Straight Outta The Lair with Flex Lewis
7x Mr. Olympia 212 Champion Flex Lewis presents Straight Outta The Lair, the podcast that aims to bring you vital information for your life's ambitions, providing valuable insight from interviews of the many many different faces that walk through our doors at The Dragon's Lair Las Vegas and a few from the man himself.
Straight Outta The Lair with Flex Lewis
Brazilian Takeover | Rafael Brando & Jorlan Vileira | Straight Outta The Lair Podcast
What if a chance encounter could change everything? Join us as we recount the incredible journey of Rafael Brando, a Brazilian bodybuilding sensation preparing for his debut at the 60th Mr. Olympia. My brother's transformation is not just physical; it’s a profound testament to dedication, family support, and the vibrant energy of the Brazilian bodybuilding community. Alongside our special guest Jorlan, we explore the synergy of our training partnership and the vital role of camaraderie in driving us to push beyond our limits.
In this episode, Rafael's story unfolds with a blend of personal anecdotes and inspiring milestones. A pivotal moment with Ronnie Coleman reinvigorates his training approach, showcasing the power of mentorship and guidance. We celebrate the evolution of Brazilian bodybuilding, fueled by social media, which has catapulted athletes like Rafael onto the global stage. With 58 Brazilian competitors at Olympia, this movement is a testament to the pioneering athletes and the unwavering spirit of the Brazilian fitness community.
As we share our passion for bodybuilding, the conversation delves into the heart of what keeps us going. The excitement of Mr. Olympia weekend and the rediscovery of our love for fitness are central themes, reminding us of the joy and fulfillment found beyond competition. Reflecting on our journeys, we find motivation in resilience and the enduring spirit of personal growth. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or a fitness enthusiast, this episode offers a compelling look into the world of bodybuilding and the pursuit of excellence.
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----- Content -----
00:00:00 - Intro
00:09:23 - Training Partnership and Dedication
00:22:43 - Mindset Change and Divine Guidance
00:26:19 - Brazilian Bodybuilding Evolution
00:35:02 - Brazilian Bodybuilding Revolution
00:49:39 - Return to Passion and Purpose
00:53:42 - Revived Passion
straight out the lab joined today by the brazilian takeover, yalan and my little brother, rafael brando. We are trying to work out the days here, how many days you are stepping away? That just goes to show you are ready, my friend. Three days. Oh, we work this out right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Well, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:And it's been great to have you guys here the last couple of days. And my gosh, how good does this guy look?
Speaker 3:No, he's incredible.
Speaker 1:Incredible. Yeah, we are, I'm trying bro, this is the best version I've seen of you, and I know you know this because he's got a fucking smile on his face. That doesn't come off he has not stopped smiling. He does smile all the time, but he's got a bigger smile this time.
Speaker 2:That's for sure, yeah, yeah, yeah here again.
Speaker 1:I've been around you for a very long time, um, and we obviously I have my story with you, which we'll kind of touch on a little bit in the show. But let's talk about this week and why we're here. The 60th year, the mr olympia, historic, historic, and you are going to be creating that own history for yourself, representing brazil up there my friend.
Speaker 2:So this is crazy, right, because I was thinking about this yesterday. So I started to bodybuilding in 2014 and now, 10 years later, I am here, uh, to compete in this history mystery olympia and, like I said, ready to make my own history there. You know, and yeah, bro, I'm feeling really good, I'm excited. My body's changing a lot during these last weeks, especially now after I came here. You know, the energy is different. Coach here, you're here with me and jordan, and you know I don't care about my foods, I don't care about anything, because the energy is so powerful. I can come here and train twice a day, three times a day, and still doing all things, podcast, recording all my things, because you know, I'm so happy to be here and yeah, yeah, have a roll.
Speaker 1:Listen, I've mentioned this on my Instagram. I've talked about this to all my circle. I've talked about this to fans because everybody comes and asks me hey, like I have some inside information, what's Hafer looking like? Does he really look as good as what he posts? Because you know, this is fucking Instagram, right.
Speaker 1:People can put what they want on and I said he looks fucking better. And that's the truth. And also, you came to Las Vegas with a mentality of wow, I'm here, I'm ready. But let me just tell the viewers about my little brother. You went here like 24 hours. He landed and he hits me up. Of course we meet, we talk, but he asks the utmost out-of-the-box bodybuilding, stereotypical questions Flex, how's the family? Can I come to your house to see the kids? Just goes to show where his mindset is.
Speaker 1:A lot of people will say I'm too focused, I'm too tired, let's just fucking cut the crap. People come here and they're miserable, they're tired, they're prepping, they suffer and they're here to do one thing only and that's step on the Mr Olympia stage. You are doing the same thing, but also you have a very unique mindset. Where I was privy to it? Uh, brazil, where you've created such a great energy around you. Everybody is happy, everybody is motivational and when you hit the ground running here, you brought that energy into my dream. Everybody who's met you cannot believe, cannot believe that this guy is stepping on stage in a few days time. Yet he came to my house and of course you know my kids are full of energy, yeah, full of energy especially maxson.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and there he was picking up my kids, playing with them, picking up where he left off when he last seen them, because my kids truly look at him like Uncle Hoffa. They call him Uncle Hoffa too. So for me, bro, to sit back as the proud big brother and I caught myself so many times just watching you interact with my kids and take away the show, take away everything that's going on this weekend. I go back to that first time that you came to the United States and I got to meet you and just the journey of what you've done and what you've done to achieve what you've achieved. And, yet again, you've never forgot where you've come from. You know who's been around you and I just want to say, bro, bro, I am so fucking proud of you for the man that you become, the bodybuilder you become and the dad that you are right now. So what a journey, my friend what a journey, bro.
