Thoughts on Flex Wheeler

[RealDeal2099]

Okay, bros, lets here some opinions on Flex Wheeler. After retiring from the sport of bodybuilding after the 2000 Olympia, Flex returned to the IFBB to compete at the 2002 Olympia drug-free (well, almost...because of years of steroid abuse, his body cannot maintain reasonable testosterone levels naturally and therefore he must take prescription test to keep his levels at those of a normal man's). The new Flex is roughly 20 pounds smaller than his previous competition form, though he has maintained his trademark symmetry, outstanding arms, and show-stopping back-double bicep pose.

Do you think the sport of bodybuilding no longer needs Flex, with symmetrical bodybuilders like Chris Cormier and Dexter Jackson on the scene, or is he still an important figure in the IFBB? Do you think he can regain his spot as one of the top three athletes at the Olympia, or is the new Flex too small to cause damage to the upper ranks?

Your thoughts please. Attached is a pic of Flex at the 2000 Olympia, weighing roughly 245 pounds, right before he retired from bodybuilding (he finished third behind Ronnie Coleman and Kevin Levrone).

[RealDeal2099]

Flex in comeback form at the 2002 Olympia, weighing 220 pounds or so (he finished seventh).

[RealDeal2099]

And finally, Flex at his most recent contest, the 2003 Ironman, where he finished third (Jay Cutler won the contest). Peace!

[Mark21087]

Might wanna show Flex in 93', when he was in his best conditioning.

3 or 4 years ago, Flex could have been a top 3 competitor being natural, but now, there are too many physiques that are better than his. In an Olympia quality show, I don't ever think he'll crack the top 5 again.

[RealDeal2099]

Originally posted by Mark21087
Might wanna show Flex in 93', when he was in his best conditioning.

I hear ya, bro, only I cannot find any online pics from the '93 Arnold Classic...regardless, yeah, that was his best showing ever as far as conditioning is concerned. What is amazing is the fact that he weighed only 218 lbs. for that show, yet he looked big because of his tiny waist and awesome symmetry.

[ZachG_85]

Flex's career is over. He'll do decently for a bit because of his name, but soon he'll turn into a Nasser, just slowly slipping down the ranks, but refusing to retire.

[Valcore]

I was at the Australian Grand Prix last night, where Flex was supposed to compete. Right before the evening show they announced that Flex was in hospital with kidney failure and will need a kidney transplant. He has retired form the sport and will never compete on a pro level again due to health reasons and he won't be issued a pro card to compete.

[desert rat]

Yes I heard this also very "in-the-know" guy from the Australian show that he was again having kidney probs, didn't know it was that bad.

[RealDeal2099]

I certainly hope this is not the case. Many people - myself included - feel that Flex never really achieved his full potential onstage, although he did have excellent showings at the Arnold Classic in 1993 and 1998. However, if reoccuring health problems keep him from competing then I wish Flex to do what is best for him, regardless of what other people in the sport think (i.e. those who critisize him for retiring). The man has still had a successful career and will be remembered as one of the best ever. Peace!

[EdselTrump]

Looks like Flex's career is over for good.

I'm curious, however, some guys like Priest and Ronnie presumably take as many drugs as Flex did, yet they are reasonably healthy (for the time being) and Flex has the liver and kidneys of a 75 year old alcoholic. Why do you guys think Flex's body reacted so much more poorly than the other IFBB guys? Abusing other hard drugs?

[RealDeal2099]

Originally posted by EdselTrump
Looks like Flex's career is over for good.

I'm curious, however, some guys like Priest and Ronnie presumably take as many drugs as Flex did, yet they are reasonably healthy (for the time being) and Flex has the liver and kidneys of a 75 year old alcoholic. Why do you guys think Flex's body reacted so much more poorly than the other IFBB guys? Abusing other hard drugs?

Lee Priest claims to be natural most of the year, doing only a cycle or two during the offseason for 6-8 weeks and then taking drugs during contest prep to preserve muscle while cutting fat. Levrone's drug use is similar, cycling only up to a contest and taking the rest of the year off drugs and training both. These guys will probably note have severe health problems.

Ronnie, on the other hand, will probably have to deal with adverse health problems eventually - he maintains a very high bodyweight durng the offseason (315+ lbs.) and trains heavy year 'round, implying that he takes drugs during the offseason as well as precontest. Though he has not experienced kidney problems like Flex, Ronnie's body has started to show the effects of prolongued drug use (the distended gut being the biggest giveaway).

