Flex Lewis Retires

[Joe Pietaro]

James "Flex" Lewis has made the difficult decision to retire from competitive bodybuilding and has done so to focus on his family and business whilst still in good health. He has a very young son and no one can argue that this is the right decision for his entire family and future. The perennial 212 Olympia champion was planning on competing in the open division since making that announcement after his seventh consecutive victory in 2018, but injuries and his family planning (ie: not juicing while trying to get his wife pregnant; smart move, for certain) caused him to put off his stage return.

I have always felt that Lewis would have won an Olympia in the open and if they did it like the old days (short vs. tall class overall), would have had more than one Sandow. But this is the right move for him while he is still young and healthy; the sport's been writhe with young bodybuilders dying and that was more than likely a huge factor in Lewis's decision. Good for him; he'll do just fine as a gym owner, promoter, and public figure in the industry.

Here's one of my takes on Flex and the Olympia back in 2017:

 

[The King Of Lurkers]

Damn wanted to see him grow and shine in the Open but best of luck to him and his family

 

[tkD]

Called it back in September 2018. *thread source - https://musclemecca.com/threads/flex-lewis-your-2020-mr-olympia.241172/#post-3237420

When he announced that he will move to Open, especially since he seemed to be so affected by Dallas' death, which was a real close friend, I thought in that moment that he finally realized he needs an exit plan from Bodybuilding.

All this "I am moving to Open" hype created for 4 years now, was good for him and for the 2 or so gyms that he opened in the last years, and other business ventures that helped develop his brand even more.

Back in 2020 when he "chose" not to compete in the Olympia because of a small shoulder injury was just bullshit. No bodybuilder with a real chance of winning is backing off for a small rotator cuff inflammation like he called, if I remember correctly.

Competing in the Open class, would have meant upping the dosages even more to keep up with the top 5 guys, and for what? Not worth the risk since he already accomplished so much.

I am not blaming him, as he did exactly what he needed to do for his own health, family and business, so his priorities should always come first no matter what we think.

With that said, I respect him as a bodybuilder, family man and business man.
Well done Flex, good luck in the future and keep growing that bank account.

 

[The King Of Lurkers]

Called it back in September 2018. *thread source - https://musclemecca.com/threads/flex-lewis-your-2020-mr-olympia.241172/#post-3237420

When he announced that he will move to Open, especially since he seemed to be so affected by Dallas' death, which was a real close friend, I thought in that moment that he finally realized he needs an exit plan from Bodybuilding.

All this "I am moving to Open" hype created for 4 years now, was good for him and for the 2 or so gyms that he opened in the last years, and other business ventures that helped develop his brand even more.

Back in 2020 when he "chose" not to compete in the Olympia because of a small shoulder injury was just bullshit. No bodybuilder with a real chance of winning is backing off for a small rotator cuff inflammation like he called, if I remember correctly.

Competing in the Open class, would have meant upping the dosages even more to keep up with the top 5 guys, and for what? Not worth the risk since he already accomplished so much.

I am not blaming him, as he did exactly what he needed to do for his own health, family and business, so his priorities should always come first no matter what we think.

With that said, I respect him as a bodybuilder, family man and business man.
Well done Flex, good luck in the future and keep growing that bank account.

tkD always bringing the sexiness