Bodybuilders Who Pushed Themselves To Achieve Perfection

Bodybuilders are completely devoted to their craft and they are meticulous about what they eat and how they work out. There’s nothing they don’t know about their body, their limits, nutrition or pushing themselves past their breaking point. Take a look at some of the bodybuilders out there who pushed themselves too hard to achieve perfection.

Greg Plitt

Greg Plitt had an incredible past before he became a bodybuilder. Plitt was a graduate from West Point, a celebrated Ranger and Airborne soldier, and he was naturally handsome. He was also turning heads in the fitness world as his face and body were adorned in magazines and TV. However, Plitt died in California after he was struck by a train. The tragedy behind the story is that he tried to race between the train rails to prove how effective an energy drink was.

Oli Clooney

At the age of 16, Oli Clooney dedicated his life to bodybuilding. Clooney openly used steroids despite being told, at the age of 18, by doctors to slow his workouts down and to cut out the steroids. Clooney was warned numerous times to quit working out after his chronic heart damage. However, he did not stop and returned to working out up to 4 times a week. He was dead at the young age of 20 when he collapsed at the door of a taxi. His mother is completely devoted to share his story of steroid abuse to help prevent other kids from falling to the same fate.

Robert Benevente

In the mid ’90s, Benevente was a steady bodybuilder on the NPC circuit. He would place several times in the Teen Division before gaining his highest honors in 2003 as a 1st place finisher in the Southern States competition. However, Benavente would die only a year later due to a heart attack at the age of 30.

Chad Brothers

Chad Brothers was a very serious bodybuilder but then things went completely wrong for him. Brothers was working out in a Gold’s Gym on a treadmill when he tripped and fell. Brothers instantly snapped and started destroying the property. He screamed threats at staff and other lifters, attacked people, flipped over heavy machines, and refused to back down to police when they showed up. Brothers was hit with two taser shots and he would be dead within an hour. His body was found full of steroids and PCP, both are illicit drugs which led to his dramatic temper and explosive anger.

Romario Dos Santos

Santos took the fitness world by storm but unfortunately, he cut a few corners to get ahead. Dos Santos rose to fame as a result of his ghastly appearance and fast viral action on the internet. He would inject his body with alcohol and oil in order to give an artificial pump. What came of these lethal injections was the opposite of beautiful, it made him look inflated and grossly misshapen. Dos Santos is currently certainly facing long term health effects because of his reliance on harmful substances and fitness shortcuts. We hope he makes a full recovery.

Anthony D’Arezzo

Anthony D’Arezzo started out at the highest levels and had deep pockets as his bank accounts were brimmed with cash. However, it is widely known that D’Arezzo actually suffered from a heart defect, cardiopyopathy, that was bought on by extreme steroid usage. D’Arezzo doctors told him to stop taking the steroids and limit his time in the gym but he didn’t listen. He was all about sculpting his body to perfection and filling up his money market accounts. Tragically, the night before a competition, D’Arezzo died of a heart attack in his hotel room.

Dean Wharmby

Dean Wharmby was a monster – he ate up to 10,000 calories per day and drank almost 8 energy drinks a day so he could stay energized! Whoa. Wharmby eventually developed tumors in his body that turned cancerous. This was a direct result from very heavy steroid and diet abuse. He passed away before his 40th birthday and he looked disgusting with all respect to the man, if he would have stuck to a proper diet and taken better care of himself, he would have gone to do many great things.

Sally McNeil

Sally McNeil is a female bodybuilder who unfortunately makes this list. McNeil is a former marine who suffered from a crazy temper because of her constant steroid abuse. McNeil’s rage led her to savagely beat a woman after she allegedly had an affair with McNeil’s husband. Things came to a head when McNeil pulled a shotgun on her husband and killed him while in a rage. McNeil is now facing life in prison.

Bertile Fox

Bertile Fox’s national acclaim came up quite quickly when he took up bodybuilding, he become an instant competitor at the highest level. However, to get to this high level, Fox relied heavily upon Human Growth Hormone, or HGH. Sadly, that insane reliance on steroids caused an increase in aggression and an imbalance in his brain. He would go on to murder an ex-fiancee as well as the woman’s mother. Fox was sentenced to life in prison after his death sentence was reduced.