Flex was a top level pro since the 1993 when he won his first pro show, the Ironman, and went on to win the Arnold and take second at the Olympia. I believe Ronnie tried to compete at the Olympia in the mid-90's completely natural, and it wasn't until he started heavy cycling in the late-90's that he gained he inhuman size and went on to win the NOC in '98 and afterwards win the Olympia for the first time. So, to answer your question, Flex was cycling for a longer period before Ronnie, and therefore the negative side effects experienced by Flex may simply not have caught up with Ronnie yet.

Peace!

[EdselTrump]

Very good insight. But what about Dorian? Other than frequent muscle tears, I haven't heard of him having horrible health problems, and he not only has had plenty of cycles, but he is still inhumanly huge, indicating that maybe he has done a few cycles even after his comptetition career is over (maybe he has and he's just good at retaining his muscle, I dunno). And the thing is that Flex has always been in poor health (having to suck on oxygen backstage for many contests). Maybe his genetic make-up simply couldn't handle the drugs that other people can handle, but maybe there is a wildcard drug thrown in there that the others aren't taking. Possibly cocaine? I'm not saying that it's true, but something leads me to believe that there is more than meets the eye with Flex's health.

[GettnHuge]

This reminds me of that 'Married with Children' episode where
Peggy wins the contest to have that Chicago super fitness guy
come to her house to train her for a week. She just wants to
watch him workout and eventually after a few days there he is
eating bon-bons, smoking a cigarette and watching Oprah.

The next week he is back on his show trying to workout with a
cig in his mouth, then he falls over dead. Their theory was, that
his body was so pure and healthy, that it couldn't take even a
little bit of the poisons of bad living...and thats why c*ckroaches
will be here forever. :)

[RealDeal2099]

Originally posted by EdselTrump
Very good insight. But what about Dorian? Other than frequent muscle tears, I haven't heard of him having horrible health problems, and he not only has had plenty of cycles, but he is still inhumanly huge, indicating that maybe he has done a few cycles even after his comptetition career is over (maybe he has and he's just good at retaining his muscle, I dunno).

I don't think Dorian has cycled once he retired from pro bodybuilding. Many people think, in his earlier years, Skip LaCour did some heavy cycles, enabling him to add 30 or so pounds of lean mass he never would have acquired natrually...today, he trains and diets as hard as ever and is able to maintain that mass and call himself natural because he is no longer cycling today. I believe Dorian is much the same, having acquired a lot of mass he never could have built naturally and now trains and diets hard to simply maintain it.

Also, I should point out that Dorian was not on the pro scene for very long, maybe seven years or so...he got in, won his Olympia titles, and got out and retired. Flex, on the other hand, has been an active pro now for ten years...it is simply possible the length of time he has been exposed to the drugs has resulted in his health problems.

Originally posted by EdselTrump
And the thing is that Flex has always been in poor health (having to suck on oxygen backstage for many contests). Maybe his genetic make-up simply couldn't handle the drugs that other people can handle, but maybe there is a wildcard drug thrown in there that the others aren't taking. Possibly cocaine? I'm not saying that it's true, but something leads me to believe that there is more than meets the eye with Flex's health.

Flex has always suffered from colitis, a disease of the large intestine that has plagued him throughout his career and is NOT the result of his drug use (similar to the colitis that ended the career of Mike Francois). It's possible his battle with this disease has made his immune system weaker than normal and more susceptible to other health problems as a result of his drug use.

Peace!

[wildman536]

anybody able to locate those 93' pics?

[EdselTrump]

Again, Real Deal, extremely good insight. I knew that in order to be considered a natural that you had to be "natural" for 1 year. That's why a lot of natural competitions are B.S. because the people involved in them have done several cycles, just not in the past year. I suppose that Flex's current condition is related to his disease (colitis, I believe?) That makes perfect sense, considering that steroids put a harsh toll on the liver and kidneys, and the large intestine works directly with both of those organs and if an organ was having to work double time because of extra toxins to the system, and the supporting organ wasn't functioning properly, then you are bound to have some problems. Flex's liver was probably saved from a cleaner lifestyle (probably no alcohol because of competitions) but it seems as if his kidney took the blow. Thanks for helping shed some light on the subject.

You know it's funny how we have actually managed to have an intelligent conversation without any flaming. It's amazing. Might be a first on these boards...

[RealDeal2099]

Originally posted by EdselTrump
Again, Real Deal, extremely good insight. I knew that in order to be considered a natural that you had to be "natural" for 1 year. That's why a lot of natural competitions are B.S. because the people involved in them have done several cycles, just not in the past year. I suppose that Flex's current condition is related to his disease (colitis, I believe?) That makes perfect sense, considering that steroids put a harsh toll on the liver and kidneys, and the large intestine works directly with both of those organs and if an organ was having to work double time because of extra toxins to the system, and the supporting organ wasn't functioning properly, then you are bound to have some problems. Flex's liver was probably saved from a cleaner lifestyle (probably no alcohol because of competitions) but it seems as if his kidney took the blow.

