Flex Wheeler is a bodybuilder who has stood the test of time and destiny. He went through a trial of grit and proved his mettle by contesting during the most competitive eras of the sport of bodybuilding. Wheeler, during his professional career, competed against stalwarts such as Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates, and Jay Cutler. In doing so, ‘The Sultan of Symmetry’ has gained the community’s respect.
Flex Wheeler’s might has not only touched his fans, but it has also impressed professional bodybuilders as well. The four-time Arnold Classic winner is now a body transformation coach. In addition to getting people in shape, he has also taken to social media to educate the masses about bodybuilding. Wheeler recently took to Instagram to teach an ignorant fan a well-earned lesson.
A fan just got schooled by Flex Wheeler
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As someone who was called the G.O.A.T by the legend Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, it is no doubt that Wheeler would know all about the sport of bodybuilding. When an unaware fan replied to a story he posted, Wheeler showed the extent of his knowledge about the sport. The Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award winner posted a video on his Instagram stories showing a bodybuilder doing squats. With the video he wrote, “Name me a muscle group NOT working in this set…I’ll wait.” A follower replied to this by saying, “Chest and bis”.
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Sharing a screenshot of the reply, Flex Wheeler posted an educational post. He explained how performing a squat engages almost all the muscles in the body, and said, “Now…pretty much any version of the squat utilizes every muscle in your body. You cannot find a muscle in the body not working to do something while closed-chain squatting. In this case, the front squat, what two-joint muscles help stabilize the shoulders and arm areas of your upper body? Biceps and triceps.”
He revealed how even the chest muscles are involved in squatting. “Chest? If by that we mean the pec major and minor, serratus anterior, etc? Again, stabilization of the torso.” He further proved the fan wrong by saying, “And if you’re doing this movement “right,” you should be driving your elbows up, pec major and minor, anterior Delt, biceps, triceps, and so much more!” Wheeler also shared an important change that the entire bodybuilding community needs to bring about in their mindset.
Wheeler’s theory on the mind-muscle connection
Being alert, according to Wheeler, is an essential aspect of any exercise. For him, feeling the effect on muscles while bodybuilding would be far more effective. Wheeler wrote, “A major change “we” need to make…opening up our minds and doing away with our own cognitive dissonance.” Wheeler talked about the “mind-muscle connection”, and further explained, “feeling the muscle(s) contract during repetition is very important during CERTAIN TYPES OF TRAINING, specifically hypertrophy rounds.”
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However, as Wheeler went on to explain, this type of training is not essential for everyone. Usually, bodybuilders undergo hypertrophy training, which is the enlargement of muscles due to an increase in the size and number of muscle fibers from consistent training, only if they want to compete. Flex Wheeler is of the opinion, “But for primal movement patterns, strength, power, performance training…no, no no no. AND, if you’re not getting on a stage, bodybuilding-style hypertrophy macrocycles should absolutely not be the main focus of your overall training parameters.”
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This is the reason why, according to him, it is not necessary that if one does not feel a particular muscle group contracting, the same is not being used at all. Do you agree with Flex Wheeler’s viewpoint on this?
