On the surface it would be easy to dismiss anyone competing
up into a bigger or more competitive pool of contestants, especially for their
first time doing so. Of course, to dismiss Flex Lewis, the “Welsh Dragon” and
seven time winner of the 212 Mr. Olympia title for any reason, might be a poor
bet to make. But is this year’s Olympia the best place for the Dragon do tread
into open water? Maybe it’s the perfect time.
This year’s contest is stacked, and while the favorites are
the defending champ Brandon Curry and returning seven time champion Phil Heath,
the last two years have shown us that the static that once held the Sandow in
place for years and year, might have lost its grip. With two new champions in
the last two years, the rise in competition could be the perfect place for a
dialed-in Lewis to not only make a splash, but make history.
Though he ran roughshod over the 212’s for years, he was
almost always among the largest contenders-or at least those appearing to be
the largest. In addition to his hidden size, he never showed up to a
competition out of shape and his conditioning was always able to hang in a
division known for its conditioning and symmetry. He certainly won’t be
dwarfing competitors like Roelly Winklaar or bodybuilding’s “next big thing”
Hunter Labrada, but he also doesn’t have to. Lewis is in a unique position in
that he can show up around 210 pounds and “look” 50 pounds heavier, so now that
he can actually be significantly bigger, he only has to increase his size and maintain
his conditioning.
Easier said than done, especially as Lewis closes in on forty years of age, but he’s shown that dialing in for competition isn’t a stumbling block for him. Unlike many of the Open competitors Lewis doesn’t have to drop weight to dial-in, for him it will be almost like he’s growing into
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| The "Welsh Dragon" James "Flex" Lewis 7-time 212 Mr Olympia |
a new contest shape. As he is used to keeping himself in a place where he can
show up under 212 for the competition, he can now keep up his contest prep
without the stress of the scale to be a consideration. Any game-time decisions
that need to be made, don’t have to be considered with the threat of not making
weight involved. As far as getting into contest shape is concerned, the Welsh
Dragon is in a comfortable spot.
On stage though, it gets a bit more blurry. While the 212
competitors are generally thought of as being a good bit smaller, the reality
is that Lewis won’t be giving up too much in height and shouldn’t be giving up
too much in weight either. While he will look pretty small compared to Cedric
McMillan, for instance, he will make up ground with the mass that the slender
McMillan doesn’t normally bring to the big show. As a perennial
middle-of-the-pack competitor, McMillan is a threat to Lewis in comparisons due
to that height difference, as both men are known for their incredible conditioning.
However, if Lewis’ conditioning can get him into some top six comparisons, he could
do well matching up against Dexter Jackson, Phil Heath and the champ, Brandon
Curry.
Side-by-side with the Blade, Lewis stands a good chance of
making Jackson, the Mr. Olympia 2008 winner, look diminutive as they come in
around the same height but with very different bodies. Lewis can come in around
the same weight as Jackson and if he keeps his waist small, he could bring a
more favorable package for the judges upsetting what could be an easy top three
for them. Compared to Heath, the challenge is a bit greater as Heath will
likely be bigger than Lewis and much taller (the 6’1” Gift towering over the 5’5”
Dragon) and bring a similar level of conditioning. We’ve seen Heath out of
shape before, but even the 2018 “out of shape” version is still better than 99%
of the other bodybuilders out there. Lewis’ conditioning could match up to the
challenge, but only if he gets the comparisons, which is not locked-in.
Curry might be the most profitable comparison as the height
gap is lessened a bit, as compared to Heath. Curry doesn’t have a “huge” body
the likes of Steve Kuclo or the legendary Markus Ruhl, but he has clean lines
and a tight waist that packs on more lean mass, year after year. However, if
all things were equal, the Dragon’s physique has a real wow factor, that looks
simply inhuman some years and that might be enough to shift the judges’ eye
away from the classically proportioned Curry. The champ is certainly no slouch,
but if the careers of Dorian Yates or Ronnie Coleman is any indication, the
freaks can win on show day, and wowing the judges can bring home the
hardware-but can a 5’5” freak do it? We will see.
Lewis’ success in the Men’s Open Division depends heavily on
him getting the comparisons to show off the freakish nature of his physique.
Without the restrictions of the 212 division and a year off to adjust, he has
the potential to bring the best-and certainly the biggest-package we’ve ever
seen in his storied career. While the Open division does offer some stiff
competition, the Dragon is certainly no rookie to big-time bodybuilding and
what he may lack vertically, he more than makes up for it in vascularity and
width. An in-shape Flex Lewis is a threat for the Sandow, but if any of the
emerging dark horses like Hadi Choopan, Hunter Labrada or the monstrous William
Bonac show up in all-time shape, the Dragon will be in for a battle.
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