Flex wheeler health problems. Flex Wheeler (bodybuilding): biography, history of performances. Flex in everyday life

Anthropometry of Flex Wheeler

• Height: 179 cm
• Competition weight: 116 kg
• Off-season weight: 127 kg
• Chest circumference: 142 cm
• Biceps circumference: 56 cm
• Waist circumference: 70cm
• Thigh circumference: 79 cm

Birthday Flex (Kenneth) Wheeler falls on August 23, 1965. He was born in California - Fresno. Since childhood, Flex has been passionate about a variety of martial arts. He constantly worked on himself and developed his personal technique. Since nothing prevented him from taking up bodybuilding, he did it. Wheeler has always relegated “pulling iron” to the background, so he is quite flexible despite having a fairly massive body mass.

Body-building

In Flex's life, he worked as a police officer, but not for long, because training was more important and enjoyable for him. His goal was to become a bodybuilder with professional abilities. This athlete took a pseudonym " Flex“, which means “Flexible”.

The outstanding athlete received his first victory at the California Championship in 1989. Further, he took second place for several years (1993, 1998 and 1999) at the Olympia. In addition to winning these victories, Flex often won various competitions, such as the French Grand Prix, Night of Champions, Arnold Classic, South Beach Pro and others. This athlete had an impressive appearance, excellent traits of restraint and confidence.

A sad event in the athlete’s life was a car accident that occurred in 1994. This disaster could have left Flex paralyzed forever, but he was lucky. He had to start his training practically from the very beginning. But the athlete quickly returned to his awards and places of leadership.

The year 1999 brought bad news to the athlete. As it turned out, he had a complex form of kidney disease. Although the press tried to come up with a variety of arguments, the athlete himself said that this disease was hereditary. Many fans of this athlete were disappointed by the news of Flex’s departure from this sport in 2000. But, in 2002, he expressed a desire to participate in Olympia. Having successfully passed the tests, he takes 7th place in the tournament. In 2003, Flex underwent a kidney transplant. After retiring, the athlete returned to martial arts, and already in 2005 he participated in the Arnold Classic competition.

Flex Wheeler now

Flex Wheeler currently holds the position of executive director of media at All American EFX, which specializes in the sale and production of sports nutrition. The main office is located in Bakersfield, California, USA.

Flex is still a regular guest at major bodybuilding tournaments. He often acts as a journalist and interviews athletes.

Professional body-building Today everything is developing in the same direction as 10, 20, 30 years ago - athletes are becoming bigger and more prominent. And photographs of the main contenders for the title of Mr. Olympia 2013 clearly show this. Phil Heath And Kai Green have progressed noticeably since last year, Green especially increased his back and legs, and Heath became bigger and more powerful in general, and this is especially visible in his arms and deltoids! The third main contender is Jay Cutler, who missed last season, looks refreshed and determined to give Phil Heath a worthy revenge for his 2011 defeat. Cutler has also noticeably increased his muscle mass and regained his signature power, which of course is largely aided by his genetics, super broad shoulders, etc. Plus, he has become more prominent than in 2011, the cut muscle relief creates an excellent look. He also managed a particularly difficult moment for pros with extensive training experience - to narrow the waist. It is known that Cutler’s waist has always been quite wide; these are the genetic characteristics of his figure. But due to the super-powerful and wide shoulders, this imbalance was simply covered. But in recent years, Cutler’s waist has become even wider, this is the consequence of many years of professional training, which includes not only the training itself, but also increased nutrition, taking various medications, etc. So, Jay did the almost impossible, narrowed his waist and perfectly dried his abs, regaining the shape of his early performances at Olympia, but with modern muscle volumes and refinement of all muscle groups! So the current tournament Mr. Olympia, which will be held in Las Vegas on September 26 - 29, will be extremely interesting! Any of these three super athletes can win! Everyone approached these competitions in their own unique way.

Despite the fact that bodybuilding is still developing in the direction of increasing muscle volumes and still at pro tournaments the first thing that is valued is muscle mass and volume, but from time to time outstanding athletes appear who, like the brightest stars in the sky, create an overall picture of beauty. They remind us that symmetry and proportion still matter. These athletes remain timeless, in any era of sports development.

