I would give $1240,44 USD to know what was going on through Munzer's head, like see a pic of his thoughts or something, be his therapist.
Here's an alternative explanation concerning the demise of one of bodybuilding's greatest champions. An exclusive interview with Nasser El Sonbaty will help us untangle the mystery! Check it out!
Article Summary:
The media built an image of Andreas Münzer that was full of drugs and self-destruction.
Andreas Münzer's manager, Busek, was a big promoter of pro-bodybuilding.
Münzer died in an operating room from internal bleeding.
On March 14, 1996, the bodybuilding world awoke to the devastating news that one of its own had died under the most tragic of circumstances. When news broke of bodybuilding great Andreas Münzer's untimely death, yet another shadow of doubt was cast over competitive bodybuilding, another pounding blow was delivered squarely between the eyes of a sport that had received much criticism regarding its alleged close association with the dangerous and abusive use, by its athletes, of anabolic steroids and related "bodybuilding" drugs.
Andreas' death confirmed in the minds of many skeptics the belief that professional bodybuilding, and by implication the general bodybuilding population, was fraught with drug abuse, that those who trained with weights specifically to build their bodies were on a suicide mission of self-destruction by virtue of the consumption of "drugs" required to complete the transformation process.
Whatever the case, with Andreas' death any integrity bodybuilding had had again been significantly compromised, adding to its perpetual corrosion due to an ongoing trial by media that continues to this day.
Andreas, who turned professional with his heavyweight victory at the 1989 IFBB World Amateur Games, was widely regarded as bodybuilding's nicest, most sincere champion. To this author's knowledge not a bad word had, or has ever been said about him.
Andreas was also an unassuming, quiet, humble, hard working competitor, who constantly reached for for perfection, as exemplified by his unsurpassed muscular definition and outstandingly proportionate and massive physique. A true fan favorite, Andreas captivated international audiences with his one of a kind body, fully loaded with 240 pounds of cut-to-shreds muscle, complete with 21-inch arms, ultra-striated chest, and mountain like shoulders.
Since his pro debut in 1989 - at the IFBB Mr. Olympia - Andreas maintained an exhaustive schedule, competing every year until his death in '96. Typical for Andreas was his appearance at many bodybuilding contests in one season, which necessitated strict adherence to a low calorie diet and massive quantities of bodybuilding drugs. Was this due to a personal desire to capture a major title, or were there other reasons prompting his apparent need, or 'desire', to stay in top shape all year round?
Andreas Münzer At The 1995 Arnold Classic And Internationals.
View More Pics Of andreas munzer At The 1995 Arnold Classic And Internationals.
An admirer of Arnold Schwarzenegger, a man with whom he shared Austrian heritage, and like all professional bodybuilders wanting to push themselves to the top in a business that only rewards the best competitors, the Austrian Andreas did whatever it took to be at his best, and consumed bodybuilding drugs such as anabolic steroids, diuretics, growth hormone and insulin to get the job done in the most effective manner possible.
Competing in the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic bodybuilding event six times consecutively strongly suggested that this was the contest Andreas was gunning for. Indeed, with each passing year he came closer to the attainment of this title (9th place in 1991 and 4th place in 1995). 1996 would be his last attempt.
But, as it is often the case, if you pay the price, you must accept the consequences. And so it was with Andreas. After several days in which he endured intense stomach pains, following his final contest, the 1996 San Jose Invitational, Andreas was finally admitted to a hospital on the morning of March 13, 1996.
That evening, doctors decided to operate to stop the profuse bleeding of Andreas' stomach that had progressed throughout the day, and had, according to some reports, been occurring consistently the final 30 hours of his life. Shortly afterward, his liver and kidneys failed. The 30-year-old bodybuilding legend passed way the following morning - March 14 - after allegedly refusing a blood transfusion.
Since Andreas' death, many have speculated on exactly how he died. It is clear bodybuilding drugs were a factor, but is this the whole story? And why did Andreas die when so many of his peers continued to compete - some even to this day - with apparent impunity? Is Andreas a victim of bad luck, self-imposed adherence to dangerous levels of anabolic drugs or did outside forces conspire, unwittingly or otherwise, to bring him down?
The following interview with a man who was as close as any to the bodybuilding world Andreas inhabited provides an alternative explanation for the mysterious death of one of bodybuilding's more endearing champions.
It is hoped that this interview account will help to direct the finger of accusation away from Andreas' supposed fatalistic lifestyle and onto the circumstances governing his life as a whole. Was Andreas a drug-crazed steroid monster as was reported by various media? Did he have a death wish? Did he seek to bow out a champion, health consequences be dammed? Or was he pushed?
While not professing to be a definitive documentation and explanation of Andreas' lifestyle and subsequent death, this article will endeavor to unravel some of the mystery surrounding a topic that has, since its first developments, been subject to much speculation, innuendo and rumor.
