Greg Matonick is a Christian Strongman with a powerful message, both inspirational and motivational.
Throughout the 1980s, as Owner of Atlas Gym in the East Riverton/Cinnaminson section of New Jersey, Greg's values were simple and to the point. Put your faith in God, believe in yourself, never give up, don't do drugs, don't smoke, eat healthy and live a clean life. This message was imparted to the gym members on a daily basis. As if to back up this message, the gym members would be treated to impromptu feats of strength at various times. Often, they would see Greg bend a 60-penny, 1/4" thick, 6" long nail in front of his chest with just wrist and hand power; or a #2 or #3 horseshoe bent; in some cases, a hot water bottle would be blown up until it exploded; or a 1/2" concrete steel reinforcement bar bent over the bridge of his nose; or perhaps an 18-lb. sledge hammer would be held at arm's length and leveraged to touch his nose then returned to the starting point. Greg could also bend 1/2" square steel bars, the shortest being 22" long. He also possessed good strength in weightlifting moves, with a 400-lb. bench press; 250-lb. press behind his neck; 225-lb. curl; 505 squat for 2 reps; and a partial deadlift from below his knees of 700 lbs. for 3 reps. Knowing that oldtime strongmen preformed the one-arm dumbbell press, Greg worked on this movement and eventually succeeded with a 150-lb.dumbbell. It was during this time that Greg also performed in strength shows at gym openings, bench press contests and health food stores. On one of the advertisements, he was billed as "The Strongest Man in the Philadelphia Area.'' He also spoke to youth groups in local churches, giving an inspirational message utilizing feats of strength. The 1990s, however, were difficult years for Greg, almost dying from a bleeding ulcer. He received 7 pints of blood while hospitalized for 9 days. A very severe car accident in 1996 robbed him of his strength and damaged his shoulder. While in the hospital, Greg was told he had diabetes. This accident brought about the development of severe arthritis in his shoulders, neck and spine. A shoulder operation in 1999 showed virtually no cartilage in his left shoulder, with necrosis (bone death) in part of his shoulder bones. In the year 2000, he was hit broadside by a Ford Explorer traveling at 60MPH, totaling his Dodge Dakota R/T pickup truck, herniating discs in his low back and neck and damaging his other shoulder. After a very lengthy recovery period, Greg began exercising again, trying to regain his former strength, but to no avail. In late June, 2003, Greg's good friend, Dennis Rogers, who is a powerful man of GOD, a GrandMaster Professional Strongman, pound-for-pound the World's Strongest Man and a Houston, Texas youth pastor, while touring with a famous country and western band, came to New Jersey to perform. Dennis prayed for Greg, laying hands on him, asking the LORD GOD to renew his health. Not long after this, feeling stronger, Greg attempted a feat of strength that had eluded him since 1995, and by GOD'S grace and mercy, he succeeded! The LORD GOD had returned his strength. The arthritis was still there, however, severely limiting his range of motion, so Greg had to develop new training methods. Having personally trained well over 1,000 people during the 7 years he owned Atlas Gym, he relied on his vast knowledge of weight training to achieve this. Knowing that with GOD all things are possible, Greg rebuilt himself. Some of the feats he did previously could no longer be performed due to the almost frozen-like state of his shoulders. Some of the feats were changed and, although maybe not as visually impressive, were still performed, while some new feats were added. In February, 2004, Greg was told that his heart arteries were over 90% clogged. After being misdiagnosed by an incompetent doctor, Greg found an excellent cardiologist, and 6 stents were placed in his heart arteries. In June, 2004, Dennis Rogers appeared at the Faith Life Christian Center in Pennsauken, New Jersey for an inspirational sermon. During the time Dennis was in New Jersey, he spent some time with Greg, helping him with bending techniques. Greg, now at the age of 55, impaired by diabetes, with severe arthritis of his spine and shoulders, degenerative disc disease, carpal tunnel in both wrists, a herniated disc in his neck and 4 herniated discs in his low back, carries on. Dr. Anthony F. Calzaretto, a National Board-Certified Doctor of Chiropractic, former President of the South Jersey Chiropractic Society, highly regarded in the medical community, has written that with all the medical conditions Greg suffers from, his ability to function in everyday life should be severely compromised. The fact that Greg not only does, but appears to live a healthy, normal life and perform feats of strength that for a normal man would seem impossible, as Dr. Calzaretto states, "challenge the laws of medical science." Greg Matonick is living proof of the many promises in the Bible, namely Jeremiah 30:17; Psalms 27:14; and Isaiah 41:10. As Greg quotes from GOD'S Word before his talks, Zechariah 4:6, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty.