Flex Ability: A Story of Strength and Survival

FLEX ABILITY: A Story of Strength and Survival

"Flex is one of the best bodybuilders of all time....I've found him to be an extraordinary athlete. He is a winner."

-- Arnold Schwarzenegger

At first glance, you might think that a sculptor created him—no way could a human body look that perfect. Champion bodybuilder Flex Wheeler looks like a comic-book superhero come to life. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger has called him “one of the best bodybuilders of all time.” Flex began his ascent to the top of the professional bodybuilding world, winning the Ironman Pro and the Arnold Classic competitions several times. In the mid ‘90s, Flex was poised to finally become Mr. Olympia, but he had a near-fatal car accident that left him paralyzed. By sheer willpower, this remarkable man pushed past this obstacle and walked again. Flex Ability is a story of overcoming odds so awesome that most people would have just given up. In these pages, Flex also takes you around the globe and into the winner’s circle as he describes his two-decade journey through the tough sport of bodybuilding. In addition, he shares never-before-told secrets about his current struggles, proving that with the right mind-set, anyone can face trouble head-on and come out on the other side as a winner.

Each book is autographed by Flex Wheeler


About the Authors:

Ken “Flex” Wheeler is one of the top bodybuilding champions in the history of the sport, and a man who has spent over two decades developing his body into a work of art. Born a premature baby to a single mother in Fresno, California, he faced many early struggles, including extreme poverty and dyslexia, plus the horrors of physical and sexual abuse. While his mind coped with some of life’s tragic turns, he found an outlet for expression at his local recreation center, where he was allowed to train for free as a child and teenager. Luckily, local gym owners saw his potential, welcomed him into their fold, and helped train him to his full potential. After a short career as a police officer, Kenny focused full time on becoming a professional bodybuilder, but he needed a name that reflected his bulked-up form. As amazed as anyone else when it came to a body that went from 100 pounds as a teenager to almost 300 pounds as a man, Kenny found himself frequently walking around flexing, which is why he was renamed “Flex” Wheeler. Almost from the start, Flex shot to the top of the bodybuilding world and began winning local competitions, which led to a first-place trophy at the 1989 California Championships.

In his spare time, Flex is very devoted to his local church and studies the Bible with his wife, Madeline, and their children. He has also made it his mission to warn kids and fellow athletes about the dangers of using steroids or other performance-enhancing sports drugs. Flex is also a personal trainer to some of Hollywood’s elite, and he maintains his own rigorous training regimen of eight hours-plus a day in the gym for a good reason.

Cindy Pearlman is a nationally syndicated writer for the New York Times Syndicate and the Chicago Sun-Times. Her work has appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Premiere, People, Ladies' Home Journal, McCall's, Seventeen, Movieline, and Cinescape. Over the past 15 years, she has interviewed Hollywood's biggest stars, who appear in her column "The Big Picture." Cindy is also the co-author of Simple Things (with Jim Brickman) and It's Not about the Horse (with Wyatt Webb).