Dedication & Demise: The Ralf Reichenbach Story

tommysteadman1999
Nov 16, 2025
5 min read

Reichenbach at the Track & Field Sports Meeting, Berlin (6th of June 1980).

Ralf Reichenbach was a man who lived life in the fast lane, he would stop at nothing to reach his goals, no matter the cost he had to succeed.

This is the story of a man on the edge, an athlete who pushed himself to the limits and paid the ultimate price.

Born on the 31^stJuly 1950 in Wiesbaden, West Germany, Riechenbach initially began training with the shot after being introduced to the event by his father who had also been a putter. From an early age he was determined to be one of life's winners. He begand using steroids in the form of Dianabol at the age of just ninenteen. A favourite amongst West German athletes at the time he used the drug to mitigate his lack of technical ability. He initially struggled with ‘muscling’ the shot with his shoulder rather than releasing it from just under the chin. With the addition of steroids, he was able to train harder and push through injury whilst gaining large amounts of muscle mass. However, initially the effects of the drug did not produce the desired results. A side effect of using Dianabol is that it can react with Methandrostenolone found within the body and is utilised to create Oestrogen. This caused Reichenbach to gain a vast amount of visceral fat and his body weight soared to 140kg, and not in the way he had hoped. It was clear he needed to change his tactics; it was from here that he began experimenting with his body even further. With the help of a pharmacist friend, he meticulously planned out his training regimen alongside his doping program to ensure the result he desperately wanted could be achieved.

As can be seen in the below comparison, Reichenbach gained a significant amount of muscle mass between 1972 and 1974. This was largely a result of his doping program, however, muscles won’t grow without a stimulus, no matter how high a PED dosage is. So, credit where it’s due, his commitment to an effective weight training plan, progressive overload and physical preparation work had an equally major part to play in this transformation.

Despite the doping, Reichenbach’s talent as a thrower cannot be overlooked. He was a product of a time where doping was widespread but often ignored as long as the athlete was bringing medals home in the name of the state. In the early seventies he racked up a string of medals and established himself as a favourite among the top throwers of the time. Between 1972 and 1975 he held the West German Shot Put championship title. During this period his steroid use continued, often trialing new dosages and mixing different types of steroids and other performance enhancing substances together. Whether he was suffering from a mental illness is not certain, but it can be said that as the years continued and his abuse of PED’s increased in volume he was a man on a downward spiral. His close friend and co-competitor Gerhard Steines later recalled warning Reichenbach, but it fell on deaf ears. Steines repeatedly warned Reichenbach that he was working towards slow suicide... the doping continued. In 1977 under mounting pressure from the public many athletes were forced to admit to their doping habits, Reichenbach came forward and admitted to doping. However, he stated that since 1972 he had only taken a small amount of PED's, the truth was very different.

By the mid 1980's it was evident that his career was winding down, his personal bests were behind him and he began searching for other opportunities. As a man already adept in the weight room it seemed only natural for Reichenbach to turn his hand to bodybuilding. His knowledge and experience with using steroids enabled him to transform his bulky frame into a lean, sinewy sculpture of a physique (see below).

Alongside his new career in bodybuilding Reichenbach's business ventures were doing well, he owned a number of gyms in Berlin, owned several expensive watches and drove a brand new Mercedes-Benz. From the outside it seemed that he had it made, however, under the surface his continued abuse of his body was taking its toll. In addition to the high dosages of anabolics, reportedly up to one-hundred times the standard, he was abusing Valium and alcohol alongside a mounting gambling addiction. Following one of his trips to Las Vegas he became ill, suffering from a fever lasting several days. The doctors suspected Myocarditis but Reichenbach shrugged it off as a simple virus. Instead of allowing his body time to rest and seeking further medical attention he continued training, gambling and partying. It is clear his body could not take the strain, he began suffering from shortness of breath, fatigue and is only able to sleep while sitting up straight. Specialists warn him that he will need a heart transplant within the decade. But nothing changes and Reichenbach continued lifting, using various types of steroids and becomes entangled in numerous extra marital affairs. He seeks experimental medicine in the form of growth hormones despite his condition stabilising for a short time it is sadly too little too late.

On the 12^th of February 1998 Ralf Reichenbach succumbed to cardiac failure. It has never been confirmed whether his decades long abuse of anabolics was a significant factor in premature death at just forty-seven years old. However, it can be presumed that it had at least some impact due to the volume of substances he was using throughout the course of his life. His story is a key case study for how success no matter the cost often ends in tragedy. Despite his rampant PED use Ralf Reichenbach is remembered as a hero of the Shot, and I for one believe that under it all he was just a man trying to do his best.

RIP Ralf, a legend of the shot and a hero of the Golden Age of Athletics.

Special thanks to Gerlof Holkema for his continued support, knowledge and incredible collection of source material. And to Gerhard Steines for your kindness and insights into life, training and competition alongside Ralf Reichenbach.

Thanks for reading!

Tom - Vintage Strength

Personal Records:

· PB: 21.51m (No. 93 on All-Time list)

· 2^nd place European Championships (1979)

· West German Shot Put Champion (1972 – 1975) & (1977 – 1981)

· West German Indoor Shot Put Champion (1971 & 1977)

· 3^rd place World Championships (1977)

· 4^th place World Championships (1981)

· 3^rd place European Cup (1975, 1977 & 1981)

· 6^th place Indoor European Championships (1971 & 1977)

· 13^th place 1972 Munich Olympics (failed qualification)