The Next Chapter

Post-competition life with fan-favorite bodybuilder Gunter Schlierkamp.

- Mike Carlson

Gunter Schlierkamp has always turned heads. People noticed him a decade ago, when he was a well-conditioned 300 pounds and battling onstage against Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler, and they notice him today, at a lean 245 pounds, riding his bike to the gym he owns, Bionic Body in Hermosa Beach, California.

Since he retired from competition in 2006, the 6’1” German has been living the California dream: cast in Hollywood movies, has a house near the beach, and married to former fitness competitor-turned-multimedia celebrity Kim Lyons. Together they own the gym, a line of Bionic Body workout gear, and have a six-year-old boy named Jake.

Schlierkamp owns a unique bragging right in bodybuilding history. In 2002, just three weeks after the Mr. Olympia, he beat Ronnie Coleman at the Show Of Strength in Atlanta. It was the first time a reigning Mr. Olympia was beaten.

Mike Carlson: Do you still get recognized often?

Gunter Schlierkamp: I do. It’s always pretty random. Yesterday I walked into Office Depot to get some stuff printed for the gym. The guy behind the desk was like, “Gunter?”

MC: What was your last show?