FLEX: I’ve noticed in your videos you’re drinking a shake during your workouts.


Flex Lewis: Getting the right nutrients before, during, and after your workout is crucial, not just to get the most out of your training, 
but also to begin fueling growth and recovery when your body
is supercharged to start these processes. Gaspari Nutrition 
has developed products to
take before, during, and after you train. I use all of them. Throughout my workout, I’m sipping a shake that includes glutamine, Aminolast, GlycoFuse, and Qualitine. L-glutamine is an amino acid that aids recovery. Aminolast has all the essential amino acids for endurance and growth. GlycoFuse is mostly a fast-acting carb source that my body can use as fuel, and it loads my muscles with glycogen to draw in more nutrients. Qualitine is creatine, so it gives me a strength and growth boost.

There are scientific reasons why all of these things work great physically, but I also know I get a psychological boost out of them. It’s like putting premium fuel in a sports car before driving it hard. I like knowing I’ve given my muscles all they need to succeed, and that has a psych-up that helps me go balls to the wall.

**FLEX'S INTRA-WORKOUT SHAKE:

Water

2 Scoops (10g) L-Glutamine

1 Scoop (10g) Aminolast

1 Scoop (25g) Glycofuse

2 Scoops (10g) Qualitine

FLEX: You’re known as one of the most down-to-earth pro bodybuilders. Where does that come from?

Flex Lewis: From Wales. It’s just always been part of who I am, and I never want to change. People want
to relate to someone who’s real. There are guys who win shows and their demeanor changes. They think they’re cock of the walk, as we say in the U.K. But I never wanted to be like that. It’s a choice to not change, to stay true to yourself and not become all full of yourself. If you see yourself changing for the worse or if people are telling you you’ve changed, you have to choose to keep yourself humble and remember where you came from. For me, it’s not hard, because I came from a small village in a small country.

I think my fan base likes that they can relate to me, because they tell me they just met so-and-so and he was a total ass. He wouldn’t talk to them unless they were paying him 10 bucks for a photo or something. I never want to be like that. I always remember that it wasn’t that long ago that I was on the other side of the booth talking to the pros. I got into my first Arnold Classic expo because (FLEX senior writer) Greg Merritt snuck me in. That doesn’t seem that long ago—that time when almost no one knew who I was, even at the Arnold. Now I’m inside the booth, but I remember what it was like to be on the other side when I see all those people lined up just to meet me. It keeps me humble. If a fan wants to meet you, that’s an honor. – FLEX