Couldn't agree more, an imbalance in the function of one or two organs would certainly adversely affect others that function in relation to them.

Originally posted by EdselTrump
Thanks for helping shed some light on the subject.

No problem, bro.

Originally posted by EdselTrump
You know it's funny how we have actually managed to have an intelligent conversation without any flaming. It's amazing. Might be a first on these boards...

But certainly not the last :cool:. Peace!

[AxanderTheGreat]

Flex was the man, but you must read this.

http://www.darkwoods.net/bodybuilder/male/bb/profiles/wheeler.html

[AxanderTheGreat]

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[AxanderTheGreat]

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[desert rat]

Great shots -- that back shot is thye most spectactular ever. I think those shots are fom the late 90's.

[RealDeal2099]

Originally posted by AxanderTheGreat
Flex was the man, but you must read this.

http://www.darkwoods.net/bodybuilder/male/bb/profiles/wheeler.html

Awesome post, bro, good insight on Flex during the height of his career. I'm especially curious about this part...

"At the table, I told him that I was a big fan of his and of his rival Kevin Levrone, both of whom possess very similar physiques, with their classic lines and full muscle bellies. "Thank you, and you're right. We are similar. But soon Kevin and I will meet!" And I predict Flex will absolutely blow him away. Kevin is lagging in his chest, and his legs may actually overpower his upper body. But after seeing Flex up close, I can't find a single flaw!"

If only Kevin had this problem now :cool:, his lower body has been suffering in size in recent years.

That back shot of Flex is golden, bro, thanks for posting. Peace!

[ZachG_85]

Well considering Flex is done now...

[Squat700x3]

Anyone remember Momo Beneziza? There so little $$ in comp. bodybuilding it really defies logic why AFTER discovering juice is NOT for them why someone would continue to the point they no longer produce test. naturally and are forced to HRT. Once a guy gets to national level comp. shape there are so many other ways to use your body and make ALOT more $$.

With my family history of heart disease, may age (34) and the lack of results (size) Fina gave me a highly androgenic steroid is out of the question.

[Mighty Mikey G]

Originally posted by EdselTrump
Looks like Flex's career is over for good.

I'm curious, however, some guys like Priest and Ronnie presumably take as many drugs as Flex did, yet they are reasonably healthy (for the time being) and Flex has the liver and kidneys of a 75 year old alcoholic. Why do you guys think Flex's body reacted so much more poorly than the other IFBB guys? Abusing other hard drugs?

EVrybody is different. Some people can smoke for 50 years and live to a 100 and others can smoke for 15 years and die at 50.

[sorana_abc]

Flex wheeler photo
http://www.bodybuilding-pics.com/Flex_Wheeler/Flex_Wheeler_1.html

[raysmith]

3 years later.

[Uriel_da_man]

(well, almost...because of years of steroid abuse, his body cannot maintain reasonable testosterone levels naturally and therefore he must take prescription test to keep his levels at those of a normal man's)
That's bull if you ask me. An average male would take a year or more to get his test back up to normal after extreme dosages, yes, but with the genetics of an IFBB pro? Those guys have their balls back at full efficiency after a couple weeks.

[edizzle]

i dunno about that it is possible to be shut down permanently

[John Prophet]

interesting pic....2 guys with bad kidneys

http://www.bodybuilding-pics.com/Flex_Wheeler/pages/Flex_Wheeler_15.htm

[Febs]

Flex wheeler photo
http://www.bodybuilding-pics.com/Flex_Wheeler/Flex_Wheeler_1.html

Strong bumpage.

[Mae]

That's bull if you ask me. An average male would take a year or more to get his test back up to normal after extreme dosages, yes, but with the genetics of an IFBB pro? Those guys have their balls back at full efficiency after a couple weeks.

i hope that was a joke

[Frling]

He should of beaten Ronnie in 98 and 99 he was a little off in 98 but that was the same case as Ronnie a few times when he won just because the judges knew if he wasn't slightly off the competition wouldn't even be close (2001 and 2005)

[BuffGuy123]

Flex can not compete anymore.. He had damaged kidneys or something like that becuase of use of steriods. thats why he stoped. There was an article in one of the magazines about this. Anyway, FLEX is a great champion! He had size and sym at the same time in his peak. He is still famious and people will always be talking about him, even after 50 years. why? becuase he was one of the best. However, he should have won the Mr. O

[AlxandrTheGreat]

Small frame, HUGE muscle, crazy abs. Probably the most impressive build I have ever seen.

