Flex Lewis Unfiltered Interview: Training Motivation, Workouts & Bodybuilding for Mr. Olympia | E107

not going to happen. They're not going to endorse, and this gentleman standing there, it's like, you're gonna do the British nationals, he gave the whole Braveheart speech of why you need to represent Wales against England and Scotland and Ireland because we're the smallest nation in the British Isles. So he gave that speech and I was like, Okay, I look at my parents. They're like, Okay, how long? Four weeks.

motivational speaker. And as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, who has won seven consecutive Mr. Olympia titles, is also the co owner of Arsenal strength gym equipment, the fastest growing fitness equipment company in the world and the owner of the famous Dragon's Lair workout Gym, in Las Vegas, flex true pleasure to have you on my show. Welcome to a Search of Excellence. My pleasure.

blue collar town. As you mentioned, my father was in steel, my grandfather was in call. My mom was a nurse, unfortunately disabled later on in life. So I grew up

I mean people read about it. Did you read Forbes back in blue collar die? Good question. Let me think I just medical culture was very big in UK. And always you get to see everything on TV and that was the only way and obviously there's things on on there that I aspired I wanted as a kid. Now I never looked at people who had nice things hoses cars with any type of envy. I wanted to know how they done it and how I could achieve getting that whatever it was

came from. Was it your dad working double shifts and your mom after she was able to work she's home taking care of you and just seeing your dad working by the hour tired sleeping during the day when he come home and what six in the morning eat and just exhausted right? He can't do well my father worked was called continental shift sweet work one week nights one week mornings when we got in which his body clock was all over the place. Yeah, but yeah, T never missed a rugby game.

Never missed any type of coaching. For us, my coaches well for rugby. And my mom was always there was always present but the mentality of trying to demand like a chase on life, whether it was monetary, whatever else was really to change my family. And I'm sure we'll speak about this more later on in the episode but my my goal was when I got into anything I've ever done was to not only better myself, but then create the opportunity to better

my family. So that was one of my biggest race, even to this day. Well now one was famous rugby towns in the world. You grew up in rugby, your grandfather, your dad was a semi professional coach. Your mom was the team manager. So how old are you? How old were you and just get into it. Your brother plays as well. Yeah. When a younger brother. Yeah. When you born in Wales, you get born with a rugby ball in your mouth, in your mouth. Yeah, in

your hand. So it was a natural progression for me to find myself chasing well what I thought was going to be my end cap my professional sport which is rugby so out of a young age six I started playing I got my nickname flex from that at a very young age. Your old name is James I don't think wow yeah and if you speak to TSA it's Steven.

That's my middle name is James so I go by okay I got many different hands who calls you that your your mom call you that before she passed away you know she's still around she's still Yeah, yeah. But she she the only people that call me Jameson my family but if they're not the Olympia they will call me flex. Okay, but I that's kind of something that's personal like James to me is I only hear that when I'm with family. My wife calls me James but then when she refers to me

it's full. Right? So there's a dynamic replay but Stephen is the name that I'll hear when I do any type of government official stuff because it's my Steven James Lewis is my my full name. But yeah, flex has been my name on has been throughout school. All the teachers call me flex on when I got into bodybuilding, of course, is another great bodybuilder called Flex. I had to fight that too when I got into bodybuilding. So I feel like I've managed to

carve my own path. I'd say I've the legacy that the other flex created. But again, I didn't come into this sport and call myself flex. I was already called Flex way before you put a pause and power trunks on

been there. But being the oldest sibling I felt there was kind of like a I adopted the role of taking care of my parents from a very young age. So that pressure of trying to chase what I ended up becoming, I'm leaving my family was all driven, again, to better everybody's life back home. And during this, you know, this chase and stuff, I could have come back home many times, you know, I could have gone back to Wales and and lived maybe a different life. But I knew what I was doing in the United

States. I was chasing greatness. And I was also opening the doors for for me to you know, change my parents parents lives to obviously the double edged side to that is I lost all that time with my my mum and dad to all the parties all the small little things that we kind of take for granted when you live in among everybody. I had to do it from afar through zoom through Skype.

