18 FLEX| JUNE 2016
OPENING SPREAD: CHRIS LUND & PER BERNAL. THIS PAGE: RALPH DEHAANSTAY ON BALANCE
In the ’90s, what was Wheeler’s
best body part? Arms? Quads? Delts?
Correct answer: all of the above and
more. That’s because he was never
celebrated for a single piece of the
whole. There were always several pros
with better arms, quads, delts, or any
other part, but when he was at his
best, there was no one who brought
it all together as well as Wheeler,
who was rightly celebrated for the
entirety of his physique. This was no
accident. Each year, he and his
trainer, Charles Glass, assessed his
body and targeted muscles and parts
of muscles—maybe the lower lats or
the upper chest or outer quads—that
needed a special focus to stay in line
with the rest. Glass prioritized these
areas in Wheeler’s workouts. Always,
the focus was on a complete and
balanced physique.MUSCLED
IN MIDDLE AGE
In 1993, at age 27 and
then 28, Wheeler romped
through the IFBB Pro
League, winning four of six
contests, including the
Arnold Classic, and placing
second in the other two,
including the Mr. Olympia.
Over his career, he won
17 pro shows, including four
Arnolds, and he was
runner-up in the O three
times; and he accomplished
all of that between the ages
of 27 and 35, prime years
for a bodybuilder.
Wheeler last competed
on Feb. 15, 2003, exactly
14½ years (5,296 days)
before the Classic Physique
Olympia. Will spending his
40s off stages be a
disadvantage or an
advantage?
Another former IFBB
pro, Darrem Charles,
returned in the classic
physique division last year
and won five shows and
finished fifth in the Olympia.
But he did so after only a
three-year hiatus, and he
was 46 and then 47. TheFlex Wheeler in his bodybuilding prime in the ’90s, when he was second in the Olympia three
times. As a 28-year-old rookie in the 1993 Mr. Olympia, he hung tight with Dorian Yates.aving been second in the
Mr. Olympia three times
and first in four American
Arnold Classics, Flex
Wheeler is arguably the
best bodybuilder to never
win a Sandow. What’s
more, there are manypeople, including this writer, who think he’s the
greatest bodybuilder, period, if we’re merely judging
bodies—the best mixture of shape, symmetry, and
size. Even as he updated with modern curves and
cuts, he always sported a classic physique. On
Sept. 15, at 52 and 15 years after he last competed
in the Olympia, Wheeler will return to bodybuilding’s
ultimate stage, this time in pursuit of a different but
appropriate title: Olympia classic physique. There
are nine reasons Flex Wheeler is forever classic and
why he may finally nab that elusive Olympia victory.