Speaker 2:What a journey. You know, sometimes I look back and see, I never forget where I come from, you know, because I think when you forget where I come from, you know, because I think when you forget where you come from, you'll probably be losing your life, you know. So always I want to look back and see my family, everything I have made on this journey. You know, like I said, when I came first here in America to train with you, I didn't speak English. You know, like I said, when I come first here in america to train with you, I didn't speak english, you know, but I have, you know, I always have uh, energy to learn. You know, this is this come from me. This come from my, my family. You know my daddy and my my you know they are. We are really poor family.
Speaker 2:You know, I come from nothing and bodybuilding changed my life Since the beginning. You know, in two years doing bodybuilding, I started to have a sponsor, I started to work with some things and then I bought a house to my mom. You remember, when I bought a house, bro, the first money I I made from bodybuilding, I bought a house for my mom and this makes me feel so good and so confident in my power to do everything. And then when I come to, when I come to, when I come to Boca Raton, I start to train with you. It was just talk like, hey, okay, flex, tell me a lot of history. And it was okay. Yeah, hey, bro, do you understand? Hi, so, yeah, but bro, when I look back to this journey and see now I'm speaking English, coming here and have all this energy and this mindset you know, I was talking to Jorlon too and sometimes I just don't feel I'm the last week of the prep, you know, because even I'm tired, because doing cardio, working out, diet, low carbs, high carbs, low carbs, high carbs.
Speaker 2:But I don't know what happened, but my energy is so good right now, especially after my daughter. You know, every time I wake up I thank God for my daughter, thanks God for my wife, thanks God for my family here in the US, you and your kids in the alley. So this is why, the first day I came here, I want to see you guys, not here in the gym, but at home, because it's different, you know, it's like different through the energy of the babies, you know and yeah, so I'm here today, three days out of the Mr Olympian, you want to do something I can do anything he said for the fans.
Speaker 1:no, he said, hey, bro, you want to do a podcast, and I didn't even ask. Let's be honest, I did not ask and I was like, and it's not that I talked you out of it, but I was like you sure, you sure, bro, you, you, yes, let's do it. Do this because I want to to, you know, get the fans excited. I also want to tell my story, um, right now, so it's documented, so my fans in brazil can follow this, and I hope that we get the translation. Yeah, because obviously you guys know that I love brazil and, talking about love, I got the OG legend here.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to keep this guy on ice, but listen, my friend, you guys, when I seen you guys get together and first train, I messaged you and I said, bro, I am so happy because you've been to the US many times, you've trained with Dennis James. You know the demand. You're a man that has been the OG in Brazil. You know you've got that. Uh, you know you've got that history of um just going into the gym and just giving your all you know you've had and I remember reading some of the comments about people uh, because of your training and your training philosophies. I think your mindset was way too early for Brazil at one point in time, because you were talking about just leaving it all out there in the gym. And when I came to Brazil, I remember doing a podcast and all the comments was like Flex sounds like Jalan, this is him. Yes, this is what we need. So where did you get that mindset to then go back to Brazil? Was it coming to the US, or did you have that mindset before?
Speaker 3:Yeah, when I started, I started watching VHS. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:I do know what you mean, unfortunately, bro.
Speaker 3:So I get this energy and I could see in the past how the guys did to do the best, you know, and I start to bring this for my life, but my own, because when I come to the gym in the past I didn't see that kind of energy or that kind of power or that kind of power or that kind of dedication. So I say, if I want to be these guys one day, or even close just a little bit, I need to do like this, not have another way. This is the way I will suffer, I will put my 100%, no matter what happens. So I try to do my best every day, increase the weight, increase the reps, try to improve myself as a professional, as a personal trainer too. You know and put everything into it, everything that I have in my mind, everything into it, everything that I have in my mind, what I have in my analogy.
Speaker 3:You know and transfer this not as a training but as a philosophy, philosophy for life, because one time you go to the gym and you don't lose, you don't lose outside. Never. I can't go to the gym and go out as a loser. I can't, I can't. That's why, when rafael invited me to train with him I say, okay, this is a leg day, this guy have a 30 years old, I have 42, that's okay. It will be interesting. Let's see what's gonna be, because I know he have a power, he have energy, he have a goal, you know, and he's a top of the food chain, yeah.
Speaker 3:So I say, okay, we'll be fine. And there the connection, you know, it starts to be more and more and more and more. I say, man, it's very difficult to find someone like this. Brazil have a lot of people, a lot of people training, a lot of people, compete, but doing this every day is different, because to do this every day is different, because to do this every day, you need to feel this, not just take something or oh, I'm strong, okay, you can be strong, but you need to resist, resist the pain unto the death. Every day, all day, every day, all day. So that's why, when we make this connection, after, uh, the second day, he called to lucas to call me and he say, hey, you want to do the back day with rafa? I say, okay, back day will be more interesting because I like to do this so much yeah you do have a pretty good back.
Speaker 3:Oh, thank you. So I go, I went there. We train together very, very hard too. And then he invites me you want to stay with me for this prep and be my partner here training every day? I say okay, because it's 35 minutes drive every day, so I have another things to do as my job too, but I was missing something special, you know. And I say okay, we've been very good for me and a very honored for me to be part of this. So I'll go back to eat my food, because I just doing one meal or two meals a day, because I I still have a very stomach problems.
Speaker 3:But I say fuck this shit, man, I you put this away for a while, you know, and do what you gotta do, because I know in some point I will be great state with him. You know, we'll be better for me and for him too, because if I don't have anything to put, you know, to make it better, I never will accept this, never in my life, never. I will call him and say, okay, thank you so much, but I will stay here in Ironberg doing my stuff. Good luck, good luck, but but no way, no way. I am there every day, every day. He kicked my ass. I kicked his ass too, and now we're here. Now we're here.