But he only was losing out on these milestones losing out on birthdays losing out on in many cases, you know, funerals, whatever I couldn't be back home for was a driving force for me to change my life and change I'd be wrong. We need to as I mentioned.

own right. And the other person forfeited their own pretty much the same time period and I take them both. And what I done was they started collecting different loans and then

hills. Yeah, yeah. But honestly, there was a job to be done on haven't seen my dad walk to work for the most part of his for his work in Korea, because he was only one calm in my mind to take us to school. You know, it's like it's part and parcel of it and rains, for the most part in

Wales anyway. So every day you're in that rain, you won't get you you're really learning a lesson without even knowing learning the lesson, you're starting to learn, like, Okay, I have a duty or obligation, I have to get up when the alarm goes off, I have to get these papers out, because then I have to get ready to go to school. So I do this all before school. And then additionally, once a week, after school, you would have to go and pick up the money from these people were paying for the

papers. So it taught me communicative skills. And me being you know, loving chairs. Yeah, Chuck Dillard, amongst close rugby circles. I was you know, chatty, Cathy, whatever else. But then it taught me to talk to a different audience, an older audience, so I had to kind of find out what at the right level. So you start building rapport with people who stopped being, you know, the face that

they don't love. And, obviously, tips resemble that every week, then, you know, a lot of older people kind of, you know, they got a little bit of a cheeky charm, I guess so people can fall in love with. But that that really was again, dealing with money to all these little things became lessons that serve me later on in life. So at that same time period, I started looking into other things and finishes. What was the dough that you're making? Over out? Do you remember living yours only

made $5? Probably hears right. Yeah, I think it was probably like, what I got paid on then tips. I got more from tips. But it wasn't kind of like a waitress job where you earn your tips. This was mainly people get tips, I just was in an onion, I built my, my data database up to the lease and relationships with these people. So one pound, or 50 pounds from every house and you're doing X amount of houses, it all adds up for me per week.

And then I would have a like a BSP to maybe, you know, point 10 pounds or something like that. There was only more fun, because nothing, there was nothing and again, it was lessons learned. And again dealing with people, customers, different customers were more approachable and others. And the ones that weren't there was like, Okay, let me figure out a way of how I can get these guys and girls and women to to fall in love with the Paperboy, you

know. So there was definitely as I said, lessons learned during that period of time, but more than anything else shape was getting up and, and having a purpose in the morning. And also having truly, like I said, an obligation that I had to fulfill and and through that through reps and sets and over a period of months and years. You know, you start compounding all these lessons learned. And you find it transitioning into your day to day life. And yeah, so it's 12

right? 1213. But I started looking because I was making money. I started looking at how I can invest my money into different things. Like I said, the finches, what were the next evolution of that? Okay,

indicate yes. Now that turns up turns into quick quit residual income but the finches will The first part, and then it transitioned then into canaries. Then it transitioned into Paula Cates. And then it turned into pirates. And then full circle turning the race and pigeons.

breeding. So see it as like, you go through a honeymoon stage to get engaged to get married, they have kids. That's how pirates are. That's why they're so expensive. Because sometimes it takes years to get the first clutch with finches. I mean, you could put a female and a male in together with a sin cage. And they're like audit within an

hour. Yeah, they realize that, okay, this is a nest, I can not think they go straight into the you know, what their DNA is, and that stuff to breed on nurture, and then flash, and then they're on to the next and then to the next clutch.

you're not a thin, thin guy. I mean, when I was younger, I was tall, I was short and Israel and you know, didn't didn't have the same physique as I have what I got in my 20s, or 30s. But tell us, tell us what you did. And how important is being different and starting new when you start a new business to your success? Absolutely.

was in college. And again, same, same kind of small town mentality, it's not gonna work. You don't know what you're doing. People told you that. Absolutely. The

