made them? Or where they are now?

[619Rules]

I have never seen any wooden plates at Gold's Venice. The first time I was there though was 1982, never worked out at the Pacific or 2nd street locations.

What year do you recall them using wooden plates?

[Joe Roark]

I am at a loss as to when. When Jeep Swenson was living, he told me on the phone that he wanted to use the wooden set for a TV appearance, but that they were locked up in the office and he had to really curl 225 pounds of iron.

Perhaps the wooden set was a semi-secret? Purp[ortedly they were used for some photo shoots. But several people I have asked have all claimed to have never heard of them, so I am puzzled.

[619Rules]

Maybe they are only used for photo shoots then.

I have never seen them.

I used to see Jeep training at Gold's/Venice Hampton Drive-so they might still be around in a closet or office, but have no direct knowledge of them.

Ed Connors would have the answer, and he still has an office there. If you know him give him an email or call.

[knny187]

Maybe they are only used for photo shoots then.

I have never seen them.

I used to see Jeep training at Gold's/Venice Hampton Drive-so they might still be around in a closet or office, but have no direct knowledge of them.

Ed Connors would have the answer, and he still has an office there. If you now him give him an email or call.

I know they have fake plates.....I don't know about wooden ones.

[Sculpter]

I can remember reading about how these wooden plates were being used by the photogs in the early 90's. Can't remember which magazine I read it in but supposedly they were used frequently. Supposedly they were hidden from all view & only hauled out when no other ppl around & only for photo sessions w/some pros for a bb'ing periodical.

[~flower~]

Like these?:

  http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=44083&item=7165280842&rd=1

[Dan-O]

Like these?:

  http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=44083&item=7165280842&rd=1

Silly girl!

[Lord Humungous]

I am at a loss as to when. When Jeep Swenson was living, he told me on the phone that he wanted to use the wooden set for a TV appearance, but that they were locked up in the office and he had to really curl 225 pounds of iron.

Perhaps the wooden set was a semi-secret? Purp[ortedly they were used for some photo shoots. But several people I have asked have all claimed to have never heard of them, so I am puzzled.

Jeep was a huge dude

[Bossa]

My memory is fuzzy on the issue but weren't wooden plates suspected of being used in a squat off between platz and hatfield at some wbf thing?

[knny187]

Jeep was a huge dude

I never knew who he was until he was in the Batman Movie with Arnold

[619Rules]

I never knew who he was until he was in the Batman Movie with Arnold

If you ever hit Venice in the 80's and Jeep was there you would know it, just like Grizzly Brown, those guys were enormously huge.........by far biggest guys around the gym....

[Lord Humungous]

If you ever hit Venice in the 80's and Jeep was there you would know it, just like Grizzly Brown, those guys were enormously huge.........by far biggest guys around the gym....

Their is a cool pic of Grizzly one arm pressing some 180lb DBs in one of the Ellington Darden books High Intensity. Freak of a man!

[Ron]

Rich Minzer said he doesn't recall seeing them either - although he has not been at Gold's in over 5 years. Do you know where they were?

[Joe Roark]

Rich Minzer said he doesn't recall seeing them either - although he has not been at Gold's in over 5 years. Do you know where they were?

I never bothered to file the mentions or the photos of the weights that I have encountered in the mags. My mistake.

[tommywishbone]

FWIW, I used them many times to play tricks on visitors and just have fun. They belonged to the photographer Paula Crane. They were locked in a small closet in the 3rd room and sometimes they were hidden in the maintenace shop. The last time I saw them for sure was June/July 1997.

Edit:

The replica/fake 20kg plates were perfect copies that actually weighted 6 lbs each. Me & my friend/training partner Martin Kemp, would put three on each side of a standard 20kg olympic bar and then slide on a pair of small spring collars. It looked exactly like a bar loaded to 315 lbs. Martin would approach the bar and act somewhat serious and then pull the weight to his beltline using an underhand grip... he would pause and if you were watching it would appear that maybe he was going to do some shrugs or perhaps some deadlift reps... well he would then proceed to do 10-12 super-strict barbell curls and then slowly return the '315 lbs' to the ground. The looks on peoples faces that had witnessed the set were great. I would then clean the '315 lbs' to the shoulders and proceed to do 10-12 strict behind-the-neck presses. By that time we would be laughing the the gig was usually up. Joanne Lee or maybe one of the maintenance guys would usually walk by and pick up the barbell with one hand and move it out of the way and shake their head at us for being stupid.

Edit II:

There was also a perfect set of '110 lbs' dumbells that weighed 22-25 lbs. They were used in many photo shoots for years.   

[knny187]

FWIW, I used them many times to play tricks on visitors and just have fun. They belonged to the photographer Paula Crane. They were locked in a small closet in the 3rd room and sometimes they were hidden in the maintenace shop. The last time I saw them for sure was June/July 1997.

The replica/fake 20kg plates were perfect copies that actually weighted 6 lbs each. Me & my friend/training partner Martin Kemp, would put three on each side of a standard 20kg olympic bar and then slide on a pair of small spring collars. It looked exactly like a bar loaded with 315 lbs. Martin would approach the bar and act somewhat serious and then pull the weight to his beltline using an underhand grip... he would pause and if you were watching it would appear that maybe he was going to do some shrugs or perhaps some deadlift reps... well he would then proceed to do 10-12 super-strict barbell curls and then slowly return the '315 lbs' to the ground. The looks on people faces that had witnessed the set were great. I would then clean the '315 lbs' to the shoulders and proceed to do 10-12 strict behind-the-neck presses. By that time we would be laughing the the gig was usually up. Joanne Lee would walk by and pick up the barbell with one hand and more it out of the way and shake her head at us for being stupid.

the truth has finally surfaced

 

[tommywishbone]

Update to my previous entry.

[Hurricane Beef !]

FWIW, I used them many times to play tricks on visitors and just have fun. They belonged to the photographer Paula Crane. They were locked in a small closet in the 3rd room and sometimes they were hidden in the maintenace shop. The last time I saw them for sure was June/July 1997.

Edit:

The replica/fake 20kg plates were perfect copies that actually weighted 6 lbs each. Me & my friend/training partner Martin Kemp, would put three on each side of a standard 20kg olympic bar and then slide on a pair of small spring collars. It looked exactly like a bar loaded to 315 lbs. Martin would approach the bar and act somewhat serious and then pull the weight to his beltline using an underhand grip... he would pause and if you were watching it would appear that maybe he was going to do some shrugs or perhaps some deadlift reps... well he would then proceed to do 10-12 super-strict barbell curls and then slowly return the '315 lbs' to the ground. The looks on peoples faces that had witnessed the set were great. I would then clean the '315 lbs' to the shoulders and proceed to do 10-12 strict behind-the-neck presses. By that time we would be laughing the the gig was usually up. Joanne Lee or maybe one of the maintenance guys would usually walk by and pick up the barbell with one hand and move it out of the way and shake their head at us for being stupid.

Edit II:

There was also a perfect set of '110 lbs' dumbells that weighed 22-25 lbs. They were used in many photo shoots for years.   

Shit, do I recall those plates . . . I did a few shoots with Paula and I used them. I did it more because I was carb depleted during the shoots and did not want to risk an injury. And those bells, I'd use them for bent over laterials. It had the visitors to the mecca watching in awe!

Great posts Tommy, keep them comming.

[despo]

  3 wooden plates were held up by Mike Christian in a Golds ad that had steve bond , rick v, and others in it. late 80's maybe