Speaker 1:What I found out yesterday, that you guys weren't super close. You knew each other. You know you had, you know you obviously are friends, but from a distance. But you never trained before, never.
Speaker 1:Obviously, we spoke about Jalan a few times and I don't know if we had that conversation, because for me, my worry was Hafez. You've got to have a training partner that is going to get into your head and tell you things that you don't want to fucking hear, when you don't want to hear them Tell you things you need to hear. And so far, like I said, when I seen you guys get together, it was very, I was very happy from afar. But what was it about yalan? That jalan did you you? You made that call because you have an option to train with anybody you could have chosen. You know somebody that you know could have a lot of superstar status. You know, not that you don't, you have your own fame, but you know what I mean. There's so many different people that you could have gone to, but you made that call to him. What was it about him?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's funny because we wasn't really friends before. We just met him sometimes, hey, how are you doing Good, nice to meet you, that's it. And then, uh, lucas said to me, hey, let's, let's bring in jordan to make a video and leg day with you. Say, okay, bring him to to do a leg day.
Speaker 2:and then was just connection, you know chemistry yeah I I said to him hey, I felt, uh, training with you like a little bit like I felt when I trained with Flex. You know the connection Both want to do the same, they both want to do a lot of reps. If you do 10, I will do 11, 12. You know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so try to keep up with him. Sometimes I'm like, oh my God, let's fucking go.
Speaker 2:Bro, I will be honest with you. I just had this once when I was in Dragon Land, and then, when you had this working out, I said ok, that's the motherfucker.
Speaker 2:There he is he might not be ginger and good looking you know, because everybody in Brazil, if I want to train, probably they will accept. But it's not just to be there and train and take the weight, it's to kick my fucking ass. You know, I want somebody to challenge me. And here is the guy, and then I call him hey, what do you think about? You do this prep with me and he's very special because he was about to do the surgery.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's talk about that. Yeah, because you were about to have your hernia fixed, which you still suffer with.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's why sometimes my belly is like a pregnant dog. You know what I mean. It is what it is. But I know how I feel, I know what I um, I know who I am first, so I say okay, are you put this side just a little bit, and then, when the olympia gone, are you fix this, you know, but I, I, I still have something, you, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know it's hard to make this decision. Okay, I have the surgery, but this guy just call me, I'm not friend with this guy but he just come to do something very special and okay, I will leave the surgery for later and train with him, bro, he sometimes just eat once a day, but every day he was there, training hard. I see, even he was sleeping good because he has the refluxion. He was there every day, every day, bro, every day, to help me, every day, to push me, every day, to push me Every day, to challenge me, and my body just changed a lot, you know, because the energy it's all about the energy, bro. You remember when we were training at Dragon's Lair, the energy there was special.
Speaker 2:This is why I made my gym. You went there in my gym and it's the same kind of energy there, Just people who want to train really hard. You'll be there.
Speaker 1:And for the viewers that don't know, you have set up a private facility yes, just like I did the dragons there For you to focus on your craft, not get distracted. And it's not open to the public, it's invite only. But when you train, you were telling me yesterday sometimes, just like me, it just might be you two, no cameras, nothing, nobody, nobody. And that's like the old school, that's Dorian Yates-esque Cameras during when we were training. You remember me. You know if I have a little not regrets, but I look back and say maybe I should have filmed more and then I think to myself no, I'm glad I didn't, because the distraction sometimes of the camera, you're doing it for the wrong reasons and we would go fucking ballistic in there right yelling the music with Chris you remember some days, on Mondays, we went to the gym like 7 pm, nobody there.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, it was fucking crazy. And then we train and pose, and train, and pose, and train and pose. You know, I create this space there in Brazil because I was missing this, you know. And now everything is like move away, you know, like crazy.
Speaker 1:This prep has been very unique and very different. Yeah, not only are you prepping for the biggest show of your life, but something else happened in the middle of it that I would love to talk about. But it's you know. I want to let you to tell the story of what happened in the middle of this problem.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I just become a dad, you know, and it was very special for me. But I'm not going to lie, it was hard in the beginning, you know, especially when the baby comes, because, you know me, I like to take care of Karen like she do with me. And when you see the baby, you just don't want to sleep. You know, you want to keep seeing, seeing, seeing the baby If she's sleeping, if she's having food, milk, if Karen is good, you know. So this last, this first two weeks, was really was really hard for me, because I didn't sleep well and I was training, I was doing my diet, but I was seeing my body like not moving, you know, just just moving back, moving back, moving back. And it was like seven weeks before the Mr Olympia. And I remember one day I called the coach and said hey, coach, you know, this was the first time. I looked at him and said I don't know, I don't know, maybe I'm not ready. And I said to the coach hey, coach, I don't know, I don't know, things are not going well here with the body. Everything around was good, but you know, just, you see, just one thing I wasn't sleeping good and my body was moving back, you know, but I keep doing my things.
Speaker 2:And after second meal, everything was organized and the baby was growing, the baby was healthy, carrying was healthy, carrying us health, you know. And then we start moving, uh, to the right place. And then my mindset just changed. And then, when my side changed remember jordan, yeah, when running car is bro, god is god. I'll tell something now. I remember it was Sunday and I was like I didn't know what was going on with my prep. So I put my knees on the floor and asked God, god, please let me know if I keep doing this prep or if I done and come back next year, you know. And then the next day in the morning, renan, my friend from Brazil. He's working with Ronnie Coleman there. Call me, hey, rafa, it's the last day of Ronnie Coleman here and he want to go to your gym.
