John Carroll Grimek (June 17, 1910 – November 20, 1998) was an American bodybuilder and weightlifter active in the 1930s and 1940s. He was Mr. America in 1940 and 1941, and Mr. Universe in 1948. Throughout his career he carried the nicknames "The Monarch of Muscledom" and "The Glow."
Life
Grimek was born in
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,4 ...
,
the son of
Slovak immigrants George and Maria Grimek, peasants from the village
Ústie nad Oravou in northern Slovakia.
Grimek moved to
York, Pennsylvania
York ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populati ...
in 1935 to join
Bob Hoffman, the founder of
York Barbell
York Barbell is an American-based international manufacturer of fitness products. Bob Hoffman, named "Father of World Weightlifting" by the International Weightlifting Federation, bought the Milo Barbell Company and founded York Barbell in 1932 ...
.
Besides his
bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...
exploits, Grimek also represented the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in
weightlifting
Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift Weight training#Equipment, weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various t ...
at the
1936 Olympic Games in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, where he took 9th place in the men's heavyweight category.
Grimek was Mr. America in 1940 and 1941, and
Mr. Universe in 1948.
In 1949, he won his last contest, the
AAU Mr. USA,
against a field that included
Steve Reeves
Stephen Lester "Steve" Reeves (January 21, 1926 – May 1, 2000) was an American professional bodybuilder, actor, and philanthropist. He was famous in the mid-1950s as a movie star in Italian-made sword-and-sandal films, playing the protagon ...
,
Clarence Ross,
George Eiferman, and
Armand Tanny. Grimek retired from bodybuilding undefeated.
Grimek featured in many bodybuilding articles and magazines. He was also the editor of ''
Muscular Development
''Muscular Development'' is an American fitness and bodybuilding magazine first published in 1964. It was founded by Bob Hoffman.
History
John Grimek was the editor from 1964 until its sale in 1986 to Twinlab. ''.
Despite his retirement, he continued serious training for many years, and was still able to perform
squats
Squat, squatter or squatting may refer to:
Body position
* Squatting position, a sitting position where one's knees are folded with heels touching one's buttocks or back of the thighs
* Squat (exercise), a lower-body exercise in strength and co ...
with over 400 pounds for repetitions in his late 60s. Grimek died on November 20, 1998, in
York, Pennsylvania
York ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populati ...
, at the age of 88.
Posthumous tributes
Grimek was inducted into the
IFBB Hall of Fame The IFBB Hall of Fame was established in 1999 to honor outstanding athletes and officials in the sport of bodybuilding. There have been no inductees since 2011.
Induction years
1999
*Carla Dunlap
*Cory Everson
*John Grimek
*Lee Haney
*Rachel McLi ...
in 1999.
He is depicted as part of a
mural
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...
located at 37 West Philadelphia Street in York, Pennsylvania, which was finished in 2000.
[McClure, James, ed. (2002). "Murals of York". York Daily Record. York, Pennsylvania.]
References
External links
IFBB Hall of Fame profileClarence Bass on GrimekJohn Grimek – Hall of Fame at Weightlifting ExchangeJohn Grimek: "The Monarch Of Muscledom"Index of archived ''Iron Game History'' articles many about Grimek, mainly those in the April 1999 issue
MuscleMemory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimek, John
1910 births
1998 deaths
American bodybuilders
American male weightlifters
American people of Slovak descent
Olympic weightlifters of the United States
People associated with physical culture
Professional bodybuilders
Sportspeople from Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Weightlifters at the 1936 Summer Olympics
20th-century American people