Gregg Valentino

Valention used to have the largest biceps in the world because he would use an oil called, Synthol. Yes, this is the same drug used by Moustafa Ismail, who we mentioned before. Synthol is discouraged because it pumps up your muscles without putting in real work, it is also very dangerous. Valentino learned just how dangerous Synthol was when his arm developed a dangerous hematoma that started to leak. He attempted to drain the growth himself with a syringe but instead he had to witness his bicep explode and ended up in the emergency room. There are no shortcuts people. None.

Gary Himing

Back in 2009, Gary Himing became one of the most famous bodybuilders across the globe when he sadly died on stage at a sanctioned completion in Australia. Then, instead of canceling the show, the event promoters just moved his body to a hospital in order to continue. This is truly disgusting behavior and extremely inhumane.

Moustafa Ismail

Moustafa Ismai actually can be found in the Guinness World Records because he has the largest upper arm circumference in the world! 31 inches to be exact. Ismail is currently under a lot of scrutiny for allegedly using drug, Synthol, although the Egyptian denies this. He claims that his bicep size can be traced to the seven pounds of protein he eats every day.

Andreas Munzer

Andreas Munzer used to look like an action figure until his tragic death in 1996 when he was only 32. Munzer wrongly cut his body fat percentage down to practically nothing, while this is fairly common because it allows you to show off each individual muscle on your body, there is a limit. Munzer went over this limit as it was found that he had several tumors on his liver and his heart was enlarged.

Andrej Gajdos

Andrej Gajdos was inspired by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson so he decided to become just like him by undertaking an intense workout regime aided by steroids. Whereas, the Rock does not use steroids, Gajdos did. Gajdos was only 19 years old when he collapsed outside a supermarket due to his thoracic aorta, inside of his heart, ruptured. Gajdos’s heart was larger than most peoples’ and the steroids increased its weight to a deadly size.

Mike Matarazzo

Back in the 80s and 90s, almost everyone knew who Mike Matarazzo was. He was highly known for his extreme size and weight: 5’10 and 250 pounds. He competed for 10 years in the IFBB bodybuilding circuit and was well regarded for his huge arms and extraordinary calves. After he placed 21st in the Mr. Olympia tournament – he was forced into early retirement and into open heart surgery. Matarazzo have two more heart attacks and his heart would be reduced to just 20% functioning before his untimely death only 48 years old.

Gordon Kimbrough

Gordon Kimbrough became a serious bodybuilding competitor who sadly relied on anabolic steroids. Steroids were completely wrapped into his life that his body was inflated with fake hormones. All of that self harm, lead to Kimbrough snapping and killing his soon to be wife, Kristy Ramsay. He claimed that his wife was cheating on him. The police found him at the scene of the crime trying to kill himself with a lethal injection. We hope he found some peace.

Dan Puckett

Dan Pucket was only 22 when he was found dead in his dorm room at the University of Alabama. He seemed to have a very promising career as he won the 2006 NPC Teenage/Collegiate Bodybuilding Competition. Before his untimely death, he had complained of a torn muscle. It is believed that Puckett was, possibly, abusing anabolic steroids. The coroner cited his cause of death as heart failure and ‘natural causes’.

Scott Klein

Scott Klein competed throughout the ’90s and into the early ’00s. Klein claimed four NPC Heavyweight rankings, two NPC super heavyweight rankings, before going on to become a trainer. However his retirement didn’t last very long as he experienced kidney failure at the age of 30 and would pass away shortly after.

Greg Kovacs

The bodybuilding world knew Greg Kovacs because of his insane weight gain during the off-season and his commitment to get into shape right before the IFBB season would begin.
Kovacs competed throughout the late ’90s and retired in 2005. Kovacs suffered from heart failure at the age of 44, just a few years after retiring — a clear signal of long pressure on the heart mixed with steroid abuse.

Aziz ‘Zyzz’ Shavershian

Shavershian popularized ‘aesthetics’ to a new generation of bodybuilders due to his focus on being attractive instead of being strong. In just under 4 years, Zyzz would go on to sculpt the ‘perfect body’. Unfortunately, that dream wasn’t meant to last and Shavershian would end up dying of heart failure while in a sauna in Bangkok, steroids were the likely culprit.