I don't know, you know, and again, that transitioned into me coming to the America but the same people said, oh, it's big and risky. And oh, you don't know what you're doing. And maybe I didn't, but it was willing to take the risk. And what I went through and and the due diligence that I've done in my small little town, moving companies, the traditional moving companies a big, big

volume, sorry. So you'd have this big van that turns up and as a small blue collar town, these houses affected maybe a quarter of that van. So I seen this I was like this is a business model year on us in United States, you know, FedEx trucks as an example for me. Obviously, I hadn't been to United States at that point in time, but again, America saw prevalent on over TVs, I seen the FedEx trucks and the small trucks they were these guys were

in plus the uniforms. And I was like, wow, that's where I'm going. So I went a completely against the grain. I purchased my first one. I had a grant from Prince trust. Prince Charles, this is Prince chocolaty. And then I see if my ass off, I sold all my birds and I've done all my stuff. But I put everything into this. And I truly believe when you're all into something, you know, you burn the ships. And that's what my mentality was going into me started my first business and it took off

tenfold. Well, first of all, it was just me and Yvonne y mon and Yvonne. And then I realized soon enough then that I needed somebody else. And then by the end of it, I had the lab and employees and funds and my mother was my receptionist and I truly built the business that mentioned earlier, one three young businessman would you rather work young businessman, the awards and award of Prince

Charles on scholarships. So for being in business at a young age but that mentality I used what I was doing in the gym physicality to sell the product off to so when we would do something with a local community and you get a picture in the paper it's like all my guys are all you know, praying proper uniform every was

big. But when we got to business from was word of mouth, small tone, can you go the extra mile which again has transitioned throughout my life do the small things on that word of mouth got us pretty much 90 70% of my business now I had ads in Yellow Pages talking about my wins and they won this business young members of your board and XYZ and but it was word of mouth that really got me and all you moved my until you move my cousin or you move wherever right and Hobbins staff then who

embodied my morals, my integrity and the language that I wanted to have spoken. So much so as to the the peace and care resolve. Yes, ma'am. Nor Sir, where would you like this? Absolutely no problem going the extra mile right? Transition, this skyrocket us in the business in the small town, so much so that I was turning down so much work because it was just me and my crew. So when I got into the body balloon, that's the next transition. I don't really want

to talk. But yeah, it was really during my second year of holding the company. And I started competing whilst moving people horrendous when you're on low carbs, and you're basically different Tupperware blocks in the van and you're digging deep. I want everyone on my amateur show was whilst I had my company, and it was more than two to three people a day. And it was exhausted, absolutely exhausted. But when I walked into a house, that alter ego, whatever you want to call it,

that switch, I was in mod. If somebody wanted something move that we originally wanted it downstairs and wanted it back up on the third floor, for example, no problem. And if they decided to put it back down, no problem we, the rule of thumb was, you only could swear and more than we were in the van. And we're

driving away. And suffice to say, you know, during that period of time, I was able to scale not only what I was doing on the Omniture stage, I was also was able to scale my businesses, but also combine

both. So anytime I had press regarding my Mr. Universe win or European win whatever it would be, I made sure that the business also had its own love and mentioned too, because truly it was it was part of the element, right, I was able to win the shows whilst basically being ultra full time entrepreneur, businessman.

cups of tea. And you know what I mean? It was a small little things. So live in every weekend at my grandparents house, I would rummage through the, you know, the bookshelves and see what I could find my auntie used to live in our house. She was living in London now at the time. But she would come back, bring some stuff back. And one of the things that she brought back was a book. Maybe in the noisy little 12 year old kid,

they discovered this book. It was on Tom Platts, who was as you mentioned, you know, known for his quad development incredible called dualband. One of the night these guys ate these night these guys on the era 30

weights. Not what 12 You can only have so many people right but I found out coincidentally my dad had some old set of weights remember the old plus their weights he had set in in the shed up the garden so I ended up waiting for my parents to leave now in Wales your house is where I lived anyway, my house is lower than my garden so much in the house is there you have to go up the garden up the stairs, the concrete steps, and then the garden levels off. So wait for my parents to leave.

And they pull these old weights out my agenda ahead of you had to roll them down the steps through the house up my set of stairs into my bedroom hidden under my bed. And every night I would pull out this Tom Platts book, and I was like, Okay, this is how you squat so I put it on

the bed horrible form. Of course, thank God I was like young and an injured back then I would find the bottom my back and I would start doing reps, one rep, turn to two, turn two to three to four, etc. And yeah, I'm a little work a regime called cop. I mean, my dad later on in life, but it was that book though the truly changed my life. And Tom plaats was one of them people who would planted that seed in my head to get into I say, physique development. And I can't remember the what would

it be? When you see you're looking for a car? And you start seeing that car everywhere? What is the what would that what's that term? You know, we again, you might not see a, you go and buy a Lamborghini because you haven't seen it before. Then you're driving down the street and you see three Lamborghinis. That's how I found when I got my first book on bodybuilding, I started seeing it everywhere. And WWF at the time was massive.

