4
DAVID HENRY
aesthetic balance and flowing
curves, his consistent crispness,
and the little things others lack, like
his abundant calves and the best
spinal erectors in the IFBB
Pro League. It all culminates,
à la Phil Heath, in a rear double
biceps that kills the dreams of
every contender who thought
he could overshadow him.
I ask him what still motivates
him. Could it be a quest for nine—
the most male Olympia titles
(dependent on Heath’s final tally)?
“There’s new blood coming
through the class all the time, and
that motivates me. I feel as if I’ve
got another one in the tank, but
I’m not motivated by a number. It’s
not like I want to win nine or 10 or
whatever,” Lewis says. “Every
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FLEX | JANUARY 2018
5
DEREK LUNSFORD
year is a new battle and a new
task and a new injury that you
have to go through. I’ve gone
through a lot of adversity this year,
and it really tested me. But now
that I’ve gone through that,
I feel like I can do anything. There
were a couple of days when I was
allowed to mourn [the death of
Dallas McCarver, a close friend].
I was allowed to get upset and cry,
and then I got my shit together
because I would be letting so many
people down, including Dallas, if I
let my prep slide. Then we had the
hurricane [in South Florida, where
he lives], and that’s one of the
reasons we had to come out to
Vegas early.”
At this time last year, Lewis
felt six 212 titles would be enough
and that he might relocate to
the open division. Asked what
happened to that idea, the Welsh
Dragon smiles. “The realistic fact
that I’d have to stand up against
guys who weigh 300 pounds,”
Lewis says. “It might still happen.
I could definitely stand onstage
at 220 and feel like I could hold my
own, but it wouldn’t be against
guys like Phil and Ramy. It’s
encouraging to see what William
[Bonac] has done, because I
remember seeing him compete in
the 212. But as good as he did
here, William didn’t win [the
Mr. Olympia]. And I’m all about
winning. I will defend this title
again. At the end of the day, it’s
not the cash that motivates me.
It’s all about the title.”