Mike Mentzer

Mike Mentzer was a mixture of perfectly cultivated mass, business savvy, and outspoken ideological beliefs. Mentzer competed in the IFBB for years, making his debut in 1979, and he would even gain a Mr. Olympia Heavyweight Championship in that first year. Shockingly, Mentzer began bodybuilding at only 12 years old and would only get stronger and more nuanced as the years went by. Sadly though, at 40, Mentzer passed away due to heart problems.

Mohammed Benaziza

Mohammed Benaziza was a prolific bodybuilder as he racked up 7 Grand Prix wins as well as two top 5 finishes in the Mr. Olympia competitions in 1989 and 1992. After winning the Grand Prix Holland competition in 1992, he went back to his hotel room where he promptly died of heart failure. Benaziza was only 33 when he passed away.

Terri Harris

Terri Harris competed as a body builder for almost two decades. She frequently was a top 5 finished in NPC and IFBB shows from 2002 to 2012, including several 1st place wins in 2011 and 2012. She died from a heart attack only two days after a contest in 2013 at the age of 51.

Steve Michalik

Steve Michalik was a legend. He was a B52 fighter pilot in Guam and he turned that same passion to bodybuilding in the ’70s. Michalik was crowned Mr. Universe in 1975 just three years after he won Mr. America in 1972. Michalik was completely composed of muscle but he was peppered with health problems due to his controversial usage of steroids. He had liver tumors, kidney disease, and heart failure. In 2011, Michalik had a kidney transplant before passing away in 2012 at the age of 63.

Ruben Arzu

Imagine this, in 2011, you’re a couple in love coming home from a party and sitting on your porch is a 300 pound bodybuilder, and oh yeah, he’s naked. We aren’t joking. This actually happened. At the time, the 22 year old Ruben Arzu was under the influence of steroids and other drugs when he viciously attacked the couple for no apparent cause. It actually took police four officers, along with two stun gun shots and four sets of handcuffs to restrain Arzu.
caption id=”attachment_2498″ align=”aligncenter” width=”810″] Ruben Arzu[/caption]

Trevor Smith

Trevor Smith became inspired to become a bodybuilder when he saw the movie Pumping Iron. At the young age of 33, he worked his way to 412 pounds. Smith never competed professionally, however he did develop Nuclear Nutrition, which is a high intensity workout. (Smith is furthest to the left in the photo below).

Daniele Seccarecci

The Italian Daniele Seccarecci became interested in bodybuilding when he was just a kid and by the time he was 26, he went pro. The Guinness World Records named him the heaviest competitive bodybuilder in 2010. However, he was arrested in 2011 under the charge of illegal steroid marketing and was briefly sentenced to home detention. Tragically, he died of a heart attack in 2013 at 33 years of age in Taranto.

Luke Wood

Luke Wood was an Australian bodybuilder who was a mere eight weeks away from getting married when he tragically died from a massive internal hemorrhage. ‘Big Luke’, his nickname of course, was a six-time winner of the Australian Body Building Championships. However he sadly died due to complications following a kidney transplant in 2011, at just age 35.

Christopher Lear Janusz

Quite often, Janusz was known by his nickname “SwoleCat.” He was an amateur competitor, nutrition coach, and contest prep consultant. Sadly, in 2009, he passed from undisclosed causes at the young age of 37.

Art Atwood

This Wisconsin native’s first competition was in 2000, where he came in first in the super-heavyweight class of the Junior USA. He became a professional bodybuilder in 2001 debuting at the 2001 Toronto Pro where he took first place. Atwood was also featured in quite a few fitness and bodybuilding magazines, and even appeared on the cover of RxMuscle magazine. The tragic part of it all was that he died of a heart attack on September 11, 2011.

Mat Duvall

Meet the four-time top three finisher in NPC Super-heavyweight division in the years of 1999, 2001, 2002, and 1st in 2003. Later he would retire from bodybuilding to pursue a career in professional wrestling. Duvall died from a heart attack in 2013, at the age of 40.

Ed Van Amsterdam

When Ed was just 17, he entered his first bodybuilding contest and became the Junior Dutch Champion. Later, he would go on to become an European champion and in 1999, he entered the IFBB Pro ranks and competed at the Night Of The Champions. He was an IFBB Pro bodybuilder from the Netherlands who was a staggering 6’2” and weighed 265 pounds while his off-season weight was 300 pounds. At only 40, he died from a heart attack.