So I'd sneak downstairs young age, and watch WWF two or three in the morning and see all the greats like Hulk Hogan Ultimate Warrior award. Back in that day, I had incredible physique. So these things subconsciously planted something in my head where they throw on your life, obviously, we're no, you're talking about what happened next, right. But at that time, he was all down to rugby and being the biggest rugby player on the field. Biggest legs. That's how it started.

thinking. But needless to say, I listened to the obviously the the threat that guess who was being shot for the rest of my life. Nothing has changed. But I stayed away from training weights for a number of years. In fact, funny story. I was in my bedroom, squat in a way and being you know, 15 years old. Testosterone is through the roof at that age. And my father along my mother, I'm sure downstairs, you and all this huffing and puffing, and my dad checks to

the door. I think he was expected something else happening in there being a rambunctious, 1250 year old. I think he was also glad that I wasn't doing what he thought I was thinking the girl yeah. Yeah, maybe solo too. I don't know. But either way, but huffing and puffing was enough. He came in and he's like, okay, no, yes. No. Okay. And but yeah, my mother were involved in a nurse she's seen the worst of abdomen right. So she was more so concerned about something

else happening. I don't blame I know looking back because again, she's seen so much issues. I came into casualty when she was a nurse. But I knew that the bug was in my body. So I rejoined the gym later on, and at that time, it was really focused on powerlifting which was really home towards the the rugby sort of things but

always hidden away. But when he peeled our top off and you seen him in the gym and a tank top you were like, Oh my gosh. And that draw of having that humility, and having such a world class physique. drew me towards Steve, and how we ended up connecting in the gym. I was powerlifting at the time, started powerlifting like I said, the help of the rugby because we don't have pads. We don't have any type of helmets

or anything like that. So you really have to build your structure up to take the impact. But it was all always, I always caught myself wanting to do the bodybuilder movements. And I did just away from the quarter powerlifting. But it was Steve that couldn't keep any training partners a leg day. And leg days, half your body. That's the hardest work that you can do. But every was after chest, everyone's there for arms. But when it came to legs, they were running late, or they had to do

something. So I said, Hey, you know if there's ever an opportunity that's going on. So, I've used this rule of thumb throughout my career, if you want to train me turn up a leg day, and then we discuss part two. And that's the task that was put through. And Steve invited me to train with him and then we trade with each other

for a number of years. I also started thinking outside the box, and I thought, ah, Steve was old school bodybuilder, he bought his way now he bought, he bought his food, never weighed anything out, got in great shape to win the Mr. wheels and the overalls. But then there's another level to go to Mr. Brittain. At a young age, as soon as I started committing myself the body and I was like I need to really start looking into the nutrition element of

things. So what I ended up doing later on and I within the gaps is connect Steve with my then nutritionist, and that guy, he just found a whole new straight.

So what I done was and I also found myself being this guy to surrounding myself with young athletes, Steve at the time, I think was close to 40 If not 40 And yeah, there was this 19 year old whippersnapper, young bull needed to be put in the right direction of things that came in with an energy on on the vibe that put fire into his tail into that you know, hot from any other training Proctor and in turn, you put it on me but also I got the experience of learning reps and sets and truly learning

the biomechanics of the body. Body Polish didn't is all it to be strong, man. Same thing, right? Bodybuilding is all about mind muscle connection, segregating the muscle that you're training on. And that's what I learned with Steve was truly learning how to train for bodybuilding. And again, turning up everyday being committed to our you know, our trading partnership. And also again, the loyalty of of bringing my A game every single day as he did

brought brought to mind. So we truly grew together where we went on the road and started scooping up all these trophies, and she was speaking about that later on. Steve was an incredible trip incredible training packed out and I'm very blessed allowed him as, as the first thing about the bike wheels.

