Thread: Markus Ruhl retires(!)

Hello dear Bodybuilding-Fans,
yes you have read right: It goes on – but not on active contest stage. You have probably already noticed how it went for me on this years Mr.Olympia. I, of course, am deeply dissapointed and have no idea why I was placed this bad.
I also admit that this wasn´t my best shape. But at least a placing Top-15 is something I would consider appropiate. But I do not want to keep on complaining but rather come to the “core” of my announcement: As of now on I will retire from active bodybuilding. I made this decision already after the Arnold-Classic, so the bad placing at the Mr.Olympia-contest has nothing to do with this decision as it enforces me in my thoughts.
I certainly also want to give an open and honest explanation as I do not want it to look like an offended act of defiance. No, it is a well-considered decision.

You all know me as a hard-working pro-athlete, who always gives more than 100% when working out. This was the only way of keeping myself at the sports top of the world over the past ten years. Only by pushing the heaviest training-sessions I was able to gain all the muscle-mass as well as the volume, for which I won fans and bodybuilding-friends from all-over the world. I did never regret this, I always had fun and due to this I have a lot of gratitude for my fans.
This absolute will of giving always everything and of always training at the limit became my fate about two years ago (or longer *?!). I suffered a fissure of the right pectoral muscle which unfortunately cannot be repaired by surgery.
*Until today I have no clue when this happened as it is no “classic” fissure taking place completely free from pain and wounds. It never was obvious, especially during off-season and with pumped-up muscles. So I was even more curious when I noticed it during pre-contest-diet. If you take a look at the pictures of the past two years you can see the lingering process as the fissure got larger and larger.

Nevertheless, I kept on training as I´m not one of those just giving up and due to the fact that there wasn´t any necessary change conderning my chest-training as it was still powerful, intense and free from pain. That´s how I had a great year of 2006, which I´m very proud of afterwards, as I was able to be one of the top-guys up on pro-stage, despite this handicap.
But the judges punished me for this flaw at the Arnold Classics for the first time as the gave me an unusually bad placing (I have to admit though, I wasn´t in my best shape as well). So after this contest my decision was certain that the Mr.Olympia´07 would be my last contest.
But as I didn´t want to retire with the bad placing of the Arnold Classic, I invested all my power in preparing for the Mr.Olympia-contest. However, my chest pulled itself away more and more and noticeably lost on volume. As I´ve never really had a “placing-present” given to me by American judges, but rather had to fight hard for each of my placings and even more often had to accept those way below my actual performance, I was sure that the flaw of my chest would become my fate.
And this is how it happened that I was placed outside the Top-15 for the first time ever at this year´s Mr.Olympia. Of course, emotionally this is a very painful experience for me, as in my opinion a placing this bad was not justified at all.

But not concerning my chest-handicap, I consider the present development of pro-bodybuilding as another reason to retire from active competition: On contest-stage, the preference seems to shift increasingly from musclemass to “muscle-conditioning”, to be more “cut-up”.
When I started as pro, I was told at the young age of 25 that my contest weight of 118kg at 177cm would still be too light in order to compete seriously with the other Greats of the sport. Fortunately, increasing my mass by another 15kg came up as one of my talents over the years. This made me not just one of the most massive bodybuilders of all times, but also gave me my reputation as well as the favour and loyalty of my fans.

Meanwhile, most of the pro-line-ups (as well as the one at this year´s Mr.Olympia), for the main part, consist of lighter athletes where the muscle-conditioning is more prefered rather than musclemass. Bodybuilding always meant to me power, mass, enormous proportions, which are way ahead of the amateur´s achievements and dimensions. Now, with these elements not seeming to be preferred on pro-stage anymore, those contest appear to me more like “dehydrating-contest” rather than classic bodybuilding.
This is a field I cannot make use of as well as I do not want to make use of , regardless of my chest-handicap.

The era of the massive athletes seems to come to an end. With the concurrent resignation of Ronnie Coleman (and myself), Jay Cutler seems to be the only athlete left in the “125kg and up”- category. Bodybuilding finally seems to face the changes that have been announced for quite some time.

I´m in the pro-business since 1997, competing in far more than 30 pro-contests. I was qualified nine times in a row for the Mr.Olympia-contest, won two pro-contests and finished four times runner-up. But what makes me the proudest is that I could win my fan´s hearts and receptions. That´s why I wish to thank all of my fans who walked along with me for all these years and who always backed me up. Even when a contest didn´t end for me successfully, my fans and friends always supported me with their encouraging words.

For this I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Even though I might not be an active contest-athlete aymore, I will NOT say my goodbyes to bodybuilding. I will keep on being there for the sport as well as being present and I will continue being your “massmonster”.

In the future I will have even more time and opportunities to approach you, my fans and friends, and to answer as well as to comment your emails, questions and suggestions. Therefore I will reactivate my “questions and answers”-category on my website, which I have reprehensively neglected. This is how I would like to be there for you with my knowledge and suggestions. And I´m definitely looking forward to meet up with you at contests, fairs and other occasions. You know, I´m always there for a joke .

Thank you lots for these wonderful years*
Yours, Markus.
(*I won´t get lost for you.)

Is that the pose, or is the seperation at the bottom the fissure? Hard to tell since they are differnt poses. He looks way bigger in 05 too.