[ David Robson ] Nasser. I understand you frequently spoke with Andreas Münzer over the years. You also have inside information on his bodybuilding background. Please tell me what you know. Give me your side of the story.
[ Nasser El Sonbaty ] Andreas Münzer was one of the nicest, most sincere professional bodybuilders to have ever competed as a pro and he had the physique to do some real damage - a true fan favorite. But he was taken advantage of and this, in my opinion, finally cost him his life.
As most of us know, Andreas trained in Germany, his home country. The owner of the gym where Münzer trained and was employed as a trainer was Albert Busek. Busek is the guy who is responsible for Europe's biggest muscle magazine, the "Sportrevue", which is what I considered to be a Bavarian-style farmer bodybuilding magazine: it did not focus on many other German events and big international events at that time.
Busek is, or at least was, the IFBB vice president for Europe.
Busek did not care for Andreas's health; he only cared for Münzer in regard to his being the figurehead of that "Leistungszentrum Busek". In other words, Andreas as the employed one had to bite his teeth and tongue.
It was said that Busek forbade Münzer to go to the doctor regularly because Andreas was "not supposed to leave the gym". Also Busek, as one of Europe's main IFBB guys, arranged many guest posing appearances for Andreas.
The IFBB Olympian Münzer, originally from Austria, was celebrated by the German bodybuilding community as German when he was successful in shows, and when he was in hard condition while guest posing. But when he was less successful at shows he was "just the Austrian", basically regarded as a second-class human. These statements are based on my personal experience.
I am also a good friend of his former girlfriend Elizabeth Schwarz, who for many years lived with him. Elizabeth is a very attractive, feminine looking girl who on three occasions finished in second place at the Amateur Bodybuilding World Championships. Her cooking skills and personality are also fantastic.
Andreas died in March of 1996, after he came 6th at the Arnold Classic and 7th in the San Jose pro show (a week after the Arnold). On the flight back to Munich, Germany, Andreas began bleeding internally. He already had an ulcer from years back but had not gone to the doctor for a while. This and the combination of the drugs he had taken in order to get ready for the show cost him his life.
When he was finally hospitalized in Munich, upon arrival from his transatlantic flight, it was already too late for him to receive proper help. Münzer did not die from steroids.
You can, however, overdose on recreational drugs, diuretics and insulin.
[ DR ] Did you ever train at Andreas' gym?
[ NS ] No. At age 19 I began training at one of the best bodybuilding gyms in Southern Germany, the "Sporting" in Stuttgart. At this very well known gym at that time, many different German national amateurs and pros worked out off and on (including Anja Albrecht and Jusup Wilcosz) and also certain IFBB pros came from time to time. I remember seeing back then guys like former IFBB pro John Brown.
This gym was basically the nemesis of the "Leistungszentrum Busek" in Munich, Bavaria where many other German amateurs and also IFBB pro's like Peter Hensel, Andreas Münzer (like before also his country man Arnold Schwarzenegger; both even from the same Austrian state of Steiermark) had worked out.
I met Andreas in 1993 in Paris at the French IFBB pro show and a week later in Nuremberg, Bavaria, at the German IFBB pro show. I beat him twice (in both events) because I was just more ripped than even Andreas. This was the first two times I ever qualified for the Olympia. Münzer was a very calm guy. He was nice, polite and friendly. He was a hard working bodybuilder who did not complain about anything. In later years, Muenzer had hardness to his body that was barely achieved by anyone in the world of pro bodybuilding.
He was so ripped he, to me, that he looked like a reptile. He was in some shows that if it had been the decisive criterion for winning, he would have been Mr. Olympia. It got to a point where I could not match his hardness. In 1994 I visited him in Munich at his work place, at his gym where he was a trainer. And he was eating clean day in and day out. He was always more than ready for a guest posing opportunity. And off-season he looked harder than 80 percent of today's pros on the day of their show.
He was extremely dedicated to his profession as an IFBB pro. I personally think that Andreas was too deprived from fats and calories in the off-season so he must have suffered for much of his bodybuilding life.
El Sonbaty: I have Tremendous Respect For Münzer As An Athlete And As A Man.
I have tremendous respect for Münzer as an athlete and as a man. I only saw him eating fatty foods in 1993 after my former wife and I took him to lunch on the Sunday after the Paris pro show. We had some salmon in fatty sauce and he had just one cheat hamburger and continued eating chicken breast and rice. His biggest protein source was, besides chicken breast, turkey, and lean fish, the daily egg whites.
Of course I did continue with my diet as well (for the German Grand Prix, seven days later) but I did not stop at one hamburger the day after that show. Yes Andreas was also a huge believer in "tons" of egg whites and he also loved artificial liquid sweeteners (those the equivalent of "Equal" and "Splenda" used widely in the US). This was the case during off-season and pre-contest, which again was for Andreas was almost one and the same.