[Clean]

Very good insight. But what about Dorian? Other than frequent muscle tears, I haven't heard of him having horrible health problems, and he not only has had plenty of cycles, but he is still inhumanly huge, indicating that maybe he has done a few cycles even after his comptetition career is over (maybe he has and he's just good at retaining his muscle, I dunno). And the thing is that Flex has always been in poor health (having to suck on oxygen backstage for many contests). Maybe his genetic make-up simply couldn't handle the drugs that other people can handle, but maybe there is a wildcard drug thrown in there that the others aren't taking. Possibly cocaine? I'm not saying that it's true, but something leads me to believe that there is more than meets the eye with Flex's health.

Dorian said in this interview that the amount of gear that pros take is usually overrated. I think he is right because he looked like he had amazing genetics despite what people said and didn't really need to take as much as some other pros.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xod2o_dorian-yates-seminar-in-bromberg

And I think that there my have also been a "wildcard" drug thrown in there as well. Also, don't forget that he used esciline(sp?)/synthol, so that could also be a bigger factor in him having some kind of problems then other pros who do not use that.

But when you get to the level of fame that he did and have the amount of money Flex did, you always have to throw in those conventional drugs there such as cocain which is used by the higher ups in society. And if he had a problem with his liver or kidneys from birth like Arnold, that makes him a lot more susceptible to problems along with his over abuse of the drugs instead of moderate use.

[Guardian]

Very good insight. But what about Dorian? Other than frequent muscle tears, I haven't heard of him having horrible health problems, and he not only has had plenty of cycles, but he is still inhumanly huge, indicating that maybe he has done a few cycles even after his comptetition career is over (maybe he has and he's just good at retaining his muscle, I dunno). And the thing is that Flex has always been in poor health (having to suck on oxygen backstage for many contests). Maybe his genetic make-up simply couldn't handle the drugs that other people can handle, but maybe there is a wildcard drug thrown in there that the others aren't taking. Possibly cocaine? I'm not saying that it's true, but something leads me to believe that there is more than meets the eye with Flex's health.

Dorian had outstanding muscle density. Before the 1997 Olympia he was in hospital for internal bleeding from using asprin to help lower the pain of his elbow inflamation. Not soon after getting out he tore is tri 3/4 off the bone. For the remainder of time to Mr Olympia he had to use weights for excercises in the area of half of what a newb like me uses. Despite the hopsital time and greatly diminished training capacity he came into the 97 olympia at his heaviest weight of 269 still shredded. If someone like me and to go through what he did Id shrivel up to nothing but it was crazy how well he kept the muscle despite all of the problems.

[raysmith]

Dorian had outstanding muscle density. Before the 1997 Olympia he was in hospital for internal bleeding from using asprin to help lower the pain of his elbow inflamation. Not soon after getting out he tore is tri 3/4 off the bone. For the remainder of time to Mr Olympia he had to use weights for excercises in the area of half of what a newb like me uses. Despite the hopsital time and greatly diminished training capacity he came into the 97 olympia at his heaviest weight of 269 still shredded. If someone like me and to go through what he did Id shrivel up to nothing but it was crazy how well he kept the muscle despite all of the problems.

So he says. ;)

I reckon it was probably ECA.

[Clean]

Flex was the man, but you must read this.

http://www.darkwoods.net/bodybuilder/male/bb/profiles/wheeler.html

WOW...

FLEX: (in paraphrase) "I concentrate on the bodypart as I mentally masturbate imagining my competitors watching me. This inspires me even more, as the masturbation having taken effect makes me work the muscle even more..."



Good read though

So, someone with balls much larger than mine yells out: "Are you all natural?" And, in a slow and deliberate manner he says: "Of *course* I'm *not* all natural!" He then goes on "I won't tell you what I'm doing, but no, I'm not all natural. But let me tell you: no bodybuilder or professional athlete at this level of competition is all natural. Whether it be football, or baseball or race car driving - in any sport where theres big money at stake and where size, strength and agility are needed, you're going to find "sports medicine". You don't think race car drivers take anything to get them psyched to drive that long at those speeds? They all do."

[BloodnGuts]

The 1993 Flex Wheeler was mindblowing!
Does anyone has quality pics of Flex Wheeler from back then?

[DiamondDelts]

Natural and pro bodybuilding should never, ever be placed in the same sentence.

[BIGGS82HD]

Yea But What Does He Look Like Now What Is He 175

[DiamondDelts]

Yea But What Does He Look Like Now What Is He 175

210lbs. At least he was last year when he competed as a martial artist at the arnold classic. Still looked pretty built to me. Especially for a guy going off one kidney.

[Mike Russo]

Not to take anything away from Flex Wheeler, but from my experience thus far, there are many sleazeballs involved in athletics on all levels. Congratulations, Jay Cutler, Mr. Olympia, enjoy it while it lasts!