John Grimek

17 June 1910 – 20 November 1998 · Perth Amboy, New Jersey → York, Pennsylvania

John Carroll Grimek was the most accomplished crossover figure between American Olympic weightlifting and bodybuilding in the mid-twentieth century. He represented the United States at the 1936 Berlin Olympics in weightlifting, won the Mr. America title in 1940 and 1941 — the only man to win it twice — and was the central physique figure of Hoffman's York Barbell era.

Origins

Grimek was born in June 1910 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, to a Czech immigrant family. He took up weightlifting in his teens, began competing in AAU events in the early 1930s, and joined the York Barbell circle at Hoffman's invitation in the mid-1930s. He lived and trained in York for nearly the rest of his life.

The work

Grimek competed for the United States at the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a heavyweight weightlifter. He continued to compete in Olympic-style lifting through the late 1930s and early 1940s, winning national titles, and shifted his competitive focus toward physique judging in the immediate pre-war years. He won Mr. America in 1940 and again in 1941; the AAU subsequently changed the rules to prevent repeat winners. He went on to win Mr. Universe in 1948.

He served as the editor of Muscular Development magazine from its founding in 1964 to his retirement, and wrote and corresponded prolifically across his career. He lived in York until his death in November 1998 at eighty-eight.

Notable feats

• U.S. Olympic weightlifting team member, 1936 Berlin Olympics.
• AAU national heavyweight weightlifting championships, multiple years 1936–1941.
• Mr. America 1940, Mr. America 1941 — the only two-time winner.
• Mr. Universe (NABBA) 1948.
• Best lifts: clean and jerk in the region of 350 lb (159 kg), press around 285 lb (129 kg), squat over 500 lb (227 kg).

Method

Grimek trained under the York programme of the late 1930s and 1940s: heavy work in the Olympic three lifts, supplemented by the squat, deadlift, and a substantial volume of bodybuilding-style assistance work for physique development. He was unusual for the period in combining serious Olympic lifting with carefully developed physique presentation, and in carrying both at competitive level.

Legacy

Grimek is the figure who, in person, demonstrates that Olympic weightlifting and bodybuilding had not yet decisively split in the early 1940s. He is the most respected American physique figure of his generation and one of the few whose name commands respect across both sides of the eventual division. His Muscular Development editorship gave him a national platform for thirty years.

Disputed and unresolved

Grimek's competitive lifting figures, recorded in Strength & Health contest reports, are firm. His physique career figures (chest, arm, thigh measurements) varied with measuring conventions and time of day and should be read in that light.