Named among the greats of the bodybuilding world, Flex Wheeler is a true hero. He set a then-record by winning the Arnold Classic 4 times. The 57-year-old former athlete was also regarded honorably by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman. Moreover, his journey of recovering from severe health concerns has been inspirational.
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In an interview with the ArnoldSportsFestivalUK, the bodybuilder once opened up about his struggle with the newfound success. He even revealed how he hilariously stored money in his freezer after his consecutive wins at the Arnold Classic and Iron Man events. What was his deal? Let’s find out.
Flex Wheeler’s hysterical deal.
Talking to the sources on Youtube, the former American pro mentioned that he was simply clueless about the huge chunks of money he won after competing. “My first two weeks of being a pro athlete, I made more money than anyone in my family tree had made in a whole year,” Wheeler revealed.
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In 1993, the 240-lb star won both the Iron Man and Arnold Classic events simultaneously. Surprisingly, it was his IFBB pro debut. Hence, he disclosed, “so that’s ninety thousand dollars in two weeks.” Wheeler added, “I didn’t know what a bank account was.” Consequently, the record setter’s euphoric encounter with the greens encouraged him to rent his own apartment.
Describing a scene at his apartment, the then 28-year-old powerlifter said, “if you came to my house back then, I had no dishes, I just had great furniture… no food in the house cause I never ate in the house, I didn’t cook and I kept all my money in my freezer.” On that note, Wheeler claimed that he never gained exposure to these aspects of life, which generally is done by one’s family or friends. Thus, he was “ignorant” about it. However, the athlete once opened up about his actual struggles whilst competing.
Flex Wheeler’s real struggle with self-esteem
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According to sources, the California-native bodybuilder opened up about his hustle to the top, in an interview. Shockingly, he revealed that he often felt unworthy of the stardom and his spiraling self-esteem took a toll on him. In addition to that, he even communicated his health concerns and aspirations.
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Wheeler admitted, “I would dismiss it and think they were wrong. My analogy was ‘people say bad things about me and if people say good things about me, they just don’t know … Even in times when I went onstage and people considered me very arrogant and full of myself, it was a facade because I didn’t believe in myself.”
Watch This Story: Bodybuilding beast Arnold Schwarzenegger’s top six-pack workoutFlex Wheeler’s jaw-dropping debut in the bodybuilding industry cemented his name in the hall of fame. Besides that, his personal battles with health and injuries set him up on the map of idols. His sheer dedication to rise and fight was applauded by the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger. Are you in awe? Cause we are! Let us know if you were inspired by the icon.