Thank you very much for the stories, Stunt and Johnny...and Stunt--for the pics too. Very gracious of you to take those and share with us. When you visit those places, it must bring back a lot of memories...
Ed Yarick's physical culture studio was at 3355 Foothill Blvd. in Oakland--where Steve and Clancy trained. His gym may have been like some of the other gyms of the day and was described this way...the room was a small rectangle about 50 feet deep and on the right when you walked in was Ed's wood desk where he measured and wrote down the size of your arms, chest, waist and legs. Then he walked you through the beginner's routine. There was a lat pull-down, a cable row, a leg extension device, a vertical leg press, and a few wall pulleys. On one wall the fixed weight barbells were vertically racked. On the other wall was a long rack of dumbbells ranging from 5s to 100s+. The weights had mirrors above them and framed photos of famous bodybuilders and weight lifters. There were a few flat benches and inclines. In the center of the room was an elevated wooden platform with 2 Olympic sets, plates, a squat rack and a heavy-duty flat bench. A small box on the floor had chalk in it for lifters to reach in and chalk their hands before gripping the Olympic bar. Beyond the platform and in the back of the room was a slant board for sit-ups and a leg extension piece of equipment. At the far end was a dressing room with 2 small, metal stall showers with plastic curtains, a tiny bathroom, several old lockers and a bench to sit on. This room led to a small back yard. Outside, there were barbells, dumbells and benches.
People came to Ed gym because Ed knew what to do and was a nice guy too. Steve's mom Goldie said, "I don't think enough good can be said about Ed Yarick" (something like that). Ed was 6'4" and 250 lbs. Strongmen John Davis and Tommy Kono of the U.S. Olympic team trained at Ed's.
Clarence Ross's Physical Culture Studio was at 2306 Encinal Ave., Almeda.
Steve Reeves Athletic Club was at 6th and Alton Rd. in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Pudgy and Les Stockton was at 1392 Sunset Blvd./9323 W. Pica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA.
Alan Stephan's gym was at 414 1/2 Hennepin, Minnesota.
Jack LaLanne's was at 377 17th St. in Oakland, CA.
John Farbotnik's Gym was at 1106 E. Colorado St., Glendale, CA.
Tanny's "The Cave" was at 4th and Broadway in Santa Monica, CA.
Leong's Physical Culture was at 1076 S. King and On the Mall.
Leo Stern's was at 3829 Granada Ave. San Diego, CA.
Bert Goodrich's was at 6624 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA.
Sig Klein's was at 717 Seventh Ave. New York, NY.
Vic Tanny's was at Vermont Ave. and 85th St. Los Angeles, CA.