In bodybuilding, one of these athletes is Flex Wheeler, his real name is Ken. This bodybuilder achieved unprecedented muscle development before and since, combined with excellent symmetry and general proportions of all muscle groups. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, believes that Wheeler has the best athletic figure in the history of bodybuilding! In other respects, of course, many people think the same. And here it becomes simply amazing how, with such development, he failed to become Mr. Olympia?! Sometimes it seems that with such data it is easier to become one than not to become one! Of course, Flex won all kinds of tournaments, including the Arnold Classic - 4 times (1993, 1997, 1998, 2000)! But still, the main tournament - Mr. Olympia - never submitted to him.

A series of circumstances led to this. When Wheeler first competed at the Olympia in 1993, he immediately took second place without much difficulty, and such an achievement is always a good sign for a novice athlete! That year he was surpassed only by Dorian Yates, who arrived in Atlanta, Georgia (the site of the Olympia) in better shape, almost 10 kg more than the year before and making a real breakthrough in the masses! Yates amazed the audience and judges, and became the undisputed leader of the tournament. For example, he was called for comparisons in threes, in mandatory poses, only once, and that was enough to understand who was the best!

But in 1994, things were no longer so simple for Yates. Two months before the Olympia, he tore his left biceps while performing a bent-over barbell reverse row. And only by gathering all his will into a fist, Dorian nevertheless prepared for the tournament, overcoming a severe injury. At Olympia he appeared in a different shape than in 1993. Slightly filled in, not with the same outlines and muscle definition that he had the year before. But in the end, Yates still won. This victory was no longer so easy and clear. In the finals, he still beat out Shawn Ray and Kevin Levrone, who finished second and third, respectively.

But where was Flex Wheeler, one of the main contenders for the title, at that time?! He watched the tournament from the auditorium. The fact is that in 1994 Flex was in a serious car accident and had great difficulty recovering his health after it. And who knows, if it weren’t for that accident, and if Flex had been at Olympia 94 in his peak form, he might have been able to surpass Yates. But it happened the way it happened. And Flex, through incredible efforts and self-confidence, gradually recovered. He started training again, getting back into competitive shape.

In subsequent years, Flex Wheeler again took one of the leading positions among the top professional athletes in the world. He again came close to winning the main title in bodybuilding, simultaneously winning all sorts of other competitions, such as the second most important tournament after the Olympia - the Arnold Classic, the Ironman Pro tournament, various Grand Prix, etc. Flex's main rival at Olympia, starting in 1998, was Ronnie Coleman- a super athlete with a powerful back and unimaginably gigantic muscles volumes in general! Coleman achieved incredible progress in both weight and relief in 1998! It was precisely these arguments of his hyperphysique that served in favor of Ronnie’s victory. And in general, all his 8 victories at Olympia! In 1998 and 1999, at Olympia, Flex Wheeler became second. In 2000 he took third place, after Coleman and Kevin Levrone. Having missed participation in 2001, Flex appeared at the main tournament in 2002, stating that he trained without steroids. As part of the hormone replacement program, he took only 200 ml of testosterone per week. Of course, for professional bodybuilding this is simply an incredible story! But at the 2002 Mr. Olympia tournament, Flex Wheeler really appeared in noticeably different shape than he had before. There was no longer that super clear, venous relief and angular, almost pointed outlines of the muscles. As a result, he took only 7th place, and that was thanks to his genetics (symmetry and proportionality).

The 2002 Mr. Olympia tournament was the final in Wheeler's career. He competed at the Ironman Pro in 2003 and ended his competitive career. Becoming one of those whom fans call the uncrowned Mr. Olympia, the unrecognized champion. But be that as it may, Flex Wheeler is still one of the outstanding athletes in bodybuilding, demonstrating to the world an extraordinary aesthetic worthy of the Golden Age of bodybuilding. His competitive history is a clear example of the fact that mental strength is just as important as physical strength. If the spirit does not give up, it motivates and gives strength to achieve any results and overcome any circumstances, even when many things in life are against you. Confident action occurs as a result of a powerful psychological attitude that creates a person’s mind and his spiritual powers.

Flex Wheeler's hands. With Wheeler's maximum off-season weight of 128 kg, in his competitive years, the volume of his arms without pumping was more than 57 cm! And this with such a thin waist! Huge muscle volume and beautiful symmetry just border on each other here! That is, of course, this is a genetic unique, but it’s still interesting how he trained his hands.