**News Flash** -- as this website was being prepared, Greg was scheduled for low back surgery. A stress test revealed his diabetes had caused one of the stents to clog up. Unfortunately, the back operation had to be postponed indefinitely. A new stent had to be implanted in the blocked artery. However, when the stent was implanted in the artery, the artery dissected, which means it split. Another stent was implanted to repair the split artery. Once again, Greg was given the go-ahead. Unfortunately, 6 weeks later, the 2 new stents clogged up, causing Greg to suffer a mild heart attack. Another trip to the hospital, another catheterization. The cardiologist performed an angioplasty on the clogged stent, inserting a balloon and expanding the clogged stent, utilizing an unbelievable 300 pounds of pressure to expand the stent. So far, things look good, as this was a very mild heart attack. Greg is doing cardio work to rebuild his heart, and so far within the 16-day period of the heart attack, he has bent a 60-penny nail, a #2 diamond horseshoe, put a double bend in a 5/16" x 7" long carriage bolt and bent a 3/8" x 1" bar, 28" long, into a "U." This is a far cry from his best bend of 19-7/8". Although Greg was doing cardio work as he was instructed, sadly, the stents clogged up once again after only 8 weeks. Although a nuclear stress test was done, it was not read soon enough to be of any help to Greg; the result, another mild heart attack. On April 2, 2007, 2 new stents were implanted in the blocked arteries.
* * N E W S F L A S H * *
On April 2, 2007, while Greg was hospitalized, Dennis Rogers, GrandMaster Professional Strongman, pound-for-pound the World's Strongest Man and top performing Strongman in the World, announced the results of his Feats of Strength Contest that had run for approximately 7 months, and Greg was the winner of the Craziest Feat of Strength category. His winning feat was bending a quarter ($.25) in his teeth like the Mighty Atom. This is an amazing feat that very few people, if any, can do.
Almost 9 months have passed since Greg had the second heart attack, and the LORD GOD has done many positive things in Greg's life. This second heart attack, like the first, was mild. The only difference in Greg's bending since the second heart attack is that he doesn't push himself quite so hard. Also, due to the blood thinner that Greg takes, he will occasionally use a pad on his leg to prevent any bleeding. After winning Dennis Rogers' Craziest Feat of Strength Contest, Greg was featured in the Burlington County Times newspaper. Greg invited his friend, Sonny Barry, to this interview and, from this newspaper article, they were interviewed by Don Polec of Action News. After learning of Greg's health problems and witnessing Greg bend horseshoes, 1/2" square steel bars 22-1/2" long, roll up a frying pan and bend a United States Quarter in his teeth, Don Polec named Greg "New Jersey's Superman." During this same time period, Greg, along with his friend, Sonny Barry, was invited by Slim the Hammerman to perform at the Association of Oldtime Barbell and Strongmen (AOBS) Dinner. In late May, 2007, Greg learned of an amazing therapy for heart patients called EECP (Enhanced External CounterPulsation). More information about EECP can be found by clicking on this link www.vasomedical.com. Although EECP has been around for decades, it has been kept quiet by most of the medical community. Why? You can guess the answer -- because EECP works, and it works very well. More recently, one of Greg's bent scrolls was featured on Dennis Rogers' Blog. Greg bent this scroll after viewing a DVD made by his friends, Erik Vining and Dennis Rogers. As you will see, the new additions to this site are Greg's Blog and photos of the many items Greg has bent since his second heart attack.
Copyright 2007 Karen Ann Matonick
Performing feats of strength may be dangerous for some people. Please consult your doctor before attempting these activities. If you do engage in them, please make sure that you do so only under proper supervision.
INTRODUCTION
