| John Grimek | |
|---|---|
| professional bodybuilder | |
 John Grimek featured on the cover ofStrength and Health magazine, 1945 | |
| Personal info | |
| Nickname | "The Monarch of Muscledom" "The Glow" |
| Born | (1910-06-17)June 17, 1910 Perth Amboy, New Jersey |
| Died | November 20, 1998(1998-11-20) (aged 88)[1] York, Pennsylvania |
| Best statistics | |
| Height | 5 ft 8.5 in (1.74 m) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Professional (Pro) career | |
| Pro-debut |
|
| Successor | Steve Reeves |
John Carroll Grimek (June 17, 1910[2] – November 20, 1998) was an Americanbodybuilder and weightlifter active in the 1930s and 1940s. Grimek wasMr. America in 1940 and 1941, andMr. Universe in 1948.[3][4] In 1949, he won his last contest, theAAU Mr. USA,[4] against a field that includedSteve Reeves,Clarence Ross,George Eiferman, andArmand Tanny. Grimek retired from bodybuilding undefeated.[5] Throughout his career he carried the nicknames "the Monarch of Muscledom" and "the Glow."[6][7]
Grimek was born inPerth Amboy, New Jersey,[3] the son ofSlovak immigrants George and Maria Grimek, peasants from the villageÚstie nad Oravou in northern Slovakia.[8]
Grimek moved toYork, Pennsylvania in 1935 to joinBob Hoffman, the founder ofYork Barbell.[3][4] Besides hisbodybuilding exploits, Grimek also represented theUnited States inweightlifting at the1936 Olympic Games inBerlin, where he took 9th place in the men's heavyweight category.[9]
Grimek was Mr. America in 1940 and 1941, andMr. Universe in 1948.[3][4] In 1949, he won his last contest, theAAU Mr. USA,[4] against a field that includedSteve Reeves,Clarence Ross,George Eiferman, andArmand Tanny. Grimek retired from bodybuilding undefeated.[5]
Grimek featured in many bodybuilding articles and magazines. He was also the editor ofMuscular Development.[3] Despite his retirement, he continued serious training for many years, and was still able to performsquats with over 400 pounds for repetitions in his late 60s.[10] Grimek died on November 20, 1998, inYork, Pennsylvania, at the age of 88.[3][4]
In the 1950s and 1960s, full body workouts, as opposed tosplit workouts, were the normal way to train, and bodybuilders such as Grimek andSteve Reeves (Mr. America of 1947, Mr. World of 1948, andMr. Universe of 1950), normally trained the whole body during their workouts.[11]
Grimek trained three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). His routine made use of the common 3×10 training protocol, of which Grimek was one of the first ever proponents. Grimek advised that lifters take between 45 seconds and 1 minute rest between sets and between 2 and 3 minutes rest between exercises. For good form, all reps were to be slow and controlled.[12]
Grimek was inducted into theIFBB Hall of Fame in 1999.[13]
He is depicted as part of amural located at 37 West Philadelphia Street in York, Pennsylvania, which was finished in 2000.[14]
'Môj otec a matka prišli do Ameriky z malého mesta neďaleko Prahy' ... môže byť aj Ústie nad Oravou ... a my sme vypátrali, že jeho predkovia skutočne pochádzajú z tejto obce ['My father and mother came to America from a small town near Prague'... can also be Ústie nad Oravou... and we found out that his ancestors really came from this village]
