Flex Lewis and coach Neil Hill vow to bring something special to the stage in 2022.
It appears that Flex Lewis and his coach Neil Hill are back together and looking to bring something special to the stage in his return. The former 212 champ is looking to make his case for Mr. Olympia.
The Open Bodybuilding division has been getting much more interesting these days. Not only is the division getting some new young blood to compete, it’s also drawing the attention of champions from other divisions. While Shaun Clarida has declared his intentions to move to compete in the Men’s Open division, another former 212 kingpin had made it clear he wanted to make the step up to the bigger category.
James “Flex” Lewis was angling to compete at the 2020 Olympia in the Men’s Open Bodybuilding. Unfortunately Flex Lewis was injured ahead of the show. Further complications led to the former 212 champion missing the 2021 show as well.
It’s clear that Flex Lewis already had the goods to become a top contender in the Men’s Open Bodybuilding division. But without being able to step on stage to prove that point, the notion still lingers. While 2021 may have been a bust for Flex Lewis, 2022 could prove to be much more promising.
Bringing Something New
After being away from his coach Neil “Yoda” Hill for several months it appears that Flex Lewis is ready to get back on the horse. The former 212 champ posted the below on social media featuring coach Hill.
After several months of separation we are back with Chest day @the_dragons_lair so happy to train again with Coach @neil_yoda_hill1 excited for all that’s to come.
In the video the famed coach stated that Flex Lewis would be bringing something special to the stage in 2022. With that said, Lewis has been unable to make good on his promise to compete in the Men’s Open division for years now. At this point it’s possible that Shaun Clarida could beat Lewis to the punch in being the first 212 champion to become a legit contender in the Open. But coach Neil Hill has all but confirmed that Flex Lewis is definitely itching to come back in 2022.
“There’s been a lot of challenges over the last three years since Flex Lewis has been on stage,” said Hill. “I know there’s a lot of excitement and anticipation, and people keep asking ‘When is Flex Lewis back on stage?’ … Like everything in life, you have to look at longevity and you also need to prioritize what’s more important. There’s been a lot of things taking place in Flex’s life… we are officially back in official off-season training. So our eyes are firmly on the prize.”
You can see the full video of their training together here.
Do you think Flex Lewis can become Mr. Olympia in 2022?
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News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.