For biceps, Flex usually did three exercises of four sets each, together with exercises for triceps, so that you get supersets, where the first exercise is for triceps, then for biceps, then there is a pause of an average of 30 seconds, and everything starts again . He gradually increases the weight, but still does not do warm-up approaches for his arms. Considering that the arms do not have a special need for warm-up sets, because these are not such large muscles as the back, chest or legs, which first need to be thoroughly stretched before serious work. And especially since Flex usually does not perform too heavy working weights in arm exercises. Not too big for professional athletes, of course. 🙂 For example, weights in alternating arm curls with dumbbells usually look like this: 22.5, 27, 32.5 and 37.5 kg. (the weight of each dumbbell) He performs the movement smoothly and rhythmically, without jerking, cheating, peak contractions and holding the hand in the upper position. In his early training years, he reached 45 kg in alternating bends, but after several not too serious injuries, he reduced the training load in time.

Hammer style curls. Next exercise. Flex began to perform it only towards the end of his professional career. He says he suddenly discovered that he was quite strong at this exercise and felt very comfortable doing it. Sometimes he uses this option: having reached failure in alternating arm curls while standing, Flex simply turns his hands with his thumbs up and continues the set in the hammer style. It is also possible that this exercise is performed while sitting, recalling concentrated curls. When working while standing, the weights are usually the same as in alternating bends, and while sitting they look like this: 20, 22.5, 27 and 32.5 kg.

Arm curls on a Scott bench or in a machine. Next almost always come curls on a Scott bench or in a machine. Moreover, if he performs this exercise in a simulator, then it is almost always Hammer Strength. Flex likes those movements in which the arms are stabilized and cheating is completely eliminated. To begin with, he performs this exercise with one 20-kilogram disk, adding one more of the same disk with each subsequent set. In the "Building Mass" training video, filmed just a few days after the 1996 Olympia, Flex performed a final set of Hammer curls with four 20-pound plates! And this is done in a strict and even manner!

Arm curls with EZ bar. Flex does not like this exercise, considering it inconvenient due to overexertion in the hands, but at the same time, he does it at every biceps workout, sometimes at the very end, and always does not work particularly hard in it. But why does he perform the movement that he hates?! His biceps are already magnificent, and there are other exercises in the bodybuilding arsenal. It turns out Flex believes that if you hate something, then it should work well, you just need to overcome yourself. Here is another example of fortitude and perseverance, which creates a solid foundation for achievement in any business, and even more so in bodybuilding. On average, he performs this exercise with a barbell of 36 kg or a little more, but never with a weight too heavy for him when he is already forced to cheat to complete the next repetition.

In general, of course, we must admit that large or even too large hands are, first of all, genetic talent, coupled with hard training. But in any case, everyone, with desire and hard training, can increase their arms according to their genetic potential. The main thing here is that correct and high-quality training always brings results.

And here's what Arnold Schwarzenegger says on his pages "Encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding" about his hand training, and what he realized over the years:

“Biceps have always been one of my favorite body parts. They were especially important to me when I was young, so I trained very hard, and soon they began to inflate like balloons.
However, regardless of my past efforts, I now understand that my outstanding biceps development is largely due to good heredity. In this sense, my biceps are like Tom Platz's thighs: if you put them through intense training and force them to develop, they have the genetic potential to become the best in the world."

Flex Wheeler - Mr. Olympia 1998

Flex Wheeler - “Building Mass” [part 1]

Flex Wheeler - “Building Mass” [part 2]

In contact with

(3 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

Record holder of victories in the Ironman Pro competition, multiple winner of the Arnold Classic and silver medalist of Mr. Olympia, Kenneth Wheeler was born in the Californian city of Fresno, USA in 1965, on August 23. In the bodybuilding world he is known as Flex Wheeler. Flex is a nickname meaning flexible. Despite his impressive size, Wheeler was impressive with his strength, unlike other bodybuilders.

Flex Wheeler poses artistically

Anthropometric data of the bodybuilder:

Flex was distinguished by enormous muscle mass with excellent symmetry. Having a thin waist in combination with arm volume of more than 56 centimeters. According to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wheeler has the best figure in the history of bodybuilding.

