Daniel L. Mackey, Ph.D.
(Founder of “The Gym;" 1937-2008)
ABOUT US
“'CHEERS’ WITHOUT THE BEERS”
“…Celebrating 40 years in Ventura, THE GYM is a low-key kind of
a place, the type of old-fashioned workout facility that exists
without spandex or loud, bass-driven music, a place where
everyone knows everyone else…”

-ANN KALLAS; VENTURA COUNTY STAR, 2-14-10

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PHOTO GALLERY FOR THIS ARTICLE
A MESSAGE FROM DAN MACKEY:

"Dear Visitor:

It has been an amazing journey for us here at The Gym in Ventura, California. Since our opening in 1970, our commitment
was, and continues to be, to make a difference in people’s lives by contributing to their health and well-being through fitness.
The trip has been truly unique in the last 38(+) years, and it has certainly been rewarding.

During this time, we have worked in all fields of sports on local, national and international levels — from Pop Warner football
to Olympic Kayak gold medalists and even a professional golfer. We have also been involved in beauty pageants and
bodybuilding contests on local, national and international levels of competition.

The AAU, ABCC Naturals, NPC and the IFBB Organizations hosted the bodybuilding events. This included judging these
competitions, presenting seminars on the techniques of judging and 15 years of promoting and producing these events. We
have been privileged to include over-all winners in these categories.

Before founding The Gym, I competed in local, regional and national competitions, winning the AAU Mr. Pacific Coast, Mr.
USA and the IFBB Professional Western America. My achievements helped me get started on a life-long career in personal
training.

We started personal training in the early 1970’s; I won’t mention what we charged for a full one-hour session.  By 1973, our
work had taken us into the areas of safe and effective weight-bearing training for women during and after pregnancy. We also
began rehabilitation therapy, working in conjunction with physicians, health practitioners, and trained physical therapists in
the use of specialized weight resistance exercises in rehabilitation therapy.

In the early 1970s, we contributed to the design and development of exercise equipment with Bob Clark, owner of “The Iron
Company” (now “Polaris”) in San Diego.  Bob’s understanding of kinesiology and engineering, along with his unique ability to
adapt this to machines that really work the muscles in their proper range of motion, was an absolute marvel.

With his help, we designed two machines: “The Crossover Cables” and “The Mackey Monster Chin and Dip,” both with
selectorized weight stacks. These machines were the first of their kind. We still have a pair of both of the original design in
The Gym today. These are my favorites. There are only a few clubs that have the original design and I have not seen them on
the market as of late.

We hope that you will become a part of our history here at The Gym and take advantage of our unique equipment and
talented staff!

Sincerely,
Daniel L. Mackey, Ph.D.
Founder of The Gym"
SHAWN MACKEY

(OWNER & MANAGER;  CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER & LICENSED
ESTHETICIAN)

In 2005, Shawn Mackey purchased THE GYM from her father, Dan Mackey,
keeping THE GYM in the Family.

Shawn, certified in 1990, has worked in the Sports-Fitness and Spa
industries for over 27 years, six of those years as a Trainer and Fitness
manager for the Sports Club Company in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Shawn has also worked at The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa as the Guest
Services/ Fitness Manager and also at Spa Ojai. She brings a wealth of
experience to the membership here at THE GYM and is hard at work,
keeping the Mackey legacy alive!
"Today, I'm going to
make a difference in
someone's life."
-Dan Mackey's Morning Mantra