Fannie Barrios

The Venezuelan champion in 1997 and 1998, folks. Her professional debut was at the 1999 Jan Tana Classic. In 2000, she moved with her husband, Alex Ramirez, and her daughter, Johadynis. She was a personal trainer and chef in the Miami area. Her final contest was at the 2005 New York Pro Championship on May 21, where she finished in third place. In August of that year, she died from an apparent stroke.

Charles Durr

The Illinois native achieved so many great things before starting his bodybuilding career. In 1980, he was invited to the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team as in school, he was a master wrestler. He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Physical Education in 1984. He contributed to many charities, and continued to do so. During his bodybuilding career, he was Mr. Central States in 1990, Mr. USA in 1991, Mr. America in 1996, 5th place in Mr. Universe in 1997, and Mr. North America winner in Canada in 2000. Then, sadly in 2005, at the age of 44, he died from a heart attack.

Ron Teufel

Teufel was a bit of a legend, he was the 1978 IFBB Mr. USA. Runner-up to Samir Bannout at 1979 World Amateurs. He was also a Top 10 IFBB competitor in 1981 and 1982. After his death in 2002, a lot of speculation surrounding his death came to surface as some believed it was due to excessive steroid use but his family have defended his memory to this day. There is no report stating that to be the case. It is however stated that he died from liver failure, at just the age of 45.

Hans Hopstaken

Hans Hopstaken wass a former NPC Masters National champion who finished in the top five at two Masters Olympias. He competed in the 2001 IRONMAN Pro, finishing fifth at the Masters O. He was a personal trainer at the Foothill Gym in Monrovia, California. He had reportedly been sick weeks before his death from congestive heart failure. He was only 45.

Frank Hillebrand

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you the same thing, Frank Hillebrand was a kind and sweet man who is missed. In the 1992 IRON MAN Pro competition, he placed 10th. At the Arnold Classic, that same year, he was 11th. At the 1993 Arnold Classic, he came in 12th and at the San Jose Pro Invitational, he was 7th. He is also a former World Amateur champion out of Germany, who placed seventh in the 1990 Mr. Olympia. On the cover of August, 1996 IRON MAN, you’ll see him with model Camille Jones. Sadly, he was just 45 years old when he died of a heart attack while he was at the gym working out.

Nasser El Sonbaty

Nicknamed, “The Professor,” Nasser El Sonbaty was a Serbian-Egyptian IFBB professional bodybuilder who began bodybuilding in 1983. The first time Sonbaty was in a Mr. Olympia competition was in 1994, he went on to place 7th. He competed in 13 amateur shows and 53 IFBB Pro shows total. While he qualified for 10 consecutive Mr. Olympia contests, he only entered in nine. He is known for always posing and training while wearing his round spectacles. He was in many international fitness and bodybuilding magazines articles as well as being pictured on over 60 covers. He died in his sleep during a visit to Cairo in 2013, he was 47.

Don Youngblood

For almost 14 years, Don Youngblood was a dedicated bodybuilder. In 1994 he won the Arkansas State Masters Bodybuilding Championship. In 1995 he won the Arkansas State Overall Bodybuilding Championship, then in 1995 he won the NPC Masters National Overall Bodybuilding Championship, receiving his Pro Status. He was so disappointed to place 2nd at the 2001 Masters Olympia by a teeny tiny difference in points but he did win 1st place in the 2002 Masters Olympia. Then at just 51, he died of a massive heart attack.

Flex Wheeler

Now retired but Wheeler was an American IFBB professional bodybuilder. Arnold Schwarzenegger called him one of the greatest bodybuilders he had ever seen, impressive. Wheeler placed second at the 1993 Mr. Olympia, something he did again in 1998 and 1999. He is a 5-time Ironman Pro winner, 4-time Arnold Classic winner, and won the France Grand Prix, South Beach Pro Invitational, Night of Champions, and Hungarian Grand Prix. Back in 1999, he learned that he had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a form of kidney disease. Wheeler attributed the condition as hereditary, while others believe the accelerated onset came from heavy drug use.