Speaker 2:So this is deeper yeah, and then he has crazy right now. I got him he went there and we start to train, you know, and after we talk a little bit, and he was really really like feeling good, there he's talking a lot, you know, about the diet, about prep, about what, what he did, what he didn't like, what he liked to do. And then I said this to him and I said hey, you are a answer from god for me. And then, bro, my mindset just changed, changed like oh my gosh, like different.
Speaker 1:Did you see that? Yeah, like, how did you see it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I tell him in that time, because I asked him Rafa, you want to pose? To Ronnie, he said, no, I'm feeling like shit. I said, no, man, you have just one chance. This is now, take this clothes off and let's pose. Then hit some pose, hit some shots, and that's what's going to happen. And he, okay, let's make this. So he start to pose and Ronnie okay, yeah, you have time, just do what you got. Do go hard and, no secret, do what you have to do. Now your turn. I say you see, let's make this shit happen. Man, now is the time.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's keep moving yeah, next day I was pressing about 490. Let's go, hey, bro.
Speaker 3:The eight kilos to do the press. Okay, he's not joking.
Speaker 2:So next day I was training like a holy cow.
Speaker 1:You were like holy shit.
Speaker 3:Okay, I'm in trouble right now.
Speaker 1:Maybe I shouldn't have told Ronnie. And then I broke oh man.
Speaker 2:It was crazy because the energy that just you know, and yeah, every day I was talking to coach and sending pictures and every day the body was moving to the right way Moving, moving, moving, moving and send pictures and every day the body was moving to the right way moving, moving, moving, moving. And then that's funny because last week I called coach after I sent to him pictures after working out and he said to me hey, rafa, can you, can you, can I call you? Yeah, can I call you whats up? Can I call you what's up Like?
Speaker 3:okay coach.
Speaker 1:And then bro.
Speaker 2:Mate, mate, you did a great job, because six weeks ago you was looking like a shit, but now you are fucking ready. You are fucking ready. You are better than Arnold Columbus. And you know that's not fucking fluff, bro. Yeah, I know you don't have cheerleader, you have fucking ready. You are better than Arnold Columbus.
Speaker 1:And you know that's not fucking fluff bro. Yeah, I know, you don't have cheerleader, you have a coach, especially my coach you know.
Speaker 2:So I said to Jorlan hey, jorlan, yeah, I think now I'm looking good. And then you know, it's our history now.
Speaker 1:And we're here, you are here. You are here. You're here, my God. Well, we, I've got to see you for the last couple of days and since he's been here, he just keeps on changing. I know, obviously this is, you know, peak week, peak week, yeah, and there's a lot of changes that happen. But I'm seeing so many different changes now from the first day to this day, in fact, a little sneak peek of some uh photos, uh, that you've been very grateful to put up. So, yeah, when was this half uh?
Speaker 2:two days ago.
Speaker 1:Two days ago yeah, not that these have not been posted and not been, so nobody see this. And let me tell you, I was in the posing room for this.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:It was fucking so impressive. I mean, you know, I was getting all kind of amped up.
Speaker 3:It's all on camera anyway.
Speaker 1:I can't even like goosebumps and everything else, because the last time we seen each other was earlier on in the year and you obviously competing for the Arnold Brazil. And again, from this show to this show, the improvements of you guys getting together, Biggest changes I've seen. The adductors have massively been improved Just across the board. There's been improvements, but there's a different. I just look improvements, but there's a different. I just look at you and there's a different animal, there's a different self-belief. Before that you would look at maybe some of the competitors that you would stand against and, yes, you would look at them as friends but you want to stand against them but know you have this mentality of I can beat all these guys and that's not a cockiness, that's a confidence that has grown through work, ethic, time and all these different variables that happen in your life. And I think the biggest thing for you right now and the biggest motivational factor is your daughter. I see that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you know, every morning when I wake up because in brazil is four hours, uh, ahead, ahead, yeah. And then every morning when I wake up I have pictures from the baby and caring because she already woke up and yeah, see the picture and like, okay, one more day to kill everything 100% and be there in my 100%, not for me but for the girls, you know and bro, I came from Brazil Think like okay if I make the first call out to be really good. Think like okay if I make the first call out to be really good. But I'll be honest with you now I'm ready to be really high in the show. If someone is asleep, I'll be there to keep that. I don't care. You know, I know my strengths and I know my weakness. Now I have more strength than weakness, you know. So I'll be there in my 100% and, yeah, it'll be history. It'll be history.
Speaker 1:So there's a lot of buzz, a lot of support for this guy. You know, obviously we've had one open class guy prior to you. Yeah, bruno, yeah, bruno, oh, there's two this year. You, yeah, bruno, in Brazil. Yeah, bruno, oh, there's two this year, that's right Bruno. But a couple of years ago there was another athlete from Brazil right yeah, Victor Victor. Bofi yeah, and since then there was a massive gap. There was nobody in the open class, oh right, right, right.
Speaker 2:Victor came with me at the same time in 2022. But at the same time in 2022. But before just one guy in 1988.
Speaker 3:Oh the first, yeah, the first 1988.
Speaker 2:Freitas Paulo Freitas, lizotav Freitas. Yeah, and he didn't win a show to qualify. He was invited because he won the Mr Universe and then they invited him. I was the because he won the Mr Universe and then they invited him. I was the first guy in Brazil to win an Open Division show, professional. I didn't know this.
Speaker 3:And he qualified for the league.
Speaker 1:So you've already created history, being the first, and now you know. But I'm saying my point is, there was that gentleman and then there was a big gap, 30 years, big gap, 30 years. Bro. Probably this is a question for you. Why do you think there was such a big gap from the athletes to hit the Mr Olympia stage?
Speaker 3:I think, because in the past this was very different, mind different, everything was different. So now I think the things become happening because we have sponsor, we have all things to grow and make money. You could be there. You know what I mean, because in the past it was very impossible. Everybody never think to be a professional.
