The Welsh bodybuilder Flex Lewis has become one of the most successful men from the UK, and as a certified personal trainer and strength coach, I have been following his career for a few years now.
The great thing is that Flex is very generous with providing free advice and interviews about his workout routine and diet.
So, our team spent a day going through many hours of interviews and social media posts to see if we could come up with a training program that our readers would be able to follow.
Flex Lewis Stats
- Born: November 15, 1983
- Height: 5'5"
- Weight: 235 lbs
- Waist: 31"
- Chest: 54"
Flex Lewis’ Workout Routine
Flex Lewis has developed some unique approaches to reps with his friend and training buddy, Neil Hill.
Each training session will focus on one body part with just a few reps per set.
And when he gets close to failure, he does half reps or just a continuous squeeze until he can’t hold the weight anymore.
Then, after just a short rest period, he will once again pulse out the next set of reps with the same process.
Let’s see what his training days look like.
Shoulder Workout
Shoulders are a massively important area that many bodybuilders don’t manage to get balanced between each side.
Flex will do about five partial reps, squeezing hard on the contraction in order to keep the muscle under strain for longer; this is backed by research from the Journal of Physiology [1].
And here are the movements to do:
- Lat pulldowns (5 sets of 5 reps)
- Single-arm front raises (5 sets of 5 reps)
- Lateral raises (5 sets of 5 reps)
- Rear delt flys (5 sets of 5 reps)
- Barbell shrugs (5 sets of 5 reps)
- Upright rows (5 sets of 5 reps)
Leg Workout
As you can tell from his competitive physique, he spends a lot of time carefully exercising his calves, quads, and hamstrings.
Here are the workouts to plan into your routine:
- Leg press (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Hack squats (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Single-leg hamstring curl (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Leg extension (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Back squats (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Calf raises (3 sets of 10 reps)
Arm Workout
You’ll notice a lot of pushdowns here, and the first one can work as both a warm-up and strength exercise by doing a larger rep range on the first set.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Wide-grip rope pushdowns (4 sets of 5 reps)
- EZ bar preacher curls (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Narrow-grip rope pushdowns (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Hammer curls (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Bent-over triceps kickbacks (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Wrist curls (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Overhand barbell curls (4 sets of 5 reps)
Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger Arm Workout: Maximize Your Arm Growth
Back Workout
Looking at training videos with Flex, it seems like he doesn't do traditional deadlifts anymore but instead takes a more aggressive, heavy-load approach.
Here’s how to train your mid and upper back:
- Close grip pull-down (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Rack deadlifts (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Traditional barbell row (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Seated pulley row (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Reverse flys (4 sets of 5 reps)
- Face pulls (4 sets of 5 reps)
Related: Flex Lewis' Back Workout
Chest Workout
And finally, we’ll focus on the chest. As mentioned above, this workout involves partial reps if you haven’t failed on the fifth rep.
Here are the movements:
- Pull-over machine chest workout (5 sets of 5 reps)
- Flat dumbbell bench press (5 sets of 5 reps)
- Incline bench press (5 sets of 5 reps)
- Chest flys (5 sets of 5 reps)
- Military press (5 sets of 5 reps)
“Every set is mapped out long before the bar is touched. It's a deep and mindful journey. A vision is created.”
– James “Flex” Lewis
What’s His Diet Plan?
Flex Lewis's diet plan is all about calories, clean nutrition, and lots of protein. He does allow for the occasional cheat meal, but never when he’s preparing for a competition.
Here’s what a typical day will look like:
- Breakfast: Porridge with berries and 6-8 scrambled eggs
- Snack: Grilled chicken breast sandwich on brown bread with a large bowl of salad and a protein shake
- Lunch: Lean beef or fish with a large portion of vegetables and sweet potato
- Snack: Fruit salad and a protein shake
- Dinner: Large portion of grilled chicken breast with brown rice and steamed vegetables
- Snack: One more protein shake before bedtime
Does He Take Supplements?
Yes, Flex Lewis takes supplements, and he has quite a substantial stack.
But there are two products in particular that he regularly talks about that help him sustain his body weight and lean muscle mass.
One of those products is a top quality BCAA supplement for men that delivers targeted amino acids that are critical for muscle performance and repair [2].
You can even take BCAA right before the start of your workout so that you get the boost when your muscles need it most.
The other thing he drinks a lot of are protein shakes. With a top-quality whey protein supplement, he makes it easier to get the necessary protein intake for the day without having to eat his own body weight in chicken.
Related posts:
Recovery Techniques and Their Role in Flex Lewis' Career
Flex Lewis attributed much of his bodybuilding success to effective recovery techniques.
Emphasizing the importance of physical therapy, he underwent sessions five times a week, addressing micro-tears and shoulder injuries.
Lewis also invested in systematic beds and utilized cold plunges, enhancing his sleep quality and muscle recovery. As a personal trainer, I highly recommend cold plunges, and I do them regularly after a tough gym session.
These methods not only alleviated pain but also played a crucial role in his career longevity, allowing him to maintain peak performance and recover optimally from the rigors of intense training sessions.
FAQs
How Much Does James Flex Lewis Weigh?
Flex Lewis weighs 210 to 235 pounds, depending on whether he is maintaining a competitive weight. That’s quite a narrow range, and it takes him a lot of work to ensure he doesn't fluctuate too much, making competition prep more difficult.
How Does Flex Lewis Train?
Flex Lewis trains by mainly doing isolation exercises in training sessions that focus on one body part.
This allows him to gain a lot more control over balance and overall muscle shape, as competitions are all about size in the right proportions.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3285070/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.1037090/full
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