“Don’t Feel Great in My Own Skin”: 44-Year-Old German Bodybuilding Beast Confesses Harrowing Struggles After Suffering a Career-Ending Injury

He resided in the Russian town of Topki before moving to the German town of Marl. This 260-300 lbs bodybuilder first started out with martial arts, and then subsequently picked up weightlifting and bodybuilding. His bodybuilding career was on the rise, when unfortunately in the last decade, he found that several of his neck discs are herniated. Surgery was required and then almost nothing went his way. This 2104 Arnold Classic winner finally sat down and talked about his harrowing experiences post-surgery.

Dennis Wolf, nicknamed ‘The Big Bad Wolf’, first burst into the scene in 2007 when he won the Keystone Pro and came 5th in Mr. Olympia. He sat down with Welsh bodybuilder Flex Lexis on his podcast to detail his injuries and the troubles that followed post-surgery.

German bodybuilding beast talks about worst chapter of life

Right off the bat, Lexis was aware that this is a touchy topic for Wolf, a topic he was very uncomfortable talking about. But nevertheless, Lexis approached with care and Wolf opened up. Wolf said to Lexis, “That chapter in my life was the worst I would say, and it took me at least 2 years”.

Continuing about his then-daily struggle, Wolf said, “I don’t care anymore. I can’t look like that anymore… I don’t feel great in my own skin, you know. Like even going to the restroom”. Wolf earned 4th place in the 2015 Mr. Olympia, and things took a turn for the worse very quickly for the German bodybuilder. It started with certain uncontrolled movements Wolf felt in his back. It turned out, after MRI, that his C4, C5, C6, and C7 discs were herniated.

He underwent surgery in 2016 to fuse three of the discs. Two weeks after surgery, he felt great. His pain was gone, and things looked bright again for Wolf. But only after a few more weeks had passed, Wolf started facing a myriad of problems. “No appetite, no nothing, no drive…”, he recalled to Lexis.

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Unwilling to call it quits, the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ still made it to the 2018 Arnold Classic. However, it was clear then that his days of prime were behind him. Dennis Wolf talked to his wife and daughter and finally retired. He realized that the after-effects of the surgery were too harrowing for him to keep going. Not unlike Big Ramy, Dennis Wolf realized that his conditions couldn’t keep him going in the bodybuilding stage for long.

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