{"id":10756,"date":"2023-01-31T15:31:45","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T16:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/?p=10756"},"modified":"2023-01-31T18:17:35","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T18:17:35","slug":"seven-time-212-olympia-champ-flex-lewis-predicts-top-10-at-2023-arnold-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/everything-else\/seven-time-212-olympia-champ-flex-lewis-predicts-top-10-at-2023-arnold-classic\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven-Time 212 Olympia Champ Flex Lewis Predicts Top 10 at 2023 Arnold Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When <a data-lasso-id=\"194486\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/andrew-jacked-flex-lewis-back-workout-2022-mr-olympia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James &#8220;Flex&#8221; Lewis<\/a> speaks on the current state of bodybuilding, folks in the community tend to listen to the <a data-lasso-id=\"194487\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/flex-lewis-retires-from-competitive-bodybuilding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">retired legend<\/a>. As the 2023 Arnold Classic (AC) nears this March \u2014 a contest that will now have <a data-lasso-id=\"194488\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/2023-arnold-classic-prize-money-increase\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a lucrative $300,000 cash prize<\/a> \u2014 the former dynastic seven-time 212 Olympia champion (2012-2018) discussed some of his perspectives on the Columbus, OH, event. <\/p>\n<p>On Jan. 27, 2023, Lewis appeared in a podcast episode with <em>Fouad Abiad Media<\/em> to partly break down what might lie ahead in the 2023 AC on Mar. 2-5, 2023. The fitness icon seemingly spared few details, <strong>predicting his top 10 finishers for the major competition<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"container-lazyload preview-lazyload container-youtube js-lazyload--not-loaded\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-kAiBd6W8Rc\" class=\"lazy-load-youtube preview-lazyload preview-youtube\" data-video-title=\"WE RATE EACH OTHER | Flex Lewis, Iain Valliere, Justin Shier &amp; Guy Cisternino | Fouad Abiad&#039;s BC 108\" title=\"Play video &quot;WE RATE EACH OTHER | Flex Lewis, Iain Valliere, Justin Shier &amp; Guy Cisternino | Fouad Abiad&#039;s BC 108&quot;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-kAiBd6W8Rc<\/a><noscript>Video can&#8217;t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-kAiBd6W8Rc\" title=\"WE RATE EACH OTHER | Flex Lewis, Iain Valliere, Justin Shier &amp; Guy Cisternino | Fouad Abiad&#039;s BC 108\">WE RATE EACH OTHER | Flex Lewis, Iain Valliere, Justin Shier &amp; Guy Cisternino | Fouad Abiad&#039;s BC 108 (https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-kAiBd6W8Rc)<\/a><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"is-layout-constrained wp-block-group is-style-call-out-bm-icon\">\n<p><em><strong>More from Breaking Muscle:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/deadlift-on-leg-or-back-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194489\">Should You Train the Deadlift on Back Day or Leg Day?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/pull-up-alternatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194490\">The 4 Best Pull-Up Alternatives for Back Strength and Muscle<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>With the 2023 AC roughly five weeks away at the time of this writing, here is how Lewis sees the contest shaking out for some of bodybuilding&#8217;s elite:<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"flex-lewiss-2023-arnold-classic-top-10-prediction\">Flex Lewis&#8217;s 2023 Arnold Classic Top 10 Prediction<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/nick-walker-2023-arnold-classic-return\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194491\">Nick Walker<\/a><\/strong> | <strong>Champion<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/mamdouh-big-ramy-elssbiay-2023-arnold-classic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194492\">Mamdouh &#8220;Big Ramy&#8221; Elssbiay<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/andrew-jacked-chest-triceps-physique-update-2023-arnold-classic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194493\">Andrew Jacked <\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/bodybuilder-samson-dauda-weighs-330-pounds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194494\">Samson Dauda<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/william-bonac-physique-update-six-weeks-2022-mr-olympia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194495\">William Bonac<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/shaun-clarida-wins-2022-212-olympia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194496\">Shaun Clarida<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Akim Williams<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Justin Rodriguez<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/bodybuilder-kamal-elgargni-212-mr-olympia-title-push-physique-2022\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194497\">Kamal Elgargni<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Patrick Moore<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Lewis viewed Walker as the odds-on favorite to capture his second career AC title in the last three years. However, he did clarify a few names \u2014 such as former two-time Mr. Olympia (2020-2021) Mamdouh &#8220;Big Ramy&#8221; Elssbiay and rising star Chinedu Andrew Obiekea, a.k.a. \u201cAndrew Jacked&#8221; \u2014 that he thinks could push Walker and keep the athlete from standing on top of the podium. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t wait to see if Ramy [Elssbiay] is able to bring a better look next to Nick [Walker],\u201d said Lewis. \u201cAndrew [Jacked] is my dark horse. Samson [Dauda] needs one to two years of <a data-lasso-id=\"194498\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-build-muscle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">added muscle<\/a> in the right areas, and maturity, and then you\u2019re talking about a completely different monster. I feel like Samson [Dauda] will be a threat in any [expletive] show he steps foot in in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Notably, Lewis asserted that two-time 212 victor (2020, 2022) Shaun Clarida could make some noise. However, it would seem to be a tall task for the 5&#8217;2&#8243; athlete to topple lineup of Men&#8217;s Open competitors. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cIf they judge and look at Shaun [Clarida] with [blinders] on, he\u2019s [expletive]\u00a0<a data-lasso-id=\"194499\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/ronnie-coleman-health-update-stem-cell-treatment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ronnie Coleman<\/a>\u00a0in a 212 size,&#8221; Lewis explained. &#8220;He [Clarida] never misses. He comes in on point every time &#8230; It&#8217;s a hard one for me to see somebody who I have a vested interest in, as a 212 champion, but I just think that he\u2019s going to be lost with the height of what\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"sbi-embed-wrap\">\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media sbi-embed\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn9028yJcV4\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn9028yJcV4\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn9028yJcV4\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Nick &#34;the Mutant&#34; Walker (@nick_walker39)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"is-layout-constrained wp-block-group is-style-call-out-bm-icon\">\n<p><em><strong>More from Breaking Muscle:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/dumbbell-front-squat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194500\">How to Do the Dumbbell Front Squat for Leg Size and Strength<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/front-squat-alternatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"194501\">Try These 11 Front Squat Alternatives for Powerful Legs and a Stronger Core<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>As the AC rises in prominence and prestige as a contest, it&#8217;s hard not to imagine the spotlight growing bigger and getting more attention from established titans. Plus, if Lewis is giving Walker his blessing \u2014 the second former Olympia mainstay <a data-lasso-id=\"194502\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/jay-cutler-nick-walker-2023-arnold-classic-favorite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to do so recently<\/a> \u2014 it seems the superstar might use the coming AC as another launching-off point in his young career. <\/p>\n<p><em>Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/flex-lewis-2023-arnold-classic-predictions\/\">Seven-Time 212 Olympia Champ Flex Lewis Predicts Top 10 at 2023 Arnold Classic<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\">Breaking Muscle<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When James \u201cFlex\u201d Lewis speaks on the current state of bodybuilding, folks in the community tend to listen to the retired legend. As the 2023 Arnold Classic (AC) nears this March \u2014 a contest that will now have a lucrative $300,000 cash prize \u2014 the former dynastic seven-time 212 Olympia champion (2012-2018) discussed some of his perspectives on&#8230;<br \/>\nThe post Seven-Time 212 Olympia Champ Flex Lewis Predicts Top 10 at 2023 Arnold Classic appeared first on Breaking Muscle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":""},"categories":[20,1,21,22,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10756"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10756"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10757,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10756\/revisions\/10757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}