John Grimek and 1001 Exercises
John Grimek was one of the early strength training and bodybuilding
superstars. He was one of the few men with a footprint firmly in both
worlds - he had a physique that was better than a Greek God, and unlike
many bodybuilders of past and present, he was legitimately as strong
as he looked.
In fact, he represented the United States in weightlifting at the 1936
Olympic Games in Berlin, and then four years later became the only
man to win the AAU Mr. America title more than once (1940 and 1941).
While John Grimek was certainly blessed in the genetics department,
he loved training, and did so with tremendous passion.
His philosophy was to train in '1001 ways' - and not just for strength,
but for flexibility and athletic ability as well. Throughout his career,
he recommend a variety of different schedules, sets and reps schemes,
and exercises - just so long as one stuck to basics.
Early in his career, John was introduced to heavy leg work by one
of his mentors,
Mark Berry, of the Milo Barbell company. Grimek
became particularly fond of squats which laid the foundation for
much of his great strength.
He could squat with over 400 Lbs. well into his 60's.
Grimek practiced all types of lifts, including: Olympic lifting, Hand Balancing, harness lifting,
iron boot training, and old time lifts like the bent press and side press,
heavy supports and many more besides.
Anyhow, our friend Steve Chambers dropped us a line and asked
'If we would ever considered making teeth lifting bits like John
Grimek used to advertise in the old Strength & Health mags.'
In a word, - no - we certainly like unusual strength equipment but
that's one you'll have to follow up on, on your own. (I would guess
your best bet would be a saddlemaker or leathersmith)
I'm not a fan of 'in da mouf' lifts - too much of a chance for
injuries - and none of them pleasant.
John Grimek passed on to the big weight room in the sky on
November 20, 1998, and though he was the model for several
Training courses, he never had one of his own which is a shame.
Still, he influenced hundreds of thousands of people, maybe
even millions, to start training seriously, and his passion for
training (and focus on the basics) is something that we could
all learn a lot from.
To learn more about how John Grimek trained, including the routines that
put over 30 pounds of muscle on him, you'll want to be sure to check out
The Mark Berry Barbell Courses.
|
John Grimek - as a bodybuilder
and Olympic Weightlifter
Grimek on the cover of The
Mark Berry Barbell Courses
|
The many training styles of John Grimek: Deadlifts, Chest Expanders, Working in the foundry, Squats, Upside-down flys,
Tearing a phonebook,
Gripping the hub of a York Barbell Plate, Hand Balancing, The "Lay Back" Press...
|