weeks time, during this day. All summer, I'd built this motocross bike and my mother hated bikes. Again, it goes back to what I said about privacy in the worst cases and casualty of these people coming in via on built this bike, put all the you know, the bells and whistles on it to my financial stability. And then the boys brought this bike up first day of summer holiday on my mother was like, Don't go on this bike, don't go on his bike. And it was way too powerful for

me. I mean, I was when he bought 170 pounds of that back then. And we took it down to this area where most of the kids were would take their bikes and always the last jump. And the last jump. He came around this corner was creating new trucks. The grass was about this high. Next to the direct field. It was a building being built if it was extension of a school and any type of off shape brick, they were throwing them over over the

fence. So when I clear this grass, I see this mound of bricks looking at me about four feet. And I just was coming around like Speedway racing. My back end was coming around and I just hit this on site went up in the air. My motocross top got stuck in the handlebars, like fell on top me full throttle ripping the inside of my leg apart. And of course I fell looking at all my friends were standing on top of this moment that I was doing jumps over and

they will just run stopped. So me being the young kid younger than them to another embarrassed I was like I'm good. Throw the bike off me as soon As I give them the all clear as if I was okay, I didn't realize that I'd already dislocated my elbow. But in straightening it, they did, they broke it too. So we went to the hospital of course, I had to make that call to my mom was like, Tony told your soul kind of thing, right? But she was snapped straight into nurse

Mahmad. And she kind of gave me a quick little tour, you know what to do with this kind of thing. I can't believe you've done this and then straight into Karen. Okay, we're going to take care of this. And do it in that time period. I was in a band aid, you know, like a plaster cast in this position. for about eight weeks, summer holidays, all my friends are doing stuff they go into, you know, hanging out doing things down the lake, doing all kinds of things, all these things I excitedly planned

in my head. They were taken off the table. I had my moments where I was like, I can't believe I've done this yada, yada. But then I started putting more confidence into what I was going to do when I got on and this and that mentality. As I said, it's been served me in many different chapters. But during this time, again, it was young. For me of chasing girls, all this stuff was taken off the table. I said, Okay, when I get out to this plus to kind of this

is what I want to do. And I started listing these way above the bar kind of stuff that I have been achieved prior to being in a plaster cast. And they were doing a backflip, walking on my hands, and many other different things. So fast forward, they get the plaster cast cut off, of course, when you're in this movement, and you've got tiny little movement dots, when I get out to this, I'm healed. thinking I'm Wolverine, like, they cut the plaster cast off, my arm just

flopped. And that was the reality I faced back then it was like, wow, my arm is completely dead. Like it was there was very little movement. So I had to strengthen it back up fast. And there was no rehab therapy or, or any type of therapist telling me this is where you need to start. First day I went to the kitchen, I pull the can of beans out. I was like this is what's going to strengthen my arm. I started off with the kind of beans. Then I progressed a little bit of heavier probably a

bag of sugar. And yeah, it just progressed fast. I started getting my strength back slowly but surely. And during that time period tell you where the tattoo comes in with someone that would give more context. There was a tattoo artist that lived up the street to me. And I was so conscious about my arm being much smaller than this. Um, I have many claim flex at that point in time as well. So this one was pre developed. This one was thin been in a plaster cast.

So I went to the tattoo artist and I was like, Hey, knock this door. Scallions has a door food all over his shirt and shut me off for a tattoo. Of course I lowered my voice, right? Because you'd be 18 And he's like, Hold you 18 You're not 18 I was like, Yes, I am. Gay mother's consent. I was like, okay, so I already prepared. I went up up the street Sagna wall for secondary what the note the swan song. Yeah, my son is he has the consent signed. You know, I was used to doing it in school.

And you know, boohoo me and I I have missed out in the summer holidays people talking to me doing this to not I had a tattoo on my arm. How cool is that? What I didn't realize is when my arms that are getting bigger. This tattoo was bent slight backwards. But going back to what the things that I manifested in my head, and I started telling myself at a very young age. First week back in school, every set of changes

exchanging stories and stuff. I had already started during that time period of time to do handstands. And when you left school, there's only a few people that could truly do a handstand, nobody could walk in their hands. Now the goal was for a PE teacher, which I love. Massive mentor to me when he was a young kid. Both

tough and rough. So I fell into the into the distracted kids group not knowing later on that I had dyslexia or ADHD. And that was what I was told first week in college, but I was labeled stupid. I mean, he was them tubes in the UK. You're stupid, bro. You're stupid kid. Get to the box. Don't be stupid. You're not stupid. You know, you're gonna be in jail. All the army. That's that's what the brain train you for. In in public public schools when I was in school?

