Great shot!
Markus always had somewhat square triceps, and his muscles didn't tie in like a Flex Wheeler, although both he and Orville Burke should have beaten Flex in 2002.
I worry about Markus. Specifically, I fear for his health.
It was refreshing to me to see some bodybuilders slim down after their pro competition days. Gunter Schkierkamp did this a little, and focused on his family, at least a little. Shawn Ray seemed to know when to take his foot off the gas.
Markus, who I think has a little girl with his hot 4'11" German girlfriend recently turned 49, I believe, and still carries a lot of size.
I don't see the issue with him reducing to 220-lb [he is 5'10.5"], and just focus on living as long as possible, to be with his family as long as possible. I don't think he could look like Kevin Levrone does at 220-lb...but it's not like he has anything to prove.
The sad thing about bodybuilding compared to, say, hockey, is that bodybuilders retire, and sometimes look like they would if they had just trained naturally their entire lives. Whereas hockey players retire, and you could never tell from looking at them that they aren't nearly the players that they used to be.
If you see Wayne Gretzky today, he just looks like a healthy 59-year-old man. You wouldn't know by looking at him that high school hockey players could outperform him in the rink. That must help, when your sport is your identity, that people wouldn't know you have declined.
With bodybuilders, everyone can see it - and Markus simply doesn't want to let it go because of it. Markus is a bit of a testament to how much the human body can take though.
