Welshman Flex Lewis is ready to begin his assault on the pro ranks

February 20, 2008

FLEXONLINE.COM

You may know Flex Lewis. You may know that he was born in Wales and is only 24 years old. You may also know that he?s a Weider athlete, and that he won his pro card by winning the light heavyweight and overall titles at the 2007 British Championships last November. Heck, you may even know that, moments after winning his pro card, he one-upped himself by plopping down on one knee on stage and proposing to long-time girlfriend Shina Mitchell.

What don?t you know? Well, you might not know that Lewis is technically undefeated, an amazing 7-for-7 on the bodybuilding stage (not counting his loss to Troy Brown for the overall at the 2006 British Championships) dating back to his first contest, the 2003 British Junior Championships. Now, Lewis has his sights set on the 202-pound class at the Europa Super Show in August. Recently, we sat down with Lewis after finally catching up with the man after he arrived back in the US after a lengthy stay overseas. Here?s what he had to say regarding his future onstage.

For more with Lewis, check out the March issue of FLEX, on sale now.

To see Lewis training, check out the video we shot with him back in September, three weeks before his win at the British Championships.

WINNING
“I always train for first place. Like my first pro show, I’ll train for first place. I’m not training for anything else.”

HIS FIRST PRO SHOW
“I’m gonna be doing the 202-pound class at the Europa. That class is just made for me. With regards to me stepping out into the pro ranks, I don’t have to fall in to the pressure of everybody saying you need to put more size on or you need to compete at this weight. I can take slow steps and put the size on the right way, don’t force anything or ruin my physique. I managed to put on 4-6 pounds every year since I was a junior without compromising my physique, so that’s what I’m trying to do this year.”

IMPROVING
“Muscle maturity will come in time but what I’m working on this year is more thickness in my chest and back, just a different overall look. I’m actually working on three things – my arms, chest and back.”

HYPE MACHINE
“There’s no expectations in terms of hype this year I feel so relaxed yet so motivated and driven compared to any other year I’ve competed. It feels like I’m a junior again. Nobody knows who I am in terms of stepping onstage again.”

PERSPECTIVE
“I’m training to win. I won’t train for second place, I’ve never lost but my world isn’t coming to an end if I don’t place within the top five or ten. But I really believe this 202 class could be something I can really do well in.”

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