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As you know, Flex has been through a lot since turning pro. There was his near death car accident in 1994, and the car jacking incident prior to the 1997 Mr. Olympia that kept him out of that contest. So he's had his trials and tribulations to bear, but they've seemed to make him stronger for it. JM: What got you into training?
He said I'll take care of your school fee and I'll take care of whenever you fight. I'll pay for all of that and pay for you to eat. I just what you to give me everything you got because I want to see where your talent takes you. After he saw me compete a couple of times in bodybuilding it was interesting . We liked both of them. So we were going to do both of them. He would drive me down to the bay area to compete in a bodybuilding show and he said this is getting too difficult because you're moving up in both levels and we were trying to get me in movies and stuff for marshal arts. That whole thing is who you know and never how good you are. If they want to hire me or to correspond or to buy some products, write to;
FLEX WHEELER
Leading up to the 1998 Mr. Olympia, everyone assumed Flex would be the one to beat, the one to look to, the chosen one to be the heir apparent once it was revealed the Dorian Yates would officially be retiring and not defending the title. Very few people thought that anybody else had as much of a chance at winning the title as Flex Wheeler did. But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum - Flex Wheeler mentally self destructed after winning the 1998 Arnold Classic. It's a revelation that came out during our interview that Flex has never spoken about before.
There were many adventures for Flex leading up to the 1998 Mr. Olympia. He and his wife Madeline became parents to baby Darius. Flex did the unthinkable by not renewing his endorsement contract with Weider Nutrition just a few weeks before the Mr. Olympia and signed a reportedly, lucrative, multi-year deal with BIOCHEM Sports & Fitness Systems. Rumors were rampant that this would hurt his chances of winning the title, that was supposed to be rightfully his. But as we casually spoke about during the interview, to dispel those rumors, Ronnie Coleman won the contest and he had an endorsement contract with MET-Rx.
There have also been his classic verbal battles with Shawn Ray. The most famous incident was Ray accusing Wheeler of having calf implants so that he couldn't compete in the Mr. Olympia. Flex willingly submitted to the IFBB's testing procedures and it was proved that he did not have calf implants. Prior to the past year's Mr. Olympia, Ray, along with a couple of other competitors, accused Wheeler and a handful of the other competitors, of using illegal methods to attain their conditioning. When I queried him about this, Flex was prepared with a full blast response.
Knowing Flex all these years, we've never had the opportunity to sit down one on one for an interview because of hectic schedules, especially during NPC and IFBB events when fans are flocking around him. We finally got together, via telephone, right after his guest posing at the 1999 NPC Atlantic States Championships. You may think you've read everything and know everything about Flex Wheeler from the massive amounts of coverage he's received from the bodybuilding media, but I think you'll learn a few more things about him that you didn't know before. I know I did.
FW:A friend of my brother. We wanted to look good because it was summer. You
know what I mean? At that time you were either in a gang or a gym working out.
JM:When did you decide to get into bodybuilding and start to compete in contests?
FW: I was 13 when I first entered a show. I was talked into it by some guy and they had been in it for years and they were like hey it's a local show why don't you do it just for the hell of it?
JM: So when you did the first show, did you get the bug to keep doing it?
FW:Yeah, I didn't know it at the time but it was something to do. I was involved in that and martial arts. It just kind of kept me occupied during my teenage years. It was fun.
JM: With the martial arts, did you compete in any competitions?
FW:I started competing in that when I was 11. I started taking Karate when I was 9 and
my first competition was when I was 11.
JM:Do you still do it now?
FW:No, I went through five or six styles since then. But I'm not currently active in it anymore even though that's my first love that's what I consider my real sport.
FW:Yeah, I was ridiculous. My first competition I took third. I got scared and let the other guy beat me. But I took third. I competed in more tournaments but I think I lost. I got disqualified a lot because I didn't have control over not hitting people in the face. Once I turned 21 I started training with this other person and from there on I went about 70 fights with never even being hit at all. I would run right through them like a wind on a summer breeze.
JM: When did you decide to go to bodybuilding and leave the martial arts?
FW:That same person who started training me at that time his name was Tyler Mcguire. We're still friends and he actually supported me financially through competing in shows. He knew I didn't have any money. He would buy my tuna and Gatorade and what I needed if I would compete in marshal arts. He never charged me for school either. He said I'm interested in what you can do. I said okay.
