Flex UK - June 2017

FLEXONLINE.COM 19

PER BERNAL

closer parallel is Kevin

Levrone, Wheeler’s rival in

the ’90s, who returned to

the Olympia last September

at either 51 or 52 after a

13-year absence only to

miss the top 15. Although

Wheeler will be 52 on

Sept. 15, unlike Levrone,

he won’t be in a lineup

with behemoths such as

Mamdouh Elssbiay and

Roelly Winklaar. Danny

Hester won the first

Classic Physique Olympia

at 47 and under 77.

With the division’s weight

requirement (based on

height), Wheeler will need

to come in lighter than ever

before. Size won’t be an

issue; shape and cuts will

be. And that means even

in middle age, Wheeler

should be able to muscle

into the mix.

CREATE

AN ILLUSION

Wheeler has always

possessed some key

genetic advantages:

full muscle bellies, small

joints, slim hips, and a

preternatural ability to

grow. But what he didn’t

get were wide clavicles.

So the 1992 USA champ

placed a special emphasis

on deltoids in order to

expand beyond the ends

of his bone structure.

A typical shoulder routine

consisted of 21 sets and

six exercises, two for each

delt head. For example, he

might do Smith machine

shoulder presses and

barbell front raises for

anterior delts, seated

dumbbell side laterals and

wide-grip upright rows

for medial delts, and lying

incline dumbbell rear

laterals and machine rear

laterals for posterior delts,

three or four sets of each

for 10 to 12 reps. By the

mid-’90s, Wheeler’s delts

Sporting tribal

tats, middle-aged

Flex hammers his

still curvy arms.