Arnie’s "Pumping Iron" "mecca of bodybuilding" may fall prey to Google’s march

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Washington, June 22: Google is set to take over America’s most famous gym for musclemen, Gold’s Gym, which has been described as the ‘ultimate revenge of the nerds’.

Gold’s Gym in Venice, California, known as the “mecca of bodybuilding,” is where Arnold Schwarzenegger trained, and featured in the 1977 documentary “Pumping Iron.”

In recent weeks, weightlifters there have been reeling amid rumours that the technology giant would be taking over as part of an office expansion and feared being evicted from their ‘spiritual home’.

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the local weightlifting community was “freaking out, over the rumours that the web giants would be buying the famous gym.

“As soon as I walked in, they said ‘You heard about Google? It’s this conspiracy theory, ‘Google is coming! They are going to take over and wipe out our bodybuilding’,” The Telegraph quoted Schwarzenegger, as saying.

However, a Google spokesman sought to assure the anxious musclemen that their future was safe.

“We have no plans to expand into Gold’s Gym space. In fact, we are working with them to extend their lease,” the spokesman said.

Google, which moved into the 100,000 sq ft of office space in Venice last year, will be taking over the lease on the Gold’s building in 2014, but appears to be intending to sublet the gym to Gold’s. (ANI)