FLEXONLINE.COM 25CHRIS LUND
The Yoda of Gold’s Venice frequently modifies
exercises to come at the targeted muscles
or areas of muscles from a slightly different
angle. His Jedi Knights might sit on a crate
when doing low-cable rows to pull the handle
slightly up into their midsections to hit more
of the inner back. They’ll probably do incline
flyes so high on the bench that they’re nearly
leaning backward, to better feel the tensionin their upper pecs. And they’ll almost
certainly do back extensions by contracting
in a short crunching movement, which targets
just the spinal erectors and eliminates
the glutes and hip flexors. Wheeler did all of
these and many more, as Glass tailored
workouts to fit his needs. Small alterations
in a movement can potentially have a big
effect on your physique.ALWAYS BE GROWING
By his own admission, Wheeler wasn’t the
friendliest pro back when he was pursuing
the Sandow each September. If you weren’t
part of his clique, he often seemed aloof, in
and out of Gold’s Gym. But it was a different
era then, before social media took us
behind the scenes. Yates, whom Wheeler
was chasing, was nicknamed the Shadow
because he toiled in his dungeon gym in
faraway England (and swaddled in sweats
even there), only
to appear on the
Olympia stage each
autumn. Following
the leader, why
should the top
contenders welcome
the prying questions
and cameras of
curious fans? Or at
least that’s how it
seemed then.
Besides, stoicism can
mask shyness and
insecurities. But
Wheeler grew as a
person even as his
muscles were
shrinking. In
retirement, he became
one of the most
approachable
and gregarious of the
bodybuilding greats.
It’s been a remarkable
transformation
and a reminder that
there are many ways
to grow—physically,
intellectually,
spiritually, and
emotionally—and that
all of us need toHE WON 17 PRO
SHOWS, INCLUDING
FOUR ARNOLDS, AND
HE WAS RUNNER-UP
IN THE O THREE TIMES.
A classic ’90s shot of
a 109-kg Wheeler
pumping out machine
T-bar rows.