He finally said this is what we are going to do. Whichever one takes off first is the one you are going to stick with. I said alright. I was kind of hoping karate because I still loved that far more than bodybuilding. I mean I liked having muscles and everything but marshal arts was like a high for me. I won the NPC California State Championships and he said your decision has been made for you. He was with me when I won and he said this is your ticket bro. He said, "I just think it is a matter of time." He would always say that to me, "It's just a matter of time." And he was right.
JM: In 1998, you won the Arnold Classic for the third time and that really seemed to put you as the front runner for the Mr. Olympia. At the time, it had been speculated that Dorian was not going to compete but he hadn't made the decision yet. What were your thoughts once you won the show and then your thoughts towards the Olympia?
FW:Once I won the show man I was really happy with the condition I had attained. Once again I had made a mark that nobody had ever done . I was happy with what people were saying. Arnold himself, and a few other people, made comments like they think that was the best physique ever on stage. Arnold said that the day after during the seminar on Sunday. When he announced me, he said that he felt that I was the best body on stage ever, even including him! I was like, man, for him to even say that, I don't think he ever gives anyone an inch when it comes to that. He's always the best. Any previous Olympia's he's never given them anything over him. So for him to say that was almost more than actually winning the trophy. Not more than the money, but more than the trophy. Anyway I was feeling great about that and then you know the speculation about Dorian not being there. It was kind of going to be just walking in and doing my job and that was it.
Understand that this is the first time me and you have ever talked about this but that was basically when I started sabotaging myself not to win. I didn't know it until the Mr. Olympia prejudging when it was about an hour before prejudging that I figured out I had been sabotaging myself.
JM:How was that?
FW:I was scared. I was really, really scared. I had a lot of conversations with my wife. And she knew I was scared. I was scared every time I heard you're going to do it. That scared me. All the expectations and everybody just saying I know you're going to win. Everyone saying, hey good luck and do your best. So all that weight and all the magazine stuff and the title alone. I don't know why. But I talked to a few other athletes and they said the same thing. That they had to get over the hump. I was scared of being the best. I was just scared literally. So I just sabotaged myself in training and I justified by saying I can get away with this, I've done it before. But what I was really doing was just ......
JM: Were you cheating on your diet? Not training as hard as you know you could have?
FW:Exactly or not showing up sometimes or when I got there not having my head in it full gear. Just whatever I could and actually Rico (McClinton) was the one who noticed first. He said, "Man, you know it's like you don't even want to win?" And I would say, "Ah, no", and I talked the talk. In my heart I knew what was going on, but I just wouldn't admit to it.
JM:So you're saying you came to the realization about an hour before the show?
FW:I was lying in the room with Chris (Cormier) and Ernie Taylor. We were lying down and we were all tired because of the walk over there. We were all talking about how tired we were. I started saying, "Hey, I'm not going to have enough energy to pose. How I am I going to pose?" Then it dawned on me, like what the f**k are you talking about . They were still talking and finally I said I don't want to hear that anymore. Look at all we had to go through to get here and you're going to give up because you're tired. Be tired after your posing. That's when it dawned on me my mentality then versus what it was like. So then I was like, okay, I know I'm not at my best or whatever, but I'm going to fight. They are going to have to carry me out.
In previous contests, I have gotten tired up there, but now it's like I'll have to pass out and they'll have to carry me out. So I did it. I thought I had barely squeezed off enough, but I had no idea Ronnie was going to look like that and I had to match up against not being my best. I thought maybe I could pull it off like some people have before in the posing round. Because that's not Ronnie's forte. So I felt that I could get him in symmetry because I still have that and I knew he would kill me in muscularity and then I thought I would get him in posing. I thought there were a couple guys better than him in posing too, like Shawn (Ray), and I thought Shawn could even come in second in posing and then it's over with because I knew I would come in second for muscularity and I thought I would squeeze him out.
I thought what I did during the overall posedown was show the judges I was in charge by walking away and having everyone follow me and finally everybody figured out what I was doing. I mean Nasser he's a veteran up there at that game and everything. Once everyone figured it out they stopped following me but Ronnie still did. So I was trying to show that I have done it before. But in hind sight I guess that bit me in the ass because what some of the judges told me is that it looked like I was running and I thought what are you talking about? You know I've always done that. I've always walked away and tried to make people look bad. Like they've got to chase me down. You can see it how you want to see it, but every time I was winning the judges would comment on how they're chasing me all over the place. Plus Dorian always did it. You know that's what you do. I knew they were going to come to me, but I just wanted to make it so apparent, that's why I ran all over the stage to make the other guys literally chase me. I thought I would barely win that round and maybe pull it off by a few points but it wasn't that way.