Speaker 1:And this year for you was just from passion. You weren't doing it for money, yeah, just for passion, even me.
Speaker 3:I started competing in 2001. And I never put in my mind, oh, I will be a professional bodybuilder. No, no way to think about this in the past. It's just compete, a national show, local show, and put my trophy to see in the night, you know, and go to another day and keep you working, do a personal training or whatever, but never live for this dream. You know what I mean Gain money, all that stuff Never. So now this is a new reality for the people, because a lot of new fans in this sport he never imagined, he can't imagine how he is in the past. Couldn't imagine. No, no, no, couldn't imagine. So that's why I feel very happy, happy from rafael, because he's living a dream. He's the first guy to doing um, how can I say this a real job. You know because he have a real chance to fight with these big boys. You know because in the past there's no way to happen.
Speaker 1:Did you even get any free supplements back then?
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 1:Nothing at all, no. So everything that you earned to get on to that bodybuilding stage, I remember.
Speaker 3:I started to compete in 2001. My first glutamine in 2007. Glutamine, glutamine. Because I don't have any money to buy supplements, just food. I'm very poor in the past, very, very, very so it's just a dream. Leave this, stay here for me is a victory. I'm 42 years old. I like to play with this. I say I like to play with this, joking, you know? Just an old man.
Speaker 1:Two years older than me, so watch out, Watch out.
Speaker 3:I know Because I know the past, what he was. He was tough, he was very tough. You know, and I like to say this for the people, to people, see this new scenario today. And how can I say this? See the value. You know this is very important. You know what I mean, Because now you can make money for YouTube, for sponsor. You can do all that stuff In the past. You go to the gym, do your personal training and that's it, or someone else I don't know. But, as I told you, see Rafael doing what he's doing right now have the gym, have a sponsor, fight for real things with the big boys. You know it's a huge accomplishment.
Speaker 1:But before we talk, I go to Rafa. You know you've played a big role in the evolution of the sport Because in Brazil, you know we all know what it's really become. Obviously, you've lived through it. I can remember, you know, looking at the Brazilian scene growing 10, 15 years ago, never did I think or expect from my perspective it'd be as big as what it is right now. But you've truly lived from them years. Talking about having your first glutamine, you know, having that money to finally buy it, and I'm sure you bought it first of all, just like when I bought my first you you know whey protein off the shelf I was like oh, yes, yes, I am going to get huge now. No, the game, yeah, I am going to be ronnie coleman, yeah I just remember them times.
Speaker 1:But again, I I lived through that era too, you know, very close in age. But I remember saving all my money up no sponsors, everything that I earned through working in the grocery store and all these different little jobs that I had, all went to bodybuilding. I never had a free gym membership. Everything I paid. I didn't expect no different because I didn't know no different. This is what the era I lived in. So for you now to to go from where you are what, what, what, what timeline did you really see this explosion in brazil of this becoming what it has gone on to become?
Speaker 3:uh, this has happened after the internet come, you know, but the explosion, the huge explodes. I think it's five years ago. For, to be very on point, five years ago, brazil is boom. So everybody talk about Brazilian guys, everybody. Because now Brazil is in the scenario, you know, because it never stay in the scenario, never. That's why I say to the people now we talk with the world, not just not for the brazilian people, I don't disrespect it, not, not this, you know. But now we, rafael me and everybody we do internet, youtube talk with the world and everybody gets to see that, then yeah you know, and it's not just obviously we're mentioning guys, but we have miss olympias from brazil.
Speaker 1:Now we have the explosion of classic physique, all these different classes, with the evolution of, uh, the, the ifbb, with all the introduction of these new classes, bikini, you know, men's, men's physique, classic physique, wellness. Well, let's be honest, wellness to me may as well just get a Brazilian stamp. Let's be honest, right, that is dominated. But now you get in to see guys who have hope, because before maybe they would have looked at the journey that they had to go on. Maybe yourself and you compare yourself to the best magazines, the guys in the magazines. It's like wow, I've got a long journey.
Speaker 1:But when you're not around, that mentality but right now the mentality is is seen in so many different gyms. There's probably not a gym in brazil that doesn't have a competitor of some sort. Yep, and go back to when your era was, you probably only knew of the gym that only the bodybuilders trained at. That goes to show you know what. What has happened? And uh, obviously, you sitting in your shoes and and you being in the shoes, that that you once were as a, as a teen, passionate about being the bodybuilder, you know that you wanted to be in the magazines and then seeing the explosion, you truly just were on that wave.
Speaker 1:I think that there was a lot of hype, there was a lot of excitement and, with the athletes that are now doing different divisions and stuff like this I talk about this Brazilian takeover, and you can see when I open up the doors, there's so many athletes in so many different divisions that are all here and some of them aren't on the Olympia stage, but they all have the dream because they have their friends that are doing it for them, leading the way. You're giving them that hope. You're giving them that opportunity to believe in themselves. But before there was nobody. But again, thanks to guys like you who are pioneering the way, you're changing lives and also giving people that, as I said, the belief that they can do it too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so imagine, bro, we have today, I think, 58 athletes competing in the Olympic 58, 58 58, bro.
Speaker 1:Could you imagine that back in the day, never, never. 58, 58, 58 bro, could you imagine that back in the day, never?
Speaker 2:never, five years ago ago, was like four athletes, four, five athletes Eduardo Angelica, juliana Malacarn yeah. Freitas and Luis Freitas, yeah, freitas in the past.
Speaker 3:Yeah, in the past, because in that time you don't have this bunch of classes. Yeah, it's just bodybuilding, women's and men's, and fitness, so 15 athletes basically is a whole show in the past. Now it's just for the Brazilian people. It's crazy, right?
