Exercise scientist Dr. Mike Israetel is back to take another close look at the workouts of one of the most imposing mass monsters to shake up the sport. On February 7, 2025, he critiqued the training and diet of bodybuilder Markus Ruhl.
“Just a few years back there was a monster that roamed the earth and his name was Markus Ruhl,” shares Dr. Israetel. “Markus Ruhl typically competed in the 270s and 280s pounds range on stage. He was about 5’10, 5’11”.”
German Bodybuilding sensation Markus Ruhl was a potent force in the IFBB Pro League. He gave many high-profile legends of the sport fits on stage, including former eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman. Although Ruhl never laid claim to a Mr. Olympia or Arnold Classic title, he was one of the most feared talents among those competing in the Men’s Open class.
In 2004, Ruhl registered his most impressive performance on the Olympia stage, securing fifth place behind Dexter Jackson, the late Gustavo Badell, Jay Cutler, and champion Ronnie Coleman. His final contest appearance came in 2010 at the Europa Super Show, where he finished seventh place. His sheer mass and size continue to leave fans in awe, who still wonder how he made it possible.
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Exercise Scientist Dr. Mike Israetel Critiques Training and Diet of Markus Ruhl
To begin, Dr. Israetel examined Markus Ruhl’s approach to back training.
“I’ve actually never seen anyone do one-arm rows like this. Typically, people prop their arm up, or they prop up just on their own knee. A lot of times people will do two-arm chest supported rows where they do one dumbbell in each hand. This is kind of a cool combo of chest support and dumbbell row. This is really neat,” he shared.
He complimented Ruhl’s range of motion and stretch throughout the modified chest-supported dumbbell rows.
“It allows him to get a full stretch. It doesn’t allow for as much body English, and whacking and waving. He’s got his hand on the other hook there, securing. I hope he doesn’t pull that out by accident because he’ll take a fall.”
He also touched on Ruhl’s explosive chest training.
“High incline press, he’s arched and his pecs look billowed out, they are accepting a ton of tension I love it. No matter what Markus Ruhl does, chest is somehow involved.”
Dr. Israetel suggested he take the reps a little lower when shoulder pressing.
“It would typically say that it’s probably a good idea for him to go lower because there’s more growth down there. But when dealing with someone Markus Ruhl’s size, I have to ask if it’s even possible for him mobility-wise.”
Following shoulders, Dr. Israetel gave his thoughts on Ruhl’s unique tricep training.
“Interesting pushdown style,” says Israetel. “He’s pushing out with really flared elbows which means he’s also using a lot of chest and people would say look, pushdowns you got to click your elbows in and you got to push down in front of you and that’s totally true.”
“But if you can use more chest volume, if that’s in your plan to be able to accept that kind of fatigue, you’ll notice that there is biomechanically no good reason to discount this exercise.”
Lastly, Dr. Israetel analyzed the diet of Ruhl, giving his take on the mass monster’s tuna shake.
“It’s the tuna shake isn’t it?” asks Israetel. “You got to get the tuna in and you’re not eating it because you’re just trying to eat it because you’re stuffed full of rice.”
“You kind of want hot water [in it] right? It’s kind of a soup,” he shared. “How Northern European, good god. Do you see the chunks coming out?”
While Ruhl has stepped away from competing for over a decade, he still offers tips and training advice to aspiring bodybuilders following in his footsteps. He has guided top IFBB Pros such as German star Urs Kalecinski in the Classic Physique category.
We may never see a bodybuilder as big and imposing as Markus Ruhl again. Dr. Mike Israetel was impressed by his training and diet, which were integral in Ruhl displaying a one-of-a-kind physique throughout the 2000s.
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