JM: When they announced you in second place, what went through your head?
FW:You know honestly I knew that I didn't win. I knew I didn't win after the prejudging because I sit down and I talk to everybody that I talk to. Obviously I couldn't show them what they wanted to see. So that happened. I talked to all the writers and I told them my feelings and they said they disagreed and that yes, Ronnie looked ridiculous. We all thought it was tied. What I thought happened was I won a perfect score in the symmetry and Ronnie took second, which wasn't the case, but that's what I thought. Then I thought Ronnie was perfect in muscularity and I took second so that makes it perfect. Now if I'd known what the score really was I would have thought it was hands down over with. So we relied everything on the posing. I had everybody that was significant back stage watch my posing and watch Ronnie's. Then let me know if you feel that I displayed myself as well as I can. So I came back and people like (FLEX Editor-In-Chief) Peter McGough said your posing was great. You really did a great job. So now it's up to Ronnie. He posed and everybody said, 'No, forget about it.' Even competitors. I asked them too. Tell me what you think about my posing? Everybody thought that I had out posed him. Now we think Ronnie is going to take second in that one and I'll take first in that one, but still Kevin (Levrone) out posed him, so did Shawn, so he might not even taken second. I felt really good.
What told me I didn't win is after we went out and did our overall and we went back stage, Diana Dennis ran up to Ronnie before they announced anything and gave him a big hug and said, "Congratulations. You got it, you got it." Plus Vickie (Gates) was back there already, and I thought what the . . . I couldn't believe I lost. I told Chris (Cormier) and he said you're out of your mind. That's why I wasn't all that shocked when I heard it announced. I knew it.
It dawned on me to dismiss that for now and show respect to your boy because it ain't nothing on him. I went up to Ronnie and said I love you and man you deserve this one. Enjoy it, we'll get together later. That's why I tried to smile and not be disrespectful to my placing because that shows disrespect to the person who won. That's not really the time to do that. I didn't want to rain on his parade. Then I just walked off stage.
JM: This is the first time you trained the entire year for the Mr. Olympia correct?
FW:Yes, I tried to do it in 1994, but that's when the car accident happened.
JM: Do you feel any regret that you never got the chance to take on Dorian one more time?
FW:No. He's always going to be netted as one of the champions as undefeated. You always want to take it from the champion. No, that doesn't bother me because I think both Ronnie and I are above what he has displayed at the previous Mr. Olympia's so I think it would have been happening anyway. Especially like this year, with Ronnie and I coming out and were both battling.
JM: Cormier and I were talking about how two years ago Dorian's physique was light years ahead of everyone but now everyone has caught up to him.
FW:That's exactly what happens. In 1993, when I went out there it was like, gee man, he just wiped us out. Then unfortunately injuries started to hindering him and people started to catch up.
JM:Do you feel that all the talk about you signing with Biochem instead of Weider is the reason you lost? Be honest.
FW:No, I can only be so honest without being disrespectful.
JM: When did you make the decision to go with BIOCHEM? When did they begin their talks with you?
FW:Ten days before the show. It only took 38 hours to go from talking to signing. The day I signed the contract is the day Darius was born. I left the hospital right after she delivered him. I went there and we agreed to everything and that was it.
JM: Was that a tough decision?
FW:Yes it was.
JM: You have been with Weider for so many years.
FW:Six years and I was afraid I was going to be a shooting star and dissolve and nobody is going to want me anymore, or if they did, they weren't going to be able to afford to pay me even what Weider would pay me. Because they were paying pretty much the most of everybody else anyway. So yes it was scary. We pulled up the history sheet on Country Life on the Internet and how much they were worth and that they had no problems in 30 some years so we knew they had the backing to make it work. From then on Ryan (Drexler) just convinced me how head strong he was on what he wanted to do.
JM: It had to be pretty good because like you said it was a pretty quick turn around time for a decision.
FW:Ryan told me what he wanted to give me.
JM: Now without getting into specifics, is it like Weider's year by year or is it multiple years?
FW:Three years. I asked for three years, but he came out no matter what he said this is what I want to give you. First Class on every plane, limo service when you're traveling with us and always a five star hotel because these were the things I marked. He said a number and I said I wouldn't be happy with that. He said "Why?". I said I think I could be utilized more. I'm willing to go farther than that to generate more money so that you can pay it directly to me. When we came up with that then we agreed to a figure and he said if this is going to make you happy then I can. I said yes this is going to make me happy. He said okay, done, I'm not going to nickel and dime you over a few dollars. Since then sales have gone up 70% since I have signed with the company.
