Ronny Rockel

Ronny Rockel, born on 12 July 1972, is a former IFBB professional bodybuilder from East Germany. He grew up in Karl-Marx-Stadt, now Chemnitz, under communist rule and was unaware of bodybuilding until the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. At seventeen he decided he wanted a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger's after seeing the film Conan the Barbarian, and because commercial gyms were non existent in his town he made his own weight set. He placed last in his class at his first competition, the Hessian Championships, then a year later won the 1995 NABBA German Nationals and placed third at the NABBA Mr. Universe, which convinced him he could turn professional.