Yeah, you're already creating the parameters for them kids, by saying like, the only opportunity is this and this. And for me, I added in the element of why I'm going to be a professional. I thought rugby player, right. But again, you think you start talking pie in the sky back then. And they bring it back to reality. It's, it's a crazy, crazy, crazier belief system these teachers have back then I can't attest to the school that I went to really know. And who's in there, right?

No, but also the teachers that were there when I was there. Were also at the tail end of the cane. Right? So they were whipping people back then. And then they had to get rid of the cane. So they had nothing but woods. To humble you on back then he was an opera at this talk. They're like, what, give me a hands. Whatever else seems to hit you with? It's

myself at that time. And then when you just start getting muddied with all this stuff that's going on the half somebody who was like, Hey, come to the pee hole. Instead of bunking off, come to the PIO, I know, I know, you're not doing what you should be doing. Getting here before you get in trouble by the headmistress or whoever sees you, ICU you under my control and your work and you're not doing anything bad, that actually be progressive with your time. So I would do

gymnastic stuff. I did gymnastics, rugby, whatever, and a little bit of weights later on. But these teachers truly showed me skills that I never had and put time into me they were given up the lunchtimes to help a lot of these kids out. And I thought that was so commendable, because these guys don't get paid much money as teachers back then. And I'm sure

they don't really know. But talking about one of my first week back in school, the class then kind of in the PA Department said, Okay, what do you guys been working on? Throughout the summer, when nobody works in anything? Nobody's been working on speed drills that has been done anything they just been messing around. So I was coming, obviously, off the injury. But during that time period, I said, I'm going to do a handstand. And to tell you that story. I was so adamant. I was going to do this

handstand. But this is where my mentality comes in. Right? And the analogies of life, the first time I've done it failed, hurt now. My mother was like, what do you do when you're going to be back in hospital? Mom, I'm gonna be fine. Hon stunning is the wall fail. I stand against the wall fail, fail, fail content half a second. That amount of hope. I can again, handstand against the wall, caught it one second. And then I kept doing that over and over again until I caught it against the wall for a

time period of time. It was a small period of time. And then the next thing is you take the training wheels off, kick the wall away. And I started Hunstanton on by my own. Again, this was a little sore. But I knew that through reps and sets were strengthening up. But again, to the dismay of my mother and father, they were like You are crazy. You are going to be back in this. No, you gotta be training for the second three run out of the woods trails that are coming back up. I said don't worry,

I'll be good. Of course, I was doing this out of out of mind, you know, out of sight out of mind as soon as but when I go back to that school that first week they said okay, we can do handstands, you see all these guys kind of like trying to pick up where they left off and obviously progressed worse because they just don't have the the agility that they had one. So the dexterity on I walked the entire gymnasium floor up, I'm

back. And everybody's like, bro, you, you're in a plaster cast, you're like what I was like Jabra was working in silence. And again, these things, all that I started doing as a very young age, I didn't realize that these were lessons that I were teaching myself. Working in silence is what I've done a lot of the time until it gets seen, not the was seen by my class. And under also assured me that when you prepared to work, when you have every excuse not to, you can achieve such incredible

things. And my goal was to do what I done, and achieve it so then I can tick that off and move on to the next.

myself that I could do. I already told the people that I wanted to know what I was doing it same thing in life. And he said, my intuitions gonna tell him my smallest smallest circles. So I have accountability. But the accountability wasn't there, you're gonna be telling my parents like, don't, but then goes back to that mentality of like, okay, I'm doing it anyway.

So I did to answer your question, it was a great feeling to know that when I started off with the kind of beans committed myself to this, this path of doing a handstand to them being able to walk up and back. Wondering it kind of be like a little bit of an inspiration to the class not showing off because that's not me. I have always stayed humble and driven. But I was just like, Guys, come on, like you you can work. You can work on things when when you're not being asked to do it.

