Kenneth "Flex" Wheeler is a retired American IFBB professional bodybuilder.
He won the Arnold Classic a then-record four times and was once described by
Arnold Schwarzenegger as one of the greatest bodybuilders he had ever seen.
Ronnie Coleman said that Flex Wheeler was the best bodybuilder he competed
against. Biography
= Early life= Wheeler grew up in poverty in Fresno,
California. As a child, Wheeler experienced child abuse and suicidal
tendencies. He struggled in school due to dyslexia, but excelled in sports.
Wheeler began training in martial arts, and started bodybuilding as a teenager
after discovering weight training. He is on record as regarding himself as a
"martial artist first, a bodybuilder second". Wheeler has remarkable
flexibility, including being able to do a complete split, which led to his
nickname. = Bodybuilding career=
After a short career as a police officer, Wheeler focused full-time on
becoming a professional bodybuilder. He competed for the first time in 1983, but
it was not until 1989 that he secured a first-place trophy at the NPC Mr.
California Championships. He placed second at the 1993 Mr. Olympia, narrowly
missing a win. He is a 5-time Ironman Pro winner, 4-time Arnold Classic
winner, and has won the France Grand Prix, South Beach Pro Invitational,
Night of Champions, and Hungarian Grand Prix.
While Wheeler had the reputation of being arrogant and overconfident, he
attributed this to a need to compensate for his introversion and insecurity as a
child and young man. In 1994, he was involved in a near-fatal car accident
that could have left him with lifelong paralysis. Falling back into depression
again, he started training from scratch, returning with remarkable speed to
bodybuilding's top tier. In 1999, Wheeler discovered that he had focal
segmental glomerulosclerosis, a form of kidney disease. Despite press
speculation as to the cause of the failure, Wheeler pointed out that the
condition is hereditary, although drug use probably accelerated its onset.
Wheeler announced his retirement from competitive bodybuilding in 2000, but
continued to compete until 2002. = Post-retirement=
After retirement, Wheeler focused again on martial arts, his favorite being
Kemp-Kwon-Do, a variant of Kempo, Tae Kwon Do, and Aikido. In 2003, he
received a kidney transplant; he then went on to participate in a
demonstration fight at the 2005 Arnold Classic. In 2007, Flex was interviewed
by freelance journalist Rod Labbe for Ironman Magazine's Legends of
Bodybuilding series. Entitled "Yesterday and Today", it covers his extensive
career and reveals how people can conquer adversity and triumph against
incredible odds. Wheeler served in an executive position as the Director of
Media and Public Relations for the sports nutrition company All American
EFX, based out of Bakersfield, California. He also managed their
sponsored athletes and can be seen in advertisements for the company.
Stats Height: 1.78 m
Off-season Weight: 120 kg Competition Weight: 109 kg
Arm Size: 55 cm Leg Size: 78 cm
Chest size: 142 cm Amateur
1985 Teen America 1989 California Championships
1989 Nationals 1990 Junior Nationals
1991 USA Championships 1991 Nationals
1992 USA Championships Professional
1993 Ironman Pro Invitational 1993 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic
1993 Mr. Olympia 1993 Grand Prix France
1993 Grand Prix Germany 1995 Ironman Pro Invitational
1995 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic 1995 South Beach Pro
1995 Mr. Olympia 1995 Grand Prix Spain
1996 Ironman Pro Invitational 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic
1996 Night of Champions 1996 Canada Pro Classic
1996 Florida Cup Pro 1996 Mr. Olympia
1997 Ironman Pro 1997 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic
1997 San Jose Pro 1998 Ironman Pro Invitational
1998 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic 1998 Mr. Olympia
1999 Grand Prix England 1999 Pro World
1999 Mr. Olympia 2000 Mr. Olympia
2000 Hungarian Grand Prix 2000 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic
2000 Ironman Pro Invitational 2002 Mr. Olympia
2003 Ironman Pro Invitational See also
List of male professional bodybuilders References
ttp:www.hayhouse.com/authorbio.php?id=95 ^ Flex, Wheeler; Cindy Pearlman [2003].
Flex Ability: A Story of Strength and Survival. Hay House. ISBN
978-1-4019-0173-8. .about.comfamousmartialartistskflexw.htm
^ Bodybuilding.com - Pro Bodybuilding Worldwide Radio
^ a b .comsteroids/12741-sad-article-flex.html
External links Teamflexwheeler.com Official site
Flex Wheeler Martial Arts Illustrated Magazine Interview
Bodybuilders.com Flex Wheeler profile Flex Wheeler Gallery
Muscle: The Myostatin Connection as seen in Flex Wheeler
Allamericanefx.com Official company site Flex Wheeler - Winning when it matters