Retired Welsh bodybuilder, James 'Flex' Lewis, recently unleashed a wave of nostalgia after he shared a glimpse of the fish and rice cake routine leading up to the Olympia and the photoshoot after.

Taking to Instagram, the post dated May 5, 2024, was captioned, "Fish & Rice Cake Days!!!!" before Lewis added, "The day after the @mrolympiallc."

If you have spent some time within the muscle community, the "fish and rice cake" comment was a cheeky nod to the viral 2007 one-liner by the then-amateur bodybuilder, Danny Andrews.

The inside joke became Lewis and his coach, Neil 'Yoda' Hill's, unique way of referring to the final, brutal days leading up to the Olympia stage, fuelled by a bland, lean diet of rice cakes or cream of rice along with some low-carb source of protein.

This strict diet ensured the muscles were loaded with essential glycogens to elevate the pump when Lewis stepped onto the platform on Friday and Saturday nights, culminating in 7 Mr. Olympia titles, matching Arnold Schwarzenegger's record.

Notorious for his post-win "spoils" and rigorous photoshoots, Flex also mentioned the celebration and the iconic Red Rock shots afterwards, in 2014.

Flex Lewis' impromptu Red Rock Canyon photoshoot in 2014

The very moment after clinching the Mr. Olympia title, Lewis would load up calories with his famous cheat meal consisting of champagne, sushi, and a dessert from the Cheesecake Factory before heading to his photoshoots.

Shedding light on one session in 2014, Lewis acknowledged his photographer friend Jason Breeze, who went above and beyond to get the perfect shot for the magazine front cover.

"Jason was a savage during this shoot. Climbing over equipment to chase angles, constantly moving, the guy even broke a sweat," Lewis wrote. “We’ve got a cover here!”

After a few months of editing, that picture ultimately became the cover for Flex Magazine. However, the post-win shenanigans were barely over yet, with the bodybuilder suggesting his friend, Nicole Adamo, a visit to Red Rock Canyon.

Adamo immediately rounded up the crews, getting the iconic mountain-top masterpieces that still skip a heartbeat today.

What was routine for Lewis—showing up, putting in work—he now realizes was living the dream he spent years chasing. Do you think the red-tinted snapshots were worth the effort? Share your thoughts.

Follow Bodybuilding Bros for more.

Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil