- John Grimek
John Carroll Grimek was born on
June 17 ,1910 inPerth Amboy, New Jersey , son of Slovakian immigrants George and Maria Grimek. Besides his bodybuilding exploits, he represented theUnited States inweightlifting at the 1936 Olympic Games inBerlin . In 1948, at 38 years of age, Grimek defeatedSteve Reeves in a hotly disputed (till this day) decision at the NABBA Mr. Universe contest inLondon . It seems that with a tie on the scorecards, good-friend and a judge of the contest, Bob Hoffman decided that the winner would be decided by a feat of gymnatics. Since Grimek was a very good gymnast, Reeves took second place gracefully. The following year he won his last contest, the AAU Mr. USA, against a field that included a sun-burned Reeves,Clarence Ross ,George Eiferman , andArmand Tanny . He retired from bodybuilding undefeated.John has been featured in many bodybuilding articles and magazines, as well as being featured on the cover of
Muscular Development magazine. Despite his retirement, Grimek continued serious training for many years, and was still able to squat with over 400 pounds for reps in his late 60s. Grimek died onNovember 20 ,1998 inYork, Pennsylvania . He was inducted into theIFBB Hall of Fame in 1999.Profile
The following measurements are from 1940/1941:
*Height: 5'8½"
*Weight: 195 lbs.
*Neck: 17 inches
*Arm: 17.5 inches
*Forearm: 14 inches
*Chest: 47 inches
*Waist: 31 inches
*Thigh: 25 inches
*Calf: 17 inches
*Wrist: 8 inches
*Ankle: 9.8 inchesTitles
*1939 York Perfect Man
*1940 Mr. America
*1941 Mr. America
*1946 Most Muscular Man In America
*1948 Mr. Universe Short & Overall
*1949 Mr. USAee also
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List of professional bodybuilders External links
* [http://www.ifbb.com/halloffame/1999/grimek.htm IFBB Hall of Fame profile]
* [http://www.naturalstrength.com/history/detail.asp?ArticleID=260 John Grimek was the Man]
* [http://www.classicbodybuilders.com/johngrimek.html Classic Bodybuilder]
* [http://www.cbass.com/GRIMEK.HTM Clarence Bass on Grimek]
* [http://www.weightliftingexchange.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=39&topic=3152.0 John Grimek - Hall of Fame at Weightlifting Exchange]
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