Hand training from Flex Wheeler

Arm workout with dumbbells

The bodybuilder begins training his arms with, where he initially works the triceps, then the biceps. Three exercises of four sets, with a break of thirty seconds. Without doing warm-up approaches, gradually increasing the weight.

• Alternating arm curls with dumbbells. The weight of each dumbbell starts from 22.5 to 37.5 kilograms. Movements are smooth and rhythmic, does not allow jerking or cheating. As soon as Flex began his training career, dumbbell weights could reach up to 45 kilograms.
• . The bodybuilder began to use this exercise only at the end of his training career, discovering that this exercise was quite comfortable for him. When performing while standing, the weights are the same as in alternating bends. Sometimes a bodybuilder can perform the exercise while sitting, using a weight of 20 to 32.5 kilograms.
• Arm curls using a Scott bench or machine. Starting with a twenty kilogram disk, and with each approach adding the same disk.
• Curling using an EZ bar. Not Wheeler's favorite exercise, but the bodybuilder believes that what you hate most works well. The average weight when performing is just over thirty-six kilograms.

Early years and beginning of career

Performance at competitions

Flex was born into a poor family; at the age of two, his parents separated, and his grandmother raised him. At a young age, a very unpleasant story happened to him - he became a victim of molestation and almost committed suicide, and at the age of fifteen he even became a father.

From childhood, the future bodybuilder showed an attraction to martial arts. Martial arts brought Wheeler good physical shape, and he decides to try himself in bodybuilding. For a certain time, bodybuilding was perceived by Flex as a hobby and faded into the background. Having found his feet, Wheeler devoted a short time to the career of a police officer, but realizing that this profession did not give him pleasure, he left the service and went into professional bodybuilding.

The bodybuilder’s debut took place at the Nspire Physique Championships “Mr. California” in 1989, then there was the “Nationals” competition, in which he took fifth place, the “Light Heavyweight” category.

IN 92 — the year the aspiring bodybuilder takes first place at the “American Championship” among heavyweights and receives a professional bodybuilder card.

WITH 93 year, the career of a professional bodybuilder began to develop at a rapid speed. Similar achievements, perhaps, were not achieved by other athletes. Wheeler achieves championships in such tournaments as the Grand Prix of France, Ironman Pro, Arnold Classic and Grand Prix of Germany, and takes silver in the competition at Mr. Olympia and the Grand Prix of England.

IN 94 — in the year a bodybuilder gets into a terrible car accident, where he miraculously survived. The athlete suffered an injury to the cervical vertebrae and needed a year to recover.

IN 95 -m again championship at Ironman Pro, South Beach Pro and Florida Pro. Second place in the Arnold Classic competition and among the top ten bodybuilders at Olympia, taking eighth position.

IN 96 -m adds victory in the “Night of Champions” tournament to his arsenal of trophies, again “Ironman Pro”, but ends up in fourth place at “Olympia”.

IN 97 -m another series of victories, but the athlete refused to climb onto the Olympia podium literally before the start of the competition. This statement entailed a lot of speculation, one of the options was that Flex injured his hand in a fight with robbers, the other was that the athlete did not dare to compete again with Dorian Yates, to whom he had repeatedly lost the championship in tournaments.

IN 98 Yates officially announced that he refuses to defend his champion title and Flex becomes the favorite of Olympia. The anticipation of victory plays a cruel joke on Wheeler; he takes second place in the Mr. Olympia competition, losing the championship to Ronnie Coleman. Having considered his mistakes, the bodybuilder gives his all in training and exhausts himself with a diet and enters the podium of Olympia 99 in excellent shape, but Coleman surpasses him again and Flex gets the “silver” of the competition.

IN 99 In the year 2010, the bodybuilder was diagnosed with kidney disease, which was severe. According to the athlete himself, the disease was hereditary in nature plus the influence of steroids, which he began taking at the age of eighteen. By the way, the athlete almost died from an overdose of diuretics, and also repeatedly ended up in the hospital due to severe pain in the kidneys, again “thanks” to an overdose of the above-mentioned drug.

IN 2000 In 2002, the bodybuilder took third place at Olympia and announced his retirement from professional bodybuilding, but in 2002 he once again decided to appear on the Mr. Olympia podium, but entered only the top ten and took seventh position.