JM: So now that you're going to train a straight year for the Olympia. Do you have any special plans for your training and dieting? Anything different?
FW:My only plan is to go out and capture what I feel is rightfully mine.
JM: You feel taking the rest and not doing the Arnold show in between is going to help your body more?
FW:Yeah. It helps somewhat more, but it can be done. I just cheated myself out of it. No excuse about it. Ronnie competed a couple of times that year and ended up winning. So that's not the problem. Sure, it's going to benefit me. But then again, if that's going to be the major difference then think about it, he's not doing any other show either. So it's his first time getting into that too.
It's just my mind frame and what I'm going to do differently is not run. I'm going to go and I'm fighting. To me, in my head, what I believe is that I had to wait a whole year for humility to reinvent myself. The only why to reinvent myself is by standing up there and be the last man standing and everybody else walks off stage. That will bring me back humility. If not, I'm the type of person that if I've done my job and I'm 100%, and I lose, then what else can I do? I'm not mad. I'm only mad when I self destruct. When I'm not 100% and somebody beats me. If somebody gets me and I'm 100% then all right. I've never been mad when I've known that I hadn't been at my best. It's having a fight with yourself knowing in your heart that you didn't do what you were supposed to. I still feel it's between a lot of us . A lot of guys have beaten me and I've beaten them. I just feel that if I go in and I'm 100%, whatever happens is out of my control. But I controlled everything I had control over. I'll walk away happy and nobody will be able say anything. Not like what people are saying now. Hey you were 90 % or 87%, so it was my fault. To begin with no matter what the judges saw or the way they thought, I didn't do my job.
JM: So what do you think about Nasser winning the Arnold this year?
FW:That's pretty much a given. He had taken second for the last 3 years.
JM: Going back to the contestant meeting before last years Olympia, Shawn Ray was quite vocal. You and he have been verbally sparring for years. How do you view Shawn with all the talk he throws around about you?
FW: I don't think he is a threat. I think he has got to have everything he has and carry another five or six inches in height and 30, 40, 50, or 60 pounds on his frame so that he is a better version. Just like with Dorian, people caught up with him. I mean at one time, Shawn literally took on a guy seven inches taller than him and out weighed him by 80 pounds and smashed the guy. I don't think that's the case anymore. I don't count Shawn out as an athlete and the condition and muscularity he has shown at times has been remarkable. It's unbelievable. If he comes in the best that he has before, then its going to be a good show. Not that he is going to win. I still don't think he can win. I think he can squeeze out some other people that have beaten him.
As far as personally, I really don't have any respect for him. I never mounted any attack on him and he continues to mount attacks on me. I think he doesn't want to deal with me on stage, but he prefers to deal with me in other ways by trying to keep me out of the show by saying I'm using illegal drugs. In 1995, it was calf implants. That's all bull***t! I think that's why he's tried to keep me out of shows, because he has come to the conclusion that he wouldn't be able to defeat me. In 1998, when I almost got into a fight with him at the athletes meeting, I just had my straw with him.
Shawn did so much talking world wide in magazines, it's like all these people started wondering, damn, Shawn's a real hard guy. He talks about him and him and him. Nothing ever happens. I just wanted everybody's respect, so at the athlete's meeting I just wanted everybody to know this is truly not such a tough guy. That's why I stood up and did what I did and he sat there like I knew he would. So anybody who had any ideas that he may be more than what he is, they don't think that anymore. I can rest now. More or less I had to look at myself in the mirror. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror if I didn't try to do something about it to make myself look better. Now I know his game. His game is to keep me out of my game. I mean he is so consumed with what other people are doing and even more so with what I'm doing, that he is not doing his stuff right. He's a great athlete. I have so much respect for him as an athlete. Very few people have stood on the stage for eleven years and been in the top ranking. He just has that other part. It goes back to saying just because you're a great athlete, doesn't mean you're a role model.
JM: Enough about that. How's life with your son and your wife?
FW: Great! This is our two year anniversary and Darius is nine months. Everything is really great.
JM: How does someone book you for guest posing's?
FW: They can go through BIOCHEM if they want BIOCHEM to sponsor their shows and want to have me as a guest poser.
P.O. Box 136
17128 Colima Road
Hacienda Heights, CA, 91745
JM: After all these years, this is the first time I've actually sat down to interviewed you.
FW: Yes, and honestly I've gotten to say some things I haven't admitted to yet. I haven't wanted to really, but, oh well, the truth is the truth so you got it first.
Photo by: JM Manion
