Bodybuilders, spectators flock to Venice for annual Muscle Beach Championship

VENICE BEACH, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- In Venice Beach, pumping iron - and showing off the results - is a tradition that dates well back to before even Arnold Schwarzenegger made his fame there as a bodybuilder.

The Muscle Beach Championship returned to Venice for Labor Day, where competitors of all ages and different body types displayed stunning physiques.

There were categories for older competitors, vintage swimsuits, couples and, for the first time, one for transgender bodybuilders.

"I couldn't fit in with men, so that was a no-go and we didn't want to negate all the hard work the cis women put into their bodies, especially in bodybuilding and the sport itself, so we figured that trans would be a great new category," said transgender competitor Pharose King.

For the past 24 years, Joe Wheatley has been the promoter behind this competition, and it keeps growing.

And the price of admission couldn't be better, he notes.

"All I ask you to do is clap," Wheatley says. "That's all I want you to do. That's the price of admission - clapping!"