Ronny Rockel (born 12 July 1972) is a former IFBB professional bodybuilder from Germany.
Like many other professional bodybuilders from Europe such as Milos Sarcev and Pavol Jablonicky, Rockel grew up under communist rule.
At seventeen years of age and 143 pounds, he decided that he wanted a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger's after seeing the film Conan the Barbarian, but at the time commercial gyms in his hometown of Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz), East Germany, were non existent.
Following the demise of communism, entrepreneurial activities in the East of Germany spawned and with that the first gym opened in Ronny's hometown.
He soon joined and began absorbing information about diet and weight training from other members and fitness magazines.