Andreas Münzer

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Andreas "Andi" Münzer (born October 25, 1964 in Pack (Styria) , Austria ; † March 14, 1996 in Munich ) was an Austrian bodybuilder who died of multiple organ failure with liver dystrophy as a result of years of doping and drug abuse . He was known for always presenting an extremely low body fat percentage and high vascularity , so-called hardness, on competition stages . His skeletal muscles were considered to be one of the best in the professional field.

The following competition measurements are given for Andreas Münzer: Height: 1.73 m; Weight: 108 kg; Chest: 147 cm; Upper arm circumference: 53 cm.

He played his last competition five days before his death in San José .

job

Münzer was a trained toolmaker . However, he only practiced this profession for a short time. In 1985 he started his own business and opened the Florida Köflach fitness club in Köflach together with a friend . In 1989 he received the IFBB professional license and became a professional bodybuilder. He also worked as a trainer and studio manager in Albert Busek's fitness center .

Career

Münzer grew up with his sister Maria, who is four years older, on a remote dairy farm not far from Lake Modriach .

Münzer showed athletic talent early on: he played soccer in summer and skiing in winter. He also played the trumpet in the local music association. He got into weight training when he registered in a fitness center in order to bridge the two hours waiting time for the next bus back to Pack after work. The initial fun soon turned into passion, when he was persuaded by training partners to take part in competitions and immediately had success, which he was able to confirm in the following years:

  • 2nd place at the Styrian championship in the junior class up to 80 kg
  • Victory at the Austrian championships (junior and adult class)
  • 6th place European Championship in Hamburg 1986
  • 3rd place World Cup in Madrid 1987
  • 3rd place World Championship in Brisbane 1988
  • Victory at the World Games in Karlsruhe 1989 (up to 90 kg)

The success in Karlsruhe marked a turning point in the still young career of Andreas Münzer. He received a professional license from IFBB and attracted the attention of Albert Busek, who brought him to Munich. Busek, who is considered a close confidante of Arnold Schwarzenegger , not only provided Münzer with a lucrative job in his Munich fitness center, but also the necessary springboard for an international career.

Münzer now trained six to eight hours a day, six days a week. At a height of 1.73 m, his weight increased to well over 100 kg. While he consumed between 25,000 and 33,500 kJ (6,000 to 8,000 kcal) per day in the build-up phase , he not only drastically reduced his consumption to 8,400 kJ (2,000 kcal) in the subsequent diet phase with the amount of exercise, but limited it in the last phase ten days before a competition, the daily fluid intake of half a liter of water in order to break down tissue fluid . His body fat percentage was less than 5 percent and the layer of skin covering his muscles was measured to be less than a millimeter thick.

Despite his extraordinary physiognomy, which was certified by experts, he did not make the big breakthrough:

  • 2nd place Night of the Champions 1993
  • 3rd place Grand Prix Germany 1990
  • 3rd place Iron Man Pro 1991
  • 4th Pittsburgh Pro 1991
  • 4th place Grand Prix Germany 1993

In the most important competition for him, the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic , his best result was a 3rd place:

  • 1990: 3rd place
  • 1991: 9th place
  • 1993: 7th place
  • 1994: 5th place
  • 1995: 4th place
  • 1996: 6th place

At Mr. Olympia he never achieved a top placement. His best results were three 9th places (1990, 1993 and 1994).

The reason for this was on the one hand the obvious preference for colored bodybuilders - Münzer was celebrated as the "best white man" at his last appearance at the "Arnold Classics" in Ohio - and on the other hand it was also because his posing routine had the expressiveness desired by the judges missed what can be related to the fact that Münzer was not particularly keen on self-portrayal in front of voyeuristic viewers. He was calm and serious nature and free from the frequently observed in bodybuilders airs . The fact that he nevertheless completed a brimming program of around 40 performances per year is explained by the fact that he needed money to finance his drug abuse ( steroids and other hormones ) - while he systematically marketed as a clean man and even as a role model for healthy eating (his preferred foods were turkey meat and rice).

Shortly after his death, the training DVD The real workout was published, where he gives tips on training, nutrition and correct exercise. At the beginning of the DVD there is a dedication with the words In memoriam to Andreas Münzer . The DVD shows Münzer in excellent form, shortly before the preparation for the professional Arnold Classic competition .

In 1993 he had a brief guest appearance in the television series Der Alte in the 184th episode "Babysitter".

death

Andreas Münzer was plagued by stomach pains months before his death, which he fought unsuccessfully with roll cures . On March 13, 1996, one day after his return from the USA, where friends had already noticed his depressed mood, Münzer was admitted to a hospital because the pain had become unbearable. They diagnosed bleeding in the abdomen, but could not stop it, this was only possible after being transferred to a university clinic as part of an operation. That same night, Münzer died of multiple organ failure .

