Flex Wheeler argues that bodybuilders of his time were “more peeled” than competitors today.
The conversation regarding old-school bodybuilding vs. the new era marches on. Bodybuilding legend Flex Wheeler has shared his opinions before and weighed in on the debate once again following the 2025 Olympia.
Wheeler joined The Menace Podcast and claimed that competitors were in better shape in his era and this is what led to champions being crowned.
[RELATED: Flex Wheeler Discusses Arnold Classic Becoming “Premiere” Bodybuilding Show]
“I do agree when I look at the current My. Olympia and the last few Mr. Olympia’s, we were just in better shape. We were more peeled. I don’t know if it’s that we had less distractions or whatnot, but I don’t understand why the sport hasn’t progressed.”
Wheeler is known for an aesthetically-pleasing physique that inspired many of today’s competitors. He is considered one of the best, if not the best, bodybuilder to never win a Sandow Trophy. Wheeler has many other victories on his resume, including being a four-time Arnold Classic champion.
Wheeler has been dealing with health problems, and while he still has that no quit attitude, he has been forced to shift his priorities to other areas of interest in his life. Regardless of where he is at now, he is still a great bodybuilder and one people will admire and respect for a long time to come.
Flex Wheeler Explains Repost With Derek Lunsford
Flex Wheeler shared a video around the Olympia of a side-by-side of himself on stage and Derek Lunsford. The video gained plenty of attention from current bodybuilding fans. Wheeler explains that this was not meant to be a shot at Lunsford, but instead opened eyes to the comparison.
“It’s just different now. A lot of people say ‘oh it’s the lighting’ and stuff like that. No, we were just in better condition back then. We came from an era where condition mattered. We had people that were smaller and they won, simply because of their condition and their physique.”
Many commenters tried to say that Flex Wheeler was “stuck in time” claiming that his era was the best of all-time. He addressed these comments and wanted to clear it all up.
“A few people, one person posted ‘why are you so upset and selfish that you think that your era was better’ and ‘sop living in the past’ but it’s interesting that a fan of mine did that, and then posted it. It’s no different…Competition should get better, not worse. I think it’s pretty much agreed on that the 90s were the heydays of bodybuilding.”
It was another exciting battle on the Olympia stage between Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan. The prejudging round highlighted four competitors with Lunsford and Choopan stepping up on Saturday night. In the end, Lunsford was victorious for the second time. He became the second competitor to lose the Olympia title and regain it, joining Jay Cutler.
Lunsford set a goal to complete bodybuilding’s trifecta after his victories at the Arnold Classic and Pittsburgh Pro. He accomplished this goal by winning his second Olympia title. Choopan finished as the runner-up once again. It was a big-time performance by Andrew Jacked, who was one of the most improved bodybuilders over the course of the year, finishing in third place.
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