The Two German Giants
Markus Rühl was born in Darmstadt, Germany on 22nd February 1972.
He is an IFBB professional bodybuilder. His father died when little Markus was just seven years old. Wild and adventurous as a child, Markus was always one of the taller kids for his age and excelled at soccer. Rühl began training at the age of 18 following a doctor’s recommendation after sustaining a knee injury while playing soccer.
Günter Schlierkamp is a retired German IFBB pro bodybuilder. Schlierkamp was born in Olfen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, where he grew up on a farm. In 1996 he married Carmen Jourst and moved to the United States, but they divorced in 2003. Four years later, he married American personal trainer Kim Lyons in March 2007.
After a fourth place showing at the 2005 Mr. Olympia contest, Schlierkamp started training with legendary trainer Charles Glass. Schlierkamp had trained with Glass in 2002, and finished above 8-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman at the GNC Show of Strength. Hoping to gain an edge for the 2006 Mr. Olympia Title by training with Glass, Schlierkamp didn’t manage to improve on the previous year’s finish and ended in 10th place. In 2006 he had a role in an American movie Beerfest, released by the Broken Lizard comedy group.
