Local Strongman Adam Grimes is not only an inspiration to strength athletes in Pennsylvania but also got a chance to motivate Special Olympians in New York earlier this year. In April, Grimes received an invitation from Mike Murray, Director of Powerlifting for the New York State Special Olympics, to put on a special strength presentation at the New York Summer Special Olympics. The games took place on June 15th in Ithaca, New York, with more than 1,000 athletes and their families in attendance. The athletes competed in a number of different sports, including powerlifting.
“Coming off of my win at the Pagoda City Showdown in May, I only had a few weeks to prepare for my demonstration,” said Grimes. “So, I began to work on a motivational speech and had to decide which feat of strength to perform for the demonstration. There were a lot of different options; I settled on a deadlift for repetitions as that would be a relatable movement for the athletes.”
Grimes went on to say that his days of preparation passed quickly, and he was off to Ithaca for the demonstration and speech. “When we arrived, I was amazed at just how big the games were. Numerous buses, carrying hundreds of athletes, followed us in, and nearly as many volunteers as well. After a brief search, we found the powerlifting and met up with Mike.”
After a brief warm-up, Grimes went right into his performance. “For my demonstration, I deadlifted 500 pounds for a total of 11 reps. The audience was great. They cheered me on and shouted encouraging words. After the lift, I went right into my speech. I was a little winded but didn’t let that hold me back. I wanted to give the athletes some encouragement and some words of advice as well. So, I told them the story of how I overcame injury to set a world record through the power of faith. I also advised them to keep lifting even if they compete in other sports. Overall, I had a great experience in Ithaca. The audience was great, and it’s something I’ll never forget.”
On a more personal note, Grimes was back on the lifting platform. On September 7th, he competed at Pennsylvania’s Strongest Man, which was held at Victory Brewing in Parkesburg, PA. This would be Grimes’ fifth time competing. “I devoted a lot of time training for this competition,” said Grimes. “Normally four days a week with training sessions lasting 2-3 hours. We were given a list of the events ahead of time, so we knew what to expect.”
Events included a lever deadlift ladder where each athlete would have to lift a series of handles attached to a beam on a pivot. Each handle approaching the pivot point was harder than the one before. A Conan’s wheel, where the athlete would have to pick up a bar in the crook of their arms weighing 600 pounds and walk in a circle as far as possible. A duck-walk where athletes carried two implements, one weighing 450 pounds and one being 500, down a 20-foot run as fast as possible. The fourth event was the Viking press, which entailed pressing a 325-pound implement overhead as many times as possible. Finally, a max keg load where the athlete had three attempts to lift as heavy a keg as possible over a 52-inch bar.
“We started the day off with the lever deadlift. This was the event I was most looking forward to, as I even built my own lever to simulate it. Unfortunately, warm-ups didn’t feel the best, and neither did the event itself. I managed 4 lifts in just over 14 seconds, which gave me third place in this event.
The second event was the Conan’s Wheel, another event I was greatly looking forward to. This is a grueling event that’s not uncommon to see athletes pass out on. I put in a solid performance, walking 188 feet for another third place.
The third event was the duck-walk. I was especially not excited for this event as I had suffered a minor back injury training for it. Performing the event, I was a little cautious but managed to complete it in 32 seconds. This was another third-place performance.
Fourth was the Viking press. Overhead pressing isn’t always a great event for me, but I am confident on a Viking press. I managed 16 reps which was just one rep shy of joint second place on this event.
The last event was the keg load. I was excited for this as I haven’t had many opportunities to test my loading strength. Unfortunately, at this point in the show, I didn’t have much of a chance to take first, so I just had to make sure I didn’t lose second place overall. I was very strategic with my lifts and successfully hit 390 pounds. I did take a crack and 435 for my last attempt, but it wasn’t quite there, but it would not have changed the overall standings anyway.”
Overall, Grimes had mixed feelings about his performance. Though he felt he underperformed and did not compete to his fullest abilities, he is still able to lay claim as the second strongest man in Pennsylvania. “I just would like to thank my mom, dad, and wife for their support and encouragement they give me. I couldn’t do it without all of you. And, of course, I give all to God.”
