All About the Weights

Downtown Santa Barbara Gold’s Returns to Roots

The belt squat machine | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom

When I first joined Gold’s Gym in 1991, I power-walked from my office to the downtown gym to take group fitness classes or use the weight machines on my lunch hour, then zipped back to eat at my desk, still sweating. The group fitness room was sunny, with a springy wood floor, although the two structural pillars obstructed views and sometimes necessitated detours in aerobics choreography.

By the time the pandemic shut everything down, my work and fitness routines had evolved, and the only class I took downtown was Friday-evening “happy hour yoga,” a relaxing way to end the week that involved crescent lunges and cobra poses, no cocktails.

I hadn’t been back to the downtown gym much since the post-COVID reopening, so it was a bit stunning to visit the Carrillo Street Gold’s and see that the group fitness room is history, converted to a weight room exclusively devoted to equipment for working out the lower body, i.e. the leg room.

My guide on this tour of the remodel, Josh Guggenmos, explained that gym management decided to make better use of the room when members stopped showing up for the few group fitness classes left on the schedule. It’s something of a return to the original concept of Gold’s, which began as a single bodybuilders’ gym in Venice, CA. For those wanting a group fitness experience, Guggenmos noted the uptown Gold’s offers 50 classes a week (including hot yoga), and the Goleta location offers 30 classes per week.

The conversion of the old studio took place as part of a remodel that began in November and is mostly finished. (On the day I visited in January, one last mirror still needed to be installed in the leg room.) Although I don’t usually work out on machines, I decided to try the belt squat machine, and another member was kind enough to let me work in. Well, perhaps “kind” is not the right word — even with a relatively light weight load, the belt squat was hard work for my quads and glutes, although the design prevents pressure on the spine.

The remodel wasn’t limited to the old group fitness room, though. Once we ventured back out to the main weight area, Guggenmos proudly pointed out that the machines, free weights, and racks on the first floor were all new — part of the half-million dollars’ worth of equipment purchased for the remodel. And a happy side effect of dedicating a room to lower-body strength training, Guggenmos said, is that members feel less cramped on the main weight floor. (Maybe the new space should be called the elbow room.) The downtown location features Hammer Strength and Life Fitness machines, as well as classic Nautilus machines upstairs, to accommodate members’ preferences for specific product lines.

It’s all about the weights | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom

Speaking of the second floor, the old spinning studio has been converted to a functional fitness room with French doors that open, offering a breeze and a view of Carrillo Street. (There are still three spinning bikes in the cardio area for cycling buffs.) Guggenmos — a Santa Barbara native and lifelong athlete who can leg-press 1,000 pounds — noted the functional fitness room, although not really a separate studio, is an area that new members may find less intimidating. For members whose goal may be improving their ability to engage in everyday activities rather than lift large amounts of weight, the functional fitness room is stocked with equipment they can use to improve balance, flexibility, and core strength. Guggenmos grabbed a Bosu ball for me so I could try a wobbly tree pose, then dazzled me by proceeding to strike a very steady Warrior Three pose on the Bosu ball — while wearing dress shoes, no less.

The Power Plate, a vibration plate machine, is also located in the functional fitness area. I wasn’t sure I liked being jiggled while doing lunges, but Guggenmos said he’s sold some memberships on the basis of the Power Plate alone.

People seem ready to come back to the gym, according to Guggenmos, who said there’s been an influx of new members over the past three months. With many downtown offices vacant due to remote work, Guggenmos noted that the majority of members come in the evening. Unlike when I first joined, the gym is pretty empty at lunchtime. But they do have one new neighbor.

Guggenmos said they’ve had a few potential members walk in from the recently relocated downtown Farmers’ Market — and members working out on a Saturday morning can walk out the door and shop for produce afterward. “Just to have that energy out there on a Saturday is pretty cool,” he said.

A Platinum Gold’s membership gives you access to the three Santa Barbara–Goleta locations as well as all 23 Southern California locations. All S.B.-area locations offer free weights, cardio and resistance machines, and towel service. Add-ons include: Bikram hot yoga and Pilates Reformer at Uptown, and personal training at all three locations. Uptown and Goleta locations have free parking and dry saunas in the locker rooms. Parking on street and in City Lot 2 for downtown location. See goldsgym.com/locations/ca/santa-barbara-downtown.