IN 2003 year, the athlete underwent a kidney transplant operation. Complications resulted in five more surgeries, the most recent of which was to remove fluid from his leg.

Flex in everyday life

Flex Wheeler on the beach

Flex is married and has three children. A son from his first marriage, and a daughter and son from his second. The athlete's calling card is bright clothes and expensive cars. He has at least four cars in his fleet, the priority being Mercedes and BMW, with “Flex” on their license plates. Wheeler participates in guest posing, seminars, and produces training video courses. Wheeler can also often be seen as a journalist interviewing athletes.

The bodybuilder signed a contract with the Bio-chem company, whose main focus is the production of sports nutrition. After some time, the company terminated the contract with the bodybuilder and Wheeler was forced to begin personal training.

Mr. Olympia participants

Wheeler played in the documentary Come Get Some: The Women of the WWF, which was released in 1999.

In 2014, Flex joined MEX Nutrition in the role of Advisor and Vice President. The company has developed a personalized series of athlete flex wheeler pro line.

Flex currently works as the executive director of public relations and media at All American EFX. After finishing his career as a bodybuilder, Flex again decided to return to martial arts.

Get better and stronger with

Read other blog articles.

When you start talking about bodybuilding stars with a capital letter, you almost immediately think of the American Flex Wheeler. Today, Flex Wheeler is perhaps the most popular professional bodybuilder on the planet, crowned with the laurels of the winner of major tournaments, spoiled by the attention of the press and caressed by love, which often turns into idolatry of hundreds of thousands of bodybuilding fans.

Why did I call him the most aesthetic athlete? Hmm... Well, probably because it is. Flex Wheeler's physique is ectomorphic. You can also add the most symmetrical one. To be convinced of this, you just need to look at his photo.

Flex Wheeler photo

Biography of Flex Wheeler

Carier start

Kenneth Wheeler (born August 23, 1965, Fresno, California, USA), better known as Flex Wheeler / Flex Wheeler, former American IFBB professional bodybuilder.

Flex Wheeler began training as a teenager. Initially he trained in martial arts. However, an inner voice convinced him to take up bodybuilding. Despite this, he considers himself “a fighter first and a bodybuilder second.” This also explains his remarkable flexibility for such a large frame. It should be noted that Arnold Schwarzenegger called him one of the greatest bodybuilders he has ever seen.

After a short career as a police officer, Kenneth Wheeler focused his time on becoming a professional bodybuilder, and took on the nickname "Flex." He first competed in 1983, but it wasn't until 1989 that he was able to take first place in the NPC Mr California Championships. Then he came second in 1993 at Mr. Olympia. He has also frequently won the Ironman Pro along with the Arnold Classic, France Grand Prix, South Beach Pro Invitational, Night of Champions and Hungarian Grand Prix.

Flex Wheeler had a reputation for being arrogant and self-confident, especially on stage, but he attributed this to compensation for his introversion as a child and teenager. In 1994, he was involved in a car accident that could have left him paralyzed for life. He started all over again and quickly returned to the sport.

It was discovered that Flex Wheeler owed much of his muscle development to a genetic mutation that blocked his body's production of myostatin, which is responsible for limiting muscle growth.

Flex Wheeler photo

Is Flex Wheeler retiring from bodybuilding?

In 1999, Flex Wheeler was diagnosed with Central Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, a form of kidney disease. Despite journalists' speculations regarding the cause of the disease, Wheeler indicated that the disease is hereditary and not acquired. Flex Wheeler announced his retirement from competitive bodybuilding in 2000, but continued to compete until 2002. In 2003, he underwent a kidney transplant.

After Flex Wheeler's retirement, he again focused on martial arts, more specifically Kemp-Kwon-Do, a variant of Kempo and Tae Kwon Do. He competed in an exhibition fight at the 2005 Arnold Classic. In 2007, Flex was interviewed by journalist Rod Labb for Ironman magazine's "Legends of Bodybuilding" series. The article is called “Yesterday and Today”. It describes his career and shows how a Legend can find himself in a difficult situation and, overcoming all the difficulties, achieve success.
Flex Wheeler admitted that he used steroids for 18 years, experiencing serious health problems because of them. I will try to translate and post this interview as soon as possible!