[ DR ] Did you ever talk with Andreas about his drug intake?
[ NS ] I never did specifically talk with Andreas about drugs. He only told me once that Paul Dillett had complained to him that his butt was always hurting so much from all these shots he (Paul) was taking to get ready for the shows. I also want to make it clear here that the media in general and the German media in particular portrayed Andreas Münzer as the absolutely "insane freak" when it came to his consumption of steroids.
I do not know about Andreas' drug intake but it does not mean that the harder you are and/or the bigger you are, the more drugs you should or must take. There is no direct correlation or a general consensus among experts to reach these kinds of assumptions.
But a lot of people in general, but also bodybuilding folk, have a tendency to think this way. Once again, Andreas died and Busek allowed the German media to verbally destroy Münzer's legacy and achievements as an extremely dedicated professional bodybuilder. Busek did nothing to defend the dead Münzer from all the media slander and the completely inaccurate accusations leveled at him.
Once Peter Hensel, IFBB pro and Olympian as well, originally from former East Germany, who defected from the former communist state "GDR", was sitting in Busek's office chair, waiting for Albert. Albert Busek showed up late and explained that his wife had passed away (that day).
Hensel simply said: "Scheisse Mann, musste dass denn gerade heute passieren? Ich wollte doch mit Dir zum Kegeln gehen. Mist." Translated as: Shit man, why did this just have to happen today? I wanted to go bowling with you. Shit." Hensel was definitely less sensitive compared with Münzer and Busek was way more aggressive with Münzer.
[ DR ] Of course what you have just discussed about Busek is based on your personal experiences. Did Andreas Muentzer tell you anything about Albert Busek that would support what you have just said?
[ NS ] Andreas very seldom went into detail criticizing people. Andreas was also a non-confrontational person. But in regard to Busek, I do remember clearly when "Busek's" name once came up in the course of general conversation; Andreas Münzer mentioned him, referring to him as a "merciless slave chaser (in German: "gnadenloser Sklaventreiber") and an "arrogant user" ("arroganter Ausnuetzer").
At that time I told Andreas that I thought Busek was a man without conscience who wanted to use people for his own fame. Busek wanted to originally be a bodybuilder, but obviously he never had the body for it.
But one thing Andreas did have to his advantage: he was happy to work out in such a great gym as he did (on one level of the gym regular gym members used to work out, and on the other level more progressed, competitive bodybuilders worked out). However, Andreas was not happy with the low pay and the excessive hours and overtime he had to do.
As precise and diligent as Münzer was with his body, he was as diligent at his work place. With Andreas, Busek had the perfect working machine. Otherwise Andreas did not want to give chubby Busek too much attention. And he did not bring the subject of the abuser Busek up again. Münzer was not into spoiling his days with negativity.
[ DR ] Andreas was always known as one of the more unassuming pros, a guy who nobody said anything bad about. Did you ever see anything that might contradict this line of thinking?
[ NS ] In late 2001, I guest-posed in Munich, Germany, at the German amateur show, which was also the qualifier for the German team to compete at the Amateur World Championships in Yangon, Myanmar. At this contest I again met Elisabeth Schwarz. We talked about previous happenings in the world of bodybuilding.
A week later we met again and I asked her if Münzer had anger issues in general or towards her in particular, when dieting, especially since they were dieting together - her for IFBB amateur shows and he for his IFBB pro shows. "No, not at all" she told me. She also added that she was actually the one who was loud if anyone was, whether it was on or off their respective diets. I have never heard or personally seen any rage or verbal aggression directly concerning Andreas. I have never even heard hearsay about that.
Andreas Münzer was, as most of us know by now, a very quiet and laid-back character. He, for most of the time, let his body do the talking. I remember on one IFBB Grand Prix in Europe in the early 90s, in which Aaron Baker, Cormier, I and also Andy Münzer, among others, competed. Wayne DeMilia, the chairman of the IFBB pro division at that time and also being the kindergarten leader of the IFBB pro bodybuilders in Europe during the European Tour, had counted all the competitors twice "correctly" in the bus, which was parked in front of the local hotel where the contestants were staying.
So the count was complete and the bus took off to the contest auditorium. After a couple of miles, I - as the only one - realized that Andy was not on the bus. I immediately notified Wayne about this. He ordered the bus driver to return "to get Münzer" who had taken an afternoon nap and who was still asleep when we arrived to collect him. Muenzer's conduct, when he entered the waiting bus, was not panicky or worried at all. "Er war die Ruhe selbst" (translated from German into English: "He was the calmness in person").
El Sonbaty: I Have Never Heard Or Personally Seen Any Rage Or Verbal Aggression Directly Concerning Andreas.
