Haralds Gym: Norway's Oldest Gym and the Man Behind It

Haralds Gym is Norway's oldest surviving gym. It was founded in 1980 by Harald Skjøldt, a competitive bodybuilder who won more Norwegian championship titles than anyone before or since. The gym sits at Hausmanns gate 6 in central Oslo and has been open for over 45 years.

We went there recently to shoot photos and videos for Hypro. Harald opened the doors, gave us full access, and let us use the space however we needed. You do not forget that, and this article is our way of saying thank you.

But it is also a story that deserves to be told on its own. Haralds Gym is one of the last real old-school gyms left in Norway, and Harald himself is someone you have to hear about.

The kid from Hasle who saw Mr. America

Harald grew up on Hasle, on Oslo's east side. He was faster than most kids, did more pushups than anyone in class, and a gym teacher told him he should try gymnastics. But Harald had already seen something else. On the back of a magazine, there was a photo of Mr. America. He could not get it out of his head.

Bodybuilding. Building a body. Working toward something you could see and measure. That was what he wanted. He saved 150 kroner, asked his father for the remaining 100, and bought a membership at Grünerløkka Helsesenter. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays became sacred. He never missed a session.

By 16 he was the Norwegian junior champion. In 1974 he won Mr. Europa in the junior class, in Biarritz, France. He kept winning. Over the years, no one in Norway collected more national bodybuilding titles than Harald Skjøldt.

And then there was California. Harald trained at Gold's Gym alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger during the golden era of bodybuilding. He calls it "a great period." Had he gotten another life, he says, he would do it all the same way.

While all of this was happening, he also trained as a flight mechanic and worked at Fornebu airport. The man was busy.

A businessman, a TV appearance, and Hausmanns gate

The gym almost did not happen. A local businessman had noticed the young bodybuilder on Norwegian television and came to him with an idea: "You should open your own gym." Harald was not convinced. But he did not say no either. "Find a place," he told the guy, "and we will go look at it."

They found a spot at Hausmanns gate 6, near Legevakten in central Oslo. On a spring day in 1980, Haralds Gym opened its doors. The photo from that day shows men with big arms in tight singlets, two women in bikinis, and Harald right in the middle, smiling.

He was certain it would work. His reasoning was simple: "Because I was going to be there myself."

That turned out to be the whole formula. Harald showed up. Every single day. For 45 years.

The old-school gym that outlasted everyone

In the 1980s, Oslo had several gyms. Ludwig's Treningsstudio in Gamlebyen. Sjur Hall's Helsestudio. Storgata Treningsstudio. Norsk Helsestudio in Vika. They are all gone now. Every single one closed during the 80s and 90s.

Haralds Gym held on. Not because of a clever business model or a franchise deal. Because Harald was there. He ran it himself, trained his members, sold his homemade protein oatmeal (the recipe is still a secret), and treated the place like it was his living room. In a way, it was.

The gym feels like it has been here forever, and that is the point. Two floors of solid equipment. Walls covered with photos from decades of bodybuilding. A young Arnold. A younger Harald. Sun-tanned bodies, flexed muscles, competition trophies. The whole place feels like a time capsule. Nothing is for show. Everything gets used.

In 2010, TV2 voted it Oslo's best gym. Not bad for a place with no yoga classes and no app.

What it feels like to train at Haralds Gym

When you step into Haralds Gym, you feel it right away. There are no touchscreens. No machines with built-in tablets. There is a sofa area where lifters sit and eat their food boxes after training. Just iron, benches, racks, and walls full of history.

It feels like training in the era when Arnold was at his peak. That is not marketing. That is the actual atmosphere. The equipment is serious. The people are serious about what they do. But the vibe is warm.

The community there is something else. People at every level, from beginners to experienced lifters, and everyone is friendly. There is no attitude. No one stares. If you need a spot, someone is already walking over. Norway has a lot of gyms, but this is the one people in the lifting world talk about. It is a mecca for anyone who cares about real training.

Harald still trains there five times a week. He knows every member. He gives advice on training, nutrition, and sometimes life in general. He calls himself a "hobby psychologist," and that is probably accurate. When your gym has been running for 45 years and people still keep coming back, you must be doing something right with the human side of it too.

"Det spiller ingen rolle hvem du er eller hvor du kommer fra, vi trener sammen." — It does not matter who you are or where you come from. We train together.

The gym owner with a Lamborghini collection

Here is the part most people do not know. Harald Skjøldt, the guy in the gym with the protein oatmeal and the vintage photos, also owns six Lamborghinis.

One of them is a Miura S that used to belong to Frank Sinatra. At Lamborghini's 50th anniversary celebration in 2013, it was judged Best in Show out of 350 cars from around the world. He also has two Countach models, including a first-generation LP400, of which fewer than 160 were ever made.

It started the same way as bodybuilding. Harald saw a Countach in the US in the late 1970s and could not let go of the image. He went from American muscle cars to Italian exotics and never looked back. He restores them to original spec and shows them at concours events across Europe.

A flight mechanic, a bodybuilder, a gym owner, and a Lamborghini collector. Harald is not a one-chapter story.

Thank you, Harald

When we were looking for a place to shoot content for Hypro, we needed a gym that looked and felt like the real thing. Not a commercial chain with fluorescent lighting and branded towels. A gym with history on the walls and equipment that has been through thousands of sessions over decades.

Harald said yes without hesitation. He opened the gym for us, gave us time and space, and made us feel welcome. For a small team like ours, that kind of support means a lot. The photos and videos we made there are some of the best assets we have, and they look the way they do because the place is genuine.

So this is our thank you. To Harald, for building something that has lasted 45 years. And for letting us be a small part of it.

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Sources

• Dagsavisen: Gymmen som overlevde
• VårtOslo: I over 40 år har Harald drevet den suksessfulle gymmen i Hausmanns gate
• haraldsgym.no
• Norsk Bodybuilding: Tidslinje og konkurranser
• Klikk.no: Harald Skjøldt eier en uhyre sjelden Lamborghini Countach
• Exclusive Car Registry: Harald Skjøldt Collection