Thanks to his proportionate figure and flexibility, the athlete received the nickname Sultan of Symmetry Flex. Although the bodybuilder retired 13 years ago, his name is on everyone’s lips. The legend is invited as a guest and participant to international competitions. He enjoys posing, communicating with young people and sharing his experiences.

Start

Year and place of birth Kenneth Wheeler (Flex Wheeler)- 08/23/1995, California. After the parents' divorce, the baby was raised by his grandmother. He spent his childhood in the crime-ridden city of Fresno. Worried about the safety of her grandson, the grandmother sent the grown boy to martial arts section. Kenneth enjoyed going to karate and taekwondo training and quickly progressed in his results.

To develop muscle strength, the young karateka simultaneously worked out in the gym. In 1989, he was faced with a choice. The desire to carry iron turned out to be stronger. But for some time the young man competed in karate. After success at "Mr. California" I finally left the section and concentrated on strength training.

First results

First of all, the athlete had to gain weight. After school, Wheeler’s weight barely exceeded 45 kg, but after 2 years the athlete gained 15 kg weight.

“I was sick of tuna and bananas, but I had no choice. When it was unbearable, I leaned on my balls,” the athlete recalls.

Eating high-calorie foods was beneficial. An athletic figure and strength indicators allowed him to replenish his collection of awards. From 1991-1993, the bodybuilder became the first in the American Championship, "Ironman", Arnold Classic. Besides received professional status and took 2nd place at Olympia. After successful performances, Flex became a star. It was filmed by popular sports publications, and brands vied with each other to offer cooperation. It seemed that life was good.

Steep turn

In 1994, a bodybuilder was racing along the highway in a car at a speed of 250 km/h and, having lost control, crashed. Fortunately, he escaped with an injury to the cervical vertebrae. Despite the disappointing forecasts, he quickly recovered and returned to the gym. During the illness, financial affairs began to deteriorate. Contract income fell by 75%. For 2 years, small amounts were deposited into the account, which was barely enough for living expenses. It was a difficult period when we had to start from scratch. But experience and sports training helped to overcome the crisis and continue to fight for titles. Everything changed after the championship at "Nights of Champions". His popularity returned and with it his income.

"Second Wind" by Flex

However, after returning to the sport, fate was not so favorable. In 1995, the athlete was predicted to win the Arnold Classic, but was passed by Michael Francois. At Olympia, the athlete was criticized for missing relief and was moved to 8th position. The performance at the Grand Prix ended with kidney problems and a return to the hospital.

In 1996, the pumped-up athlete was at the peak of his form.

Body parameters

• Weight – 113 kg.
• Height - 175 cm.
• Torso – 141.5 cm.
• The diameter of the double-headed bundle is 56 cm.
• Waist – 70 cm.
• Hips – 80 cm.

However, big muscles did not help to become a gold medalist at prestigious annual competitions. It was not possible to rise above 2nd place. The treasured figurine moved 5 steps further.

Unjustified hopes

In 1997, he was predicted to take 1st place at Olympia. But due to a broken arm, he didn’t even go on stage. Many said that he actually did not want to show off the implants. To prove that the “cannonballs” in his ankles are real, the athlete had his legs x-rayed and reassured the fans.

In 1999, Fleck focused on his most important victory in Los Angeles and worked hard in the gym until exhaustion. His 113 kg of muscles and chiseled figure delighted the audience. But again it didn’t work out - I was one step ahead.

The first speculations about leaving the sport appeared in the 2000s. But after 2 years, the bodybuilder entered the Olympia platform and won 7th place. After undergoing a kidney transplant in 2003, he retired and returned to martial arts.

Workout

Flex has his own approach to the process. Hands he started pumping with shells with minimal weight, reduced it in each set, but at the same time increased the approaches. For triceps and biceps I used.

Back trained in 2 stages: first performed with heavy weights, after 2 months, reduced it by 1/3 and worked on relief.

I got carried away a few weeks before the competition in order to... The program always included: French press, biceps curls, deadlifts and other classic exercises.

Another life

From time to time, the star appears at large-scale competitions. The last time Flex Wheeler was at Olympia was in 2017, where he took part in the “classic physicist” category. The athlete was in good shape, but the volumes were no longer the same, because due to injuries he could no longer train as before.

Sportspit. He is often invited as a guest on sports shows, where he poses and interviews bodybuilders.

Flex Wheeler - training in video format