BBC Documentaries

Flex Lewis: Superstar Bodybuilder (2018x55)

: 19, 2018

Welsh bodybuilder James 'Flex' Lewis is on a mission. The reigning Mr Olympia champion is determined to claim his sixth title in a row and equal the record of his all-time hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. Known as the Super Bowl of bodybuilding, the Mr Olympia competition in Las Vegas is the biggest event of the bodybuilding calendar. A star attraction among the competitors is Flex. With more than a million Instagram followers and a host of successful businesses, he is a huge celebrity in America. He has more than 30 national and international titles under his belt and graces covers of numerous bodybuilding magazines. By contrast, back on home soil in Wales, the fame of this Llanelli-born star has barely caused a ripple. Over several months, we follow Flex in the run-up to his sixth Mr Olympia competition. We see the punishing daily regime it takes to have a shot at winning. We join him in his bespoke Florida gym where, at his daily training sessions, he can bench up to the same weight at a grand piano. But sweat and tears in the gym alone won't cut it. Flex must also stick to the superstrict diet set by coach Neil if he has any hope of shredding every last ounce of excess fat to qualify for his weight category in Vegas. Every grain of rice is accounted for. But as the calorie intake drops, the daily routine gets harder and harder to achieve. Flex has won the 212lb weight category every year since 2012. But just weeks before his sixth Mr Olympia, Flex faces the double blow of both personal tragedy and a natural disaster that forces him from his home. Out of the blue, life throws a couple of curveballs that look certain to disrupt his dreams. It falls to the tight team around Flex and his family who travel from Wales to Vegas to pull him through. As his legions of devoted fans descend upon Vegas to watch with the competition with baited breath, will Flex make it to the finish line and take his sixth consecutive title, or will his desire to equal his hero Arnold Schwarz