Because back then you have coaches rather than the coaches say, Okay, I want you to run a lap. But when the rugby sessions are done, you're not going to run, record, you know, run the run the hills, you're not going to do all the extra stuff. But when I surrounded myself surrounded myself with people who started thinking more like me, who would do more of what I was asked to them. And then it was seen on the rugby field on

the track. That's when I started putting that into my day to day step and demanding more from much more was asked to me. I

bit now. So like you said, it's a half a second, it's one second, or max is two seconds, it's gonna be so amazing for her is a proud seven year old to be able to do that. And it's fun as a dad watching your kid progress. You know, maybe I'll take her 800 times, but she's gonna get it. And as parents even on the ones that she fails immediately, you want to give them positive reinforcement, and usually the harder that's amazing. And she'll keep going. I mean, she'll she'll go, you

know, 20 times in a row. Data. Oh, my feet. We have all my feet. It's great. You talk a lot about your parents. A lot of our parents want us to go into certain professions. Yeah, right. I mean, I'm Jewish and there's a there's a saying oh, you know Jewish parents want to be a doctor or a lawyer. Tell us about your parents. Super excitement about you being a bodybuilder and taller about the bacon and sausage in your petition. That

told my pass about it. Again. I didn't even think it was going to look like it did but they were cooking bacon and eggs and sausage right behind the lifters in a in a cafeteria. that on most occasions during that day, the smoke was coming in to the

lifting platform. So my parents went from watching me play in high level rugby to then come in to see this powerlifting show with kind of like mix match chairs and Ebby hardwood in there and bacon and eggs have been caught behind the lift as I'm not gonna lie wasn't the protest of moments to tell my parents again, I might do this,

but I don't know. But when I done the bloody Glen, which was shortly after, and I committed myself to that they came to the first show with the same mentality, potentially, I don't think I noticed they didn't expect it to be what it was. Now bodybuilding in South Wales is pretty big. In Wales in general, I don't know what it is about bodybuilding, they will always have the local guy every new the local guy, you know, he's normally promoting the door I told him about he was always

strong built. And these guys always would turn up optimise the wheels every single year when they won the show was another thing. But every new Mr. Wales was on top three. So me committed myself to this show and obviously going through the details just sticking to the show element of my parents came and they went, Oh my gosh, wow, this is this is crazy. This isn't an auditorium and horns, you know, it was done. It was actually in the Royal Princess Theatre in a place called Port

Talbot. So it was a Royal Theatre which had balconies you know, so it was packed out couldn't get tickets people are outside trying to get tickets and ask for tickets to come in. You know when the people will leave and they will resell in the tickets to get the you know people in to see the event. And I just remember competing in that show my parents like wow, it's crazy. But this is this is it the one and done you promised us because they done my own diet. He was living hell he was

horrible. So they were just like, let's just wait for this to end he goes back into his rugby and he studied in shock because again he's going to be nice, but it wasn't and I don't know if you want to continue with that from from there on in but it was yeah, like the story

Because that to me was that was that was another hurdle in itself so I try to break things up the diet I got from from a flex magazine. I found this guy's diet and I was like okay if he's eating all this food out dissect this, and I'll just diet on bare minimum not knowing know, that what I dieted on for 12 weeks was pretty much known as depletion, which is next to nothing, I will live in hell, I was tired I was hungry. But I refused to not follow or go off the plan that I had in front of

me. I mentality has always been there. But when somebody would suggest like hey, when's the last time you had carbs two days ago I'm a big potato tomorrow I'm so okay. And I love that potato just random guys in the gym given their own advice I got there. I got to them Mr. Wales. Again I started watching a lot of VHS video is to prepare me for the pause in and I really put my time into that. But really, that first showing I'll kind of tell a story within a

story. I still under have us, young kid, I still have to walk on stage no matter what I done how I prepared. When I got to that show and seen on and people in the audience, man, I came, I succumb were nervous. So I'm backstage nervous and this older gentleman comes up to me. He's like, you're a kid. Like, me? Yeah, I'm okay. Of course, put the front things like it's okay to be nervous. I get nervous

too. But you know what I do, I kind of channel into, again, not exactly the words, but I channel into something and the word Alter Ego came out. And I hear that. And again, everything else was just contacts, right? The Alter Ego element to things. So as literally 10 to 15 minutes before I walked on stage, I heard this advice. And it's been advice that I use to this day. When I walked on stage, I was

like, Yeah, Alter Ego. Nobody knows me up there, outside of the people obviously have come to support but forget that. Every doesn't know me. So I went out that on when you go out and do your, when they bring you out the first time, it's normally a routine that brings you out. So I've done my routine to manage dramatically deeper underground. It was the Godzilla song. Yeah, like going deeper underground. But there's a build up to that.

