Episode 256 of The Menace Podcast featured host Dennis James along with Milos Sarcev, Jose Raymond, and the legendary Kenneth “Flex” Wheeler. During the show, James asked Flex about a recent Instagram post that criticized the state of bodybuilding in the 2020s, and the retired Olympian gave his honest view.
Derek Lunsford won his second Mr Olympia title on October 11, and as is always the case, fans soon debated whether the winner was worthy of the championship. One post that got a lot of attention on Instagram was that of bodybuilding enthusiast @briananthony_5, who wrote, “Why doesn’t my era come conditioned? Idk? Why were the 90s much better? Idk? Why am I (Derek Lunsford) Mr Olympia? Idk.”
Flex Wheeler Comments on Controversial Social Media Post
The post drew both support and criticism as industry insiders and fans weighed in on the merits of trashing the 20s era. The image itself shows Wheeler, who shared the post with his almost one million IG followers, looking ripped, while Lunsford is shown smooth.
During The Menace Podcast, Dennis James wanted to learn more about Wheeler’s views. “I’ve gotta bring Flex on because you know, you started a f***ng world war,” joked the host. “I did not,” laughed the four-time Arnold Classic winner. “Listen, that was a repost,” Wheeler told the team. “And that started a little war,” responded James. “What was your thought process behind this? And why are people getting mad at you for reposting a picture that somebody else created?”
“It’s unfortunate, right?” commented Wheeler. “Cuz competition should get better, not worse, but I think it’s pretty much agreed on that the 90s was the days of bodybuilding,” he added. Flex also shared that some bodybuilding fans had called him selfish for supporting the claim that his era was better than the current state of the sport. “It’s just different now,” said Wheeler. “A lot of people say, ‘oh, it’s the lighting,’ and stuff like that. No, we were just in better condition, you know, back then … we came from an era where condition mattered, right?”
Wheeler went on to say that the dominance of Dorian Yates changed the direction of the requirements for future Mr Olympia’s. “I do agree, when I look at the current Mr Olympia (Derek Lunsford) and the last few Mr Olympia’s, that I mean we were just in better shape,” said Wheeler. “We were more peeled, and I don’t know whether we had less distractions or whatnot, but I don’t understand why the sport hasn’t progressed.”
For balance, the image used in the aforementioned Instagram post showed Flex Wheeler looking awesome in his prime, photoshopped so that he is standing next to Derek Lunsford on the Olympia stage, but the image of Wheeler appears sharper than the depiction of Lunsford. In the post, Wheeler towers over Lunsford, but it is thought that Flex is only around 3 inches taller in reality. Still, the post, and Wheeler’s reposting of it, has re-ignited a hot debate in the bodybuilding world. What’s your take?
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