A former Junior record holder in Olympic weightlifting, he also competed in four World Strongest Man contests: 1985, 1986, 1988, and 1992,[3] finishing 8th in 1985, 5th in 1986, and 7th in 1988.

Overall, Jean-Pierre Brulois is arguably the strongest Frenchman whose feats have ever been officially verified (along with Louis Uni and Charles Rigoulot).

In a 2005 article, Jean-Pierre Brulois explained to French strength sports specialist Emmanuel Legeard that, as a young boy, he was haunted by a recurring nightmare in which he was being crushed by a truck; weight training had helped him overcome this complex.

On his return from the military, he was contacted by Serge Nubret who persuaded him to leave Olympic Weightlifting for Powerlifting.

In the mid-1980s, Jean-Pierre met with Marc Vouillot, a renowned Powerlifting coach, who instantly understood his athletic potential and started training him.