Speaker 2:So this is good, because now people in Brazil have a lot of examples, you know. They can look to our classes and say, okay, I can make it, because Rafa make it, diogo make it. You know all these guys and they know your story?
Speaker 1:Yeah, they know, and it's a story of a poor man's mentality, I can say that too.
Speaker 2:Changing your life yeah, so it's grateful to be part of this. When I look to the sports now in Brazil, I feel like you know, okay, I helped to make this happen. It's really special.
Speaker 1:What I also. We cannot not say this too, there's there's multiple factors as why the sport has grown, not just the athletes yeah, yeah, a lot of that's a tenium, yeah yeah, they understand the value of an athlete. They do an incredible job of sponsoring. You know the best of the best and there's so many different companies in brazil that are doing the same thing, because for athletes to live their dream, they have to have sponsors. Yes, yes, and every year I go to brazil, the boots get bigger, bigger, yeah, bigger and bigger the athletes keep on increasing and the fans crazy.
Speaker 1:Second to none.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you look to the structure that Max Chitanio made for us, it's unbelievable. You know, we came from Brazil. When we arrived here we already had the hotel check-in with food there, you know, with van to get us on the airport, bring to the hotel cars, bring to the hotel cars to bring to the supermarket everything. Yeah, that would have been me before.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I don't have a word to explain how I feel to be a part of this. We are very proud to stay in the Max Tertanus, to be part of this team, because I'm here, because they make this happen too, you know. So this is unbelievable, because I never in my mind could imagine something like that. Never, never In the past. To be a sponsor by something, a brand, is just to gain some part of Y or glutamine or BCAA and done and maybe help with the travel to compete one time, maybe, maybe I remember them days too, maybe you know that you know. So live this dream right now for me, man.
Speaker 1:And from my side, to come to you guys, I want to say mariani and the whole team were absolutely fantastic. I obviously came to to do a tour, yeah, um, and I was three podcasts a day. I I done your podcast as well. We had a good laugh yeah, good times, and and I worked the expo. But just to also let the fans know, I changed hotels three, four times, four times, four. Oh yeah, four times, because I foolishly day one. Hey guys, here I am, I'm in Brazil, I've landed, I went to do a podcast. I come back. There's like seven or eight people waiting in the lobby for me. Wow, amazing.
Speaker 1:And I was like, oh, that's cool. I went to breakfast the next morning. I'm eating breakfast, I look and I see shoes, all these shoes around me, all around my table. I was like, okay, maybe they're going to jump me. Only thing I had was a spoon, so I hold in my spoon. I look up and I see all these guys nervous, shaking, one guy crying. I was like what a beautiful country. Of course I had to move hotels, otherwise they're turning an expo every day. I moved hotels. Happened again.
Speaker 1:I moved hotels and then I went to the final hotel and I was like I'm not fucking filming anymore, but that just goes to show, right, the passion they have. But again, also to go back, you know there was not an issue any time and all I mentioned to the team at Maxiturnium was hey guys, there was a lot of fans at my hotel. Okay, you move hotels. I said no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I don't Flex. We want to make sure you're happy, you're comfortable.
Speaker 1:Meals every day. Sometimes they sent me so many meals, you know I couldn't eat them all because I was running around all over the place, but anything that I asked which was very rare was of no issue whatsoever, and that goes to show how good of a sponsor you have, because I've had really bad sponsors. I've had incredible sponsors. So I know the good and the bad, yeah, and this is a very good, good, uh, company that truly, truly loves both of you guys and speak so highly, highly of you because they understand your strengths and what you bring yeah, you know, I started in Max Titanium I In 2015,.
Speaker 2:they sponsored me and they believed me since the beginning, and then I stayed there for four years and then moved to another company, stayed for three years. Then I come back to Max Titanium. Home, yes, home, you know. Home, yeah, it's like family. You know, marianne, everybody there works for us. You know, they love, they have a passion. So it's different, you know it's different when you work in a company like this, because they know what you need, they know what you want. Sometimes you don't need to ask, they already have everything you need, you know. So I'm so grateful to be part of this team to represent Maxi Tannio, and I said to Mariani hey Mariani, hey Mariane, one day I'll be Mr Olympia Championship and this will be with me.
Speaker 1:It's one step closer right.
Speaker 3:And I want to be there too. I do, I do.
Speaker 2:You might have to wheel me out, but Another thing in Brazil which helped a lot to grow the sport in 2018, muscle Contest went to Brazil, yeah, and then they started to make a lot of shows there, changed a lot, yeah, changed a lot. So Tamir and Tarek did a lot to grow the sport in Brazil.
Speaker 1:So shout out to Tamir and Tarek yeah you a lot to grow the sport in Brazil. Shout out to TMR Entirely Muscle Contest is a great company. They're now all over the world. They're not just First of all. Obviously we're in the US. They're in. Brazil. Now they're going all over. Imagine that Having shows, maybe multiple shows, every weekend in every different place and making sure that the standard is high for every one of them.
Speaker 2:I think they have like 200 shows a year, 200 something.
Speaker 1:Bro, I get stressed putting on one. It's crazy, bro. Yeah, Every weekend they have a show. Every weekend, like two three.
Speaker 2:And now can you believe that now you can qualify to the Olympia in Brazil?
Speaker 1:You couldn't imagine that Never. I know Talking of which right? Listen, you know I love my kicks, but there's a guy right here who has smoked me on the old kicks. How many pairs of trainers do you have?
Speaker 3:Exactly, I don't know, maybe 250.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I thought you said 100 and something to me. No, 200, bro. What size are you? 8 and a half oh shit everybody look at this. The reason why I mention that is because everybody has their hobbies, their passions and their loves and when I came to Brazil, people were talking about my shoes and this kind of ties into the conversation of how big the sport has become. There's so many mainstream, you know, you understand.
