Kenneth "Flex" Wheeler (born August 23, 1965) is an American retired IFBB professional

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses o ...

. He won the

Arnold Classic The IFBB Arnold Sports Festival, also known as the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, is an annual multi-sport event consisting of professional bodybuilding (''Arnold Classic''), strongman (''Arnold Strongman Classic''), fitness, figure and ...

a then-record four times and was once described by

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

as one of the greatest bodybuilders he had ever seen.

Ronnie Coleman Ronald "Ronnie" Dean Coleman (born May 13, 1964) is an American retired professional bodybuilder. The winner of the Mr. Olympia title for eight consecutive years, he is widely regarded as either the greatest bodybuilder of all time or one of th ...

has stated that Wheeler was the best bodybuilder he competed against.

Biography

Early life

Wheeler was born and raised in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

. He grew up in

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

. As a child, Wheeler experienced

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

and

suicidal tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtr ...

. He struggled in school due to

dyslexia Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...

, but excelled in sports. Wheeler began training in martial arts, and started bodybuilding as a teenager after discovering

weight training Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Traini ...

. 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 Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

, 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 The 1993 Mr. Olympia contest was an International Federation of BodyBuilders, IFBB professional bodybuilding competition held on September 11, 1993, at the Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Results The total prize mo ...

, narrowly missing a win (something he was to repeat in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

and

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

). He is a 5-time Ironman Pro winner, 4-time

winner, and has won the

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Grand Prix,

South Beach South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard. This area was the fi ...

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 Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a histopathologic finding of scarring (sclerosis) of glomeruli and damage to renal podocytes.Rosenberg, Avi Z.; Kopp, Jeffrey B. (2017-03-07). "Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis". ''Clinical Journal o ...

, 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.Sad Article on Flex Wheeler and steroids
anabolicminds.com Wheeler announced his retirement from competitive bodybuilding in 2000, but continued to compete until 2003. Flex made a comeback at the 2017 Mr. Olympia, competing in the Classic Physique division, and finished at 15th place.

Post-retirement

After retirement, Wheeler focused again on martial arts, his favorite being Kenp-Kwon-Do, a variant of Kenpo,

Tae Kwon Do ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

, and

Aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 1 ...

. 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 Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

. He also managed their sponsored athletes and can be seen in advertisements for the company. In October 2019, Flex underwent amputation of his right leg below the knee due to circulatory vascular system problems. Wheeler said the decision to amputate was "due to escalating circulation difficulties in my right leg that had become life threatening." Some medical professionals assert that what led to the need for Wheeler's lower leg amputation was an accumulation of pre-existing medical conditions involving the

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a histopathologic finding of scarring (sclerosis) of glomeruli and damage to renal podocytes.Rosenberg, Avi Z.; Kopp, Jeffrey B. (2017-03-07). "Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis". ''Clinical Journal o ...

he acquired hereditarily, leg injuries he received in his martial arts training, his car crash in 1994, and his kidney transplant in 2003, which together long-term resulted in the circulation issues.The Flex Wheeler Leg Amputation- What Caused It?
/ref> Flex has since become a successful body transformation

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

with his own line of supplements and he has launched his own show 2023 Flex Wheeler MGB Mexico Grand Battle Regional that will take place in September 2023 in Mexico. Flex is also

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

ambassador o
HEMPE
pain gels which he says help with his leg

amputation Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on indi ...

pain.

Stats

* Height: * Off-season Weight: 125 kg * Competition Weight: 109 kg * Arm Size: 58.42 cm (23 in) * Leg Size: * Chest size:

Amateur

* 1985 Teen America (Medium Tall, 1st) * 1989 Contra Costa Championship (Light Heavyweight 1st, Overall 1st) * 1989 California Championships (Light Heavyweight 1st, Overall 1st) * 1989 Nationals (Light Heavyweight, 5th) * 1990 Junior Nationals (Heavyweight, 2nd) * 1991 USA Championships (Heavyweight, 2nd) * 1991 Nationals (Heavyweight, 2nd) * 1992 USA Championships (Heavyweight & Overall, 1st)

Professional

* 1993 Ironman Pro Invitational (1st) * 1993 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (1st) *

(2nd) * 1993 Grand Prix France (1st) * 1993 Grand Prix Germany (1st) * 1995 Ironman Pro Invitational (1st) * 1995 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (2nd) * 1995 South Beach Pro (1st) * 1995 Mr. Olympia (8th) * 1995 Grand Prix Spain (5th) * 1996 Ironman Pro Invitational (1st) * 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (2nd) * 1996 Night of Champions (1st) * 1996 Canada Pro Classic (2nd) * 1996 Florida Cup Pro (1st) * 1996 Mr. Olympia (4th) * 1997 Ironman Pro (1st) * 1997 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (1st) * 1997 San Jose Pro Invitational (1st) * 1998 Ironman Pro Invitational (1st) * 1998 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (1st) * 1998 Mr. Olympia (2nd) * 1999 Grand Prix England (2nd) * 1999 Pro World (2nd) * 1999 Mr. Olympia (2nd) * 2000 Mr. Olympia (3rd) * 2000 Hungarian Grand Prix (1st) * 2000 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (1st) * 2000 Ironman Pro Invitational (2nd) *

2002 Mr. Olympia The 2002 Mr. Olympia contest was an IFBB professional bodybuilding competition held October 16–20, 2002 at the Mandalay Bay Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Results The total prize money awarded was $381,000. A 2003 Cadillac Escalade was presente ...

(7th) * 2003 Ironman Pro Invitational (3rd) * 2017 Mr. Olympia Classic Physique (15th)

References

External links

FlexWheelerDS.com
Official site
Allamericansupps.com
Official Supplement Company site {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Flex 1965 births African-American bodybuilders American bodybuilders American amputees American male taekwondo practitioners Living people Kidney transplant recipients Sportspeople from Fresno, California Professional bodybuilders 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople