“The Gym Saved Me” – Larry Wheels Talks Depression, Self Esteem, and Hanging w/ Wrong Crowd 

Larry Wheels has taken the fitness community by storm over the years, participating in powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman, and arm-wrestling along with his ventures in business and social media. In a recent YouTube video made to his channel, Larry Wheels discussed mental health and how the gym saved him from going down a dark path. 

Wheels is often in the gym where he shares his impressive feats of strength with fans and enjoys being able to lift unbelievably heavy weight. Known for collaborating with other influencers, Wheels recently showed off his handiwork when he bench-pressed 495 pounds working out with Bradley Martyn.

After injuring his back last year, Wheels decided to quit all performance-enhancing drugs except testosterone replacement therapy. Moving forward, Larry laid out a plan to make a splash in the IFBB Pro League’s Classic Physique division. 

Unfortunately, Larry Wheels ran into some health complications recently when he was diagnosed with Rhabdo, often caused by overtraining. It can be fatal if not treated, and he revealed that he was at risk of kidney failure. Wheels has seemingly made a quick recovery and is back to his usual self which saw him pair up with Andrei Deiu for a shoulder workout. 

While his life seems picture perfect, Larry Wheels has disclosed in the past that he’s struggled with substance abuse problems. While he’s quit most PEDs, Larry still worries about the damaging effects they may have caused in the long term. He’s also opened up candidly about his sex addiction that motivated him to spend five figures a day. 

Larry Wheels Credits The Gym For Keeping Him Out Of More Trouble When He Was Young 

Despite the struggles Larry has endured, he is grateful for how the gym has helped him become a better person. 

In a recent YouTube video, Wheels gives an inside look at how working out kept him off the streets. He also discussed the impact of using drugs at an early age. 

“Initially for those that don’t know my origin story, I decided to try working out because of self-esteem issues, depression, I wanted to build my confidence so I turned to weight training, and at the time when I was 14 years old in St. Martine I couldn’t join a gym I had to be 16 years old to join so I used a broomstick and cinder blocks,” Wheels states. 

Moving to the States and having a single parent providing for him, Wheels found himself in some unfavorable places in life, which made the gym an especially welcoming environment. 

“New York being as expensive as it was means that with a limited income, we had to resort to poverty-embellished and dangerous crime-ridden neighborhoods. To not be absorbed in that environment I decided to spend most of my time at the gym.”

“Generally, people that train I found tend to be very disciplined, have strong morals, hard-working individuals, and maybe that can’t be said for the people I was living next door to. I’m sure there was plenty of good people there but the ones that were my age that were on the streets from what I could see, outside looking in, were not the crowd I wanted to associate with. I saw that if I were to follow in their footsteps I’d likely be a drug dealer or I would do something equally bad to make ends meet or to get by and pass time. So the gym saved me from a life of drugs.”

Even with the gym distracting him from the negative influences in his life, Wheels still found himself partying and using substances because of a close friend who had also gone down a dangerous path. 

“At the time my best was a veteran, had served for his country, he was working two-three jobs, was a student, and he fell victim to drugs.”

“Even though I was working out and still making good gains I was still partying at the same time.”

“Because he was working security he would get me into just about anywhere that he was working at which would be a couple of some of the best spots in New York City, Manhattan, somewhere in Queens, and I had access to everything as if I was of age to use it. I was at this period in my life where I was just trying everything.”

Eventually, it dawned on Larry Wheels that if he continued making the same choices it could cost him his life. 

“I didn’t realize well what if I get addicted to one of these hard substances where would that get me? I was just living in the moment. I wasn’t thinking about what would happen tomorrow. After seeing what happened to him that really instilled a lot of fear into me like wait I’m following in his footsteps because I’m in his environment.

I’m around him 24/7 we were hanging out nearly every single day. We were damn near married, best friends. I saw where his decisions and environment had got him which was homeless and losing everything and I didn’t see why that would be any different for me.”

Wheels believes the gym was a crucial weapon in helping him combat his low self-esteem, especially since he sometimes had the opportunity to make a positive impact on others. 

“I’m so happy to see how not only my videos but everyone else in the fitness industry that is thriving and able to make a career out of it that the next generation is seeing that too and is really having a positive impact. That’s what got me into the gym and really hooked and really helped me see that there could be a potential future for me. 

“When I saw people who were really pioneers of the industry making it big it really inspired me to keep my head down, stay humble, get results, create value from creating a beautiful physique and being one of the strongest people alive. Get a strong resume and I was hopeful that one day someone would see that and help guide me where I should go next.”

“Once I reached a point in my life where I was able to live comfortably, where I didn’t have to worry about paying my bills, my basic needs were met, and my fulfillment moving forward is really giving back to the community and helping other people achieve their goals and live a comfortable life.” 

According to Wheels, one of his proudest moments was discovering top Men’s Open Pro Andrew Jacked. He also encouraged anyone in a “dark place” to try out the gym as well. 

“One of my proudest moments is discovering Andrew Jacked and helping him to get to where he is at today.”

“For those watching, struggling, I know we all have a dark place that we are in at some point in life, and whenever I am in that dark place the gym always brings me back up to where I feel happy where I feel comfortable right that’s my safe place and if it was not for the gym I have a very good idea where I might be.” 

“Just keep your head down if you are in that environment, you can control where, to an extent, you spend your time, and if you feel that where you are living right now is a toxic place well then spend your time at the gym like I did.”

Although Larry Wheels has had many struggles with addictions, his dedication to a better lifestyle has seen him through and he now serves as an inspiration to those suffering from similar battles. 

Watch Larry Wheels’ full video here: 

RELATED: Larry Wheels On Not Doing ‘Extreme’ Men’s Open: ‘Classic Physique Feels Like an Art Form’

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