Speaker 2:You've got your pictures and posts there.
Speaker 1:And I was saying, because every day I would wear, you know, I brought a couple of different pairs over. That's what we spoke about. How many pairs of shoes did you bring over, bro? I brought a couple of pairs over to Brazil, and every day I'd try and mix it up, but I didn't think the sneaker heads were in Brazil.
Speaker 3:Oh I have a lot of.
Speaker 1:Bro, I was on all these different Instagram pages.
Speaker 3:Lewis.
Speaker 1:Flex Lewis with his Travis Scott. They knew everything about them.
Speaker 2:They put the price the price.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it was so many different pages. So the reason why I mentioned obviously that because I know, you know you're a big sneakerhead yourself, as have I become, not when I was living in Wales, because I didn't have the money, but that's now something that you are able to to do because you, you truly love that that side of things too.
Speaker 3:And yeah, because this uh bring me to the past, when I remember when I have just one or two, maybe three pairs with holes in them right, two whole year, you know, to do my stuff one for hanging out, one for the training, one for the college or working whatever. So now I'm very blessed to be able to buy, and sometimes gain, some shoes, some sneakers, because a lot of people like me too and sometimes gave me, send me and now I can okay, I like this, let me buy one. So I'm very blessed.
Speaker 1:Because we were at the expo and this guy comes up with a pair of Travis Scotts or something. What was it? It was like, yeah, the next store.
Speaker 3:He's a friend of mine.
Speaker 1:I was like bro, who is this friend of?
Speaker 3:yours yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean in fairness. He did say what size are you? I said I'm gifts from the Brazilian fans especially of that nature, but I've seen people coming up giving him pairs of shoes. But it's an incredible, incredible country. You guys have my wife. She was in this room now. She knows that every time I talk about Brazil, she goes. You keep on talking about Brazil, but the one place you have not took me is to Brazil. So next time.
Speaker 2:Rafa, I hear this since 2019. That's okay Next time.
Speaker 1:Hey, Ali, Next time, Ali, yeah, but listen, the talk is the talk right now and obviously we can get caught up in the energy. This is the Mr Olympia weekend, right, and you know you have your goals and your plans We've already spoken about them for this. But I want to make sure that you guys both know open invite to come to train here at the Dragon's Lair. I know that you mentioned that you might have an off-season year and start training, but I want to make sure that this guy knows After the surgery, after everything else I know there was conversation about you making a return back to stage, my friend, so what's your thoughts about coming and doing a prep year?
Speaker 3:For me it would be very interesting.
Speaker 1:Answer this question for him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so this motherfucker is stepping on the stage and prepping Dragon Lair. Yeah so yeah, we have some plans for next year and you already know I may know, something. Yeah, I may know something, so yeah, so you'll be really good, but I want to have you train with us.
Speaker 1:You know I'm right.
Speaker 2:I miss it. Kick your ass, bro. Oh, what do you mean? Kick your ass? Have you noticed he's?
Speaker 1:talking like that when.
Speaker 1:I'm the injured guy. Yeah yeah, I certainly will not be injured when this guy comes. So the fans in Brazil know, and I don't want to get too deep, but there was a point in time where I had to take more steps away from the gym because there was so much love and passion tied up in that place. And I'm also wired differently. I can't just go into the gym and do a fucking bullshit workout or a tired workout. I only know one way to train and that's just go all in. I'm wired differently and I tried, and I tried so hard to try and get rid of that mentality. But that mentality is in my DNA.
Speaker 1:Oh power Our DNA. And before I came to Brazil, you remember, I said, hey, I'm not coming to Brazil looking like a bag of shit. I put a four-week prep in, started eating like you always eat two meals a day, sometimes two, maybe one Yep. And I said, okay, I, he was eating two meals a day, Sometimes two, maybe one Yep. And I said, okay, I'm going to increase my meals to five meals a day, which is nothing compared to the old days. But I responded, yes, I started enjoying the gym again and I kept on reminding myself Flex, this is not any fucking road back to the fucking stage.
Speaker 2:It's not happening okay.
Speaker 1:But I fell back in love. Yeah, with the reason. Go back to where you first went there the kid, the one that loved to go there after college after a rugby game, with mud all over my knees. I wasn't training for a trophy, I was training because I fucking loved it. And now I remember that feeling. I came to Brazil and, just for you guys to know, and I've said this, I came home with so much motivation and I don't know what it was. It was the ronnie coleman same thing. Right, there was something that switched my head. It's been around you guys, the energy, the passion, the fans. That that's just so enthusiastic. And I started really back in the gym enjoying myself. Of course, my videographer was loving it, because he always has to ask me to fucking train in the past he's nodding his head.
Speaker 1:But now I was in there, it's like hey I'm gonna train tomorrow. We got, we got back, we got this, and then this happened and then that's happened. But I remember that feeling and I remember what it felt like to just come in here and enjoy my training again and not train for a mr olympia. So it was a blessing in disguise. God has a plan. And it was a reminder too that hey, listen, you know, I may have started to think, you know, maybe I'll come back. God slept me.
Speaker 3:Calm down, bro, shut up bro.
Speaker 1:Yeah, here's the warning you can't come back now anymore.
Speaker 1:But it's there. And that's why I say to you guys it's still there, but I use that mentality to put into my rehab, the same mentality I put into Mr Olympia. I said I was going to get back on the horse and treat the injury with the same mentality. And here I am now. I'm not anywhere where I want to be, but I'm okay about that. I don't have the ego to have the look because it's done. But now when you guys come back, you better fucking be ready. I'll be ready, I'll be ready.