The autopsy report revealed the following:

  • In Münzer's liver there were tumors the size of table tennis balls , as they are known from other anabolic drug abuse cases, while the other half of the liver consisted only of a crumbly mass, similar to polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) .
  • Acute poisoning was diagnosed, possibly due to a stimulant.
  • Münzer's electrolyte balance was completely out of whack. He was totally dehydrated. His blood was viscous (viscous) and therefore only circulated slowly.
  • His body was extremely high in potassium .
  • His heart was twice as heavy and big as that of a normal person (cardiac hypertrophy).
  • Very large, swollen kidneys.
  • Testicles shrunk to the size of a hazelnut (testicular atrophy), plus a walnut-sized cyst formation on the right.
  • Pancreatic fibrosis.
  • In addition, traces of around twenty different drugs were found.
  • Multiple puncture sites on the forearms.

A funeral mass was read for Münzer in the Sendling district of Munich . His grave is in his hometown of Pack. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent a wreath that read "A last greeting to a friend".

Andreas Münzer last lived in Neuhausen . He was unmarried and childless, but had been in a relationship with the bodybuilder Elisabeth Schwarz since 1990.

The former professional bodybuilder Nasser El Sonbaty , who died of kidney failure in 2013, was well acquainted with Münzer and spoke in detail in an interview in June 2010 about the background to his death. He doubted that the drug abuse, which the media emphasized in the media after Münzer's death, was the main factor, because Münzer did not consume more than other professionals. Instead, he named the cause as the fact that the sports official and entrepreneur Albert Busek, who was employed by Münzer, was jointly responsible for his death through his constantly demanding behavior towards Münzer. As a result, Münzer no longer had any breaks between competitions ( off-season ), which did not allow his body to regenerate from the side effects of the various medications and the stress of training and competition.

The monthly costs for his medication were estimated by experts of the scene at up to 10,000 DM , with more than 40 appearances per year Münzer financed his consumption.

doping

It has been proven that Münzer, presented as a doping-free “clean man”, led a double life . His competition schedule over ten weeks according to the magazine Der Spiegel :

10–6 weeks before the competition daily:

  • 2 injections of Testoviron à 250 mg (gain in muscle mass)
  • 1 injection Parabolan (anabolic steroid for muscle growth)
  • 30 tablets Halotestin (anabolic steroid for strength gain)
  • 30 tablets Metandienon (anabolic steroid for mass & strength gain)
  • 16 IU STH (growth hormone: muscle building with simultaneous fat loss)
  • 20 IU insulin

Daily 5–2 weeks before the competition:

  • 3 injections of Masteron
  • 2 injections of Parabolan
  • 30 tablets Halotestin (anabolic steroid for strength gain)
  • 50 tablets Stromba (anabolic steroid for muscle maintenance and definition with more hardness)
  • 2 injections of Stromba
  • 24 IU STH

2 weeks until the competition daily:

  • 2 injections of Masteron
  • 2 injections of Stromba
  • 40 tablets Halotestin (anabolic steroid for strength gain)
  • 80 tablets of Stromba
  • 24 IU STH (growth hormone)
  • insulin
  • Aldactone and Lasix (water reduction in muscles)

literature

  • Fattened youth - rise and death of Andreas Münzer , in: Werner Franke , Udo Ludwig : The betrayed sport. Zabert-Sandmann-Verlag, Munich 2007, pp. 177–194.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Blond, strong and dead. How the bodybuilder Andreas Münzer got on the trail of the Terminator and died in the process . Der Spiegel , 17/1996, April 22, 1996
  2. ↑ Blond, strong and dead in Der Spiegel 17/1996, accessed as PDF on June 9, 2016
  3. ↑ Dying to be Arnie
  4. ↑ Luitpold Kistler: Deaths from anabolic drug abuse - cause of death, findings and forensic medical aspects Dissertation, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 2006
  5. ^ David Robson: Andreas Münzer - The untold story in an interview with Nasser el Sonbaty. bodybuilding.com, June 28, 2010
  6. ↑ Blond, strong and dead in Der Spiegel 17/1996, accessed as PDF on June 9, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Münzer, Andreas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Münzer, Andi (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian bodybuilder
DATE OF BIRTH October 25, 1964
PLACE OF BIRTH Pack (Styria) , Austria
DATE OF DEATH March 14, 1996
Place of death Munich