So I walked out to this, and then dramatically opens up the song out there and they hit the shot on that. My training partner, Steve Nayla was being trained to me not plenty of time for like a year and a half comes backstage. He's like, flex. Some kid just went out there. You've got to go all out, believe it or look down and I'm like, What do you mean more kid before me? He's like, No, he just came up. I said, that was me, Steve.

Everybody couldn't have had the most people couldn't believe that I turned into that guy on stage. And I left it all out there. Now. I done the show. I won the show and walking back to the car and my parents, big bag of chocolates. My college friends came and they knew I love chocolate. So how neat never 12 weeks, so they put this huge sack like a Christmas sock together. All I wanted to do is drink all liquid rituals like drink Lucozade or Gatorade. Last thing I want to do is eat

chocolate. So I was trying to force myself to eat chocolate. Obviously, the next day is different. But he just saw dehydrated, so tired. Got a knock on the window. And this gentleman standing there, head judge. And I said he's weighing down the window. My parents are in the front seat. He's like, Hey, you, you're gonna do the British nationals. I was like, respectfully, I said, I know who you are. Thank you, you know, for all you've done. And thank

you for the judge in today. And I don't know I don't think so. It's it's been a tough prep. I've done my own diet. You have some questions, and you often helped me. So I took that in consideration. And he gave the whole Braveheart speech of why you need to represent Wales against England and Scotland and Ireland because we're the smallest nation in the British Isles. So he gave that speech and I was like, Okay, I look at my parents. They're like, Okay,

how long, four weeks. So myself and this gentleman spoke, be agreed. That Tuesday, I drove down to this gentleman's house. And this is Neil Hill. And he's been with me ever, ever since that day, 20 years late, they still my coach to this day. So I'm a very loyal person, to the, to those who are loyal to me, I don't think grass is greener. I had many opportunities to work with many different coaches when they came to United States. In fact, I was told, You're not going to win anything unless you

work with these coaches. And I was like, I want everything as an amateur with this guy. We've always been in shape. That's my calling card, and I'm gonna be the biggest guy on stage. I suffered to be in condition. And you know, we all know, many years later, you're telling me that I need to work with somebody else. It's not gonna happen. We came here together, will will endure together and that those 20 year relationship with Mr. Myself and my coach, to this day,

think it's a lost. I think it's loyalty is underrated in terms of our success in life,

ship? Selfishly, when that person has been there for you, through, you know, things that let's just keep it in the bodybuilding world, outside of the gym, you know, coaches are psychologists, that's that they're all that they have to play tours like my, you know, with myself and Neil, you know, the majority of times, we're talking in depth about different things that have nothing to do with a training, we're not talking about reps and sets, we're talking about mentality.

But we're talking about tapping into that toe, I can get into that gym and garner something that wasn't seen in the last session. But again, when you have the opportunity, then to go with a coach that may have a couple more wins underneath his umbrella, and maybe a couple of Olympia wins the jump, and they lose evidence they built up with somebody else, because now you are the coach, and you're the

ticket number. And the attention that you had with that other person that was gone, you expected with this other person, maybe no, you're paying somebody a lot of money to be a coach. But now we are sharing the role with other athletes who may be standing on stage against you. And then there's the other element of like, oh, man, he's given this person more attention

because he's winning. It's all these other different variables that I've seen it firsthand, sitting in the seat that I've been in for all these years. There's nothing better than having the faith in the person that believed in you way back when when maybe you didn't believe in yourself, and doubling down on that. And if you make mistakes, that's part of the course, just like

entrepreneurship. I love talking about my failures, because it's made me who I am to this day, and a lot of people just don't want to fail. They don't want to even put themselves out there to fail. And even if they do it, they don't talk about it. When really the lessons are learned in the times of despair when you're looking at the seal and stressed out all this pressure on you. That's when you can use that to get out in the world and chase whatever it is that you're trying to chase down