Speaker 2:I'll be ready, you'll be interested 2025, you'll be interested because, yeah, you know, the good thing is today, with the internet, like you said, if you think about 2019, 2020, we should record more Because it's inspiring a lot of people, right, it's the evolution, it's the evolution, yeah. So now we're recording a lot Every day, bro. Every day we make a video lot every day, bro. Every day we make a video, so it'll be really good to show people how is the energy?
Speaker 1:here, especially if you train with us. So should we just tell the fans that, uh, although we we should be talking about the mr olympia, we're talking about 2025. You know what that's? That's great. The fans for something to look forward to and it gives both of you guys something to look forward to outside of the focus of the Mr Olympia, of course, but this is all part of the journey of getting half to that number one spot, and you know, I am a small part of that story.
Speaker 1:You're a small part of that story, but the biggest part is sitting right in front of us right here. My journey to the Mr Olympia stage has ended, but it doesn't end for me pouring into you, my friend. So I want you to live all the dreams that I never was able to achieve, and more and more than anything else, I want to see you be able to be the dad and also be able to provide for your family. Just like that very first conversations that we had because right now you live in this dream right now. Right now, the conversations that we would have in my kitchen, he'd be tearing and telling me hey, hey, bro, I really want this. I say, I know you do, but nobody can make this happen but you. And look at him Fucking proud of you, bro, thank you.
Speaker 2:You know you're a big part of this, because I said to you more than once but when I was in Boca Raton 2019, I was in Boca Raton 2019, I was living a dream too. You know, I was living a dream, like now. Now I'm living a dream. We talk in 2019, but in 2019 I was living a dream. I was talking in 2015 or 40, you know. So, if I'm here today with this mindset, with this kind of power, with my wife, with my daughter, it's because you is a big part of this, bro. Thanks so much.
Speaker 2:I'm so great to be part of your family and to have you not as a friend, but as a brother, as a family, because it's you very special for me, your family is very special for me, and I know we have a lot to do together, a lot. You know we already talked about this in the past and now it's become more reality. You know, because things are like you said things we talked about in 2019, I'm living now, and things we talk now we will live, you know. So, yeah, it's very special, bro. Thanks so much. Love you. Love you too. We will leave, you know, so yeah it's very special, bro.
Speaker 1:Thanks so much, love you. Love you too, bro, I love you too, and this guy.
Speaker 2:This guy become very special to me too because, you know, it's like I said before. He had his problem, he had his life, his works and he put everything inside to be part of this. So thank you, thank you for becoming my friend and closer now and become my partner, training and to live this dream with me, you know. So I'm grateful to be here with you guys we start to be a partner of training.
Speaker 3:So now you're a partner for life. Yeah, so that's it. You know, and I very thankful for make me able to be part of this in flex and a very big fun for the in the past. Today, because I remember 2014, I take a picture with you in honor of classical high. You don't remember.
Speaker 3:I know because I should find that but, uh, I take this picture and you say to me keep doing, keep moving and never forget this. And now I'm here and I'm very, very blessed, very, very thankful for these guys. Thank you so much, well listen half.
Speaker 1:I appreciate both of you guys. As I said many times, this podcast. I'm so glad that you guys came together, got us a plan. Weren't friends? Now partners, brothers, brothers in iron. You know, and you've earned this through blood, sweat and tears. This is nothing that you can just put on your Instagram bio. This is the unseen. You've just got to earn that. You know, just like uh, again, you go to war with somebody and you come back. That is your brother for life. You've seen things, you've talked about things and nobody else and that's the same in the gym is the mentality and earned. So I just want to say, guys, it's, it's a pleasure and thank you for taking care of my, my little brother, to to push him mentally, physically and get into his head and squeeze them extra reps out that maybe he didn't know he had, but you knew he had. And this is where we are right now. But in ending the show, anything you want to say to the fans, that's your camera.
Speaker 2:So, hey, guys, First time you say it in Portuguese. My guys in Brazil. So, hey guys, first time you say it in Portuguese. My guys in Brazil. Guys, thank you to everyone who accompanied the preparation, who is with me, who is motivating us. You are part of it. Without you, none of this would be possible. So thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I want to thank Max Titânio for all the support you give us, the athletes. It's really incredible, the structure you have built for us. I just have to thank you from the bottom of my heart and say that I am very grateful for being part of this. Everyone who participated in the preparation, jorlan Pinduca, karen Lucas, everyone who is involved there in the academy, johan Junior you are part of this and I am here not only representing myself. You are part of this and I'm here not only representing myself, but representing all of you. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. And now I'm going to speak English, because I started to make videos speaking English.
Speaker 1:Yes, and.
Speaker 2:I want to tell people hey, guys, if you want to see more content, you can go to my YouTube channel, and I started to make videos showing my life, showing my diet, show everything to you guys speak english with portuguese subtitle to my people too. But I want to invite you guys to go there and subscribe to the channel, comment in the the videos, because I want to know if you guys are liking the the video, if you guys want to see anything else you know. So, yeah, thank you, bro, for this opportunity. I love to be here. I always love to be here. This is, I feel like this is, my home too. You guys know you are my family, us family. So, yeah, this weekend it will be like amazing. I know this. It'll be like amazing.
Speaker 1:I know this. It's already been amazing for me, my friend, and we've not even stepped foot on the Mr Olympia stage. So I'm proud of you and this is the evolution, and maybe when you come here next, maybe we'll have a podcast together the Flex and Half we'll never know and if you want to, it'll be the three of us.
Speaker 1:Who knows Hoffa? You never know. And if you're on G2, it'd be the three of us. Who knows, who knows? We have some plans, we have some plans, but until then, guys, straight out the lair, jorlan Hoffa, we are out.
