Can Phil Heath be Beaten? Kevin, Shawn & Dorian Speak Out
Can Phil Heath be Beaten?
Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray & Dorian Yates Speak Out
Shawn Ray
History has shown us that anyone can be beaten, including the very best in our sport. Arnold, with his seven Mr. Olympia titles, was beaten by the “The Myth” Sergio Oliva. Lee Haney, with eight Mr. Olympia titles, was beaten by “The Lion of Lebanon,” Samir Bannout, in 1983. King Dorian Yates was beaten by “TotaLee Awesome” Lee Haney in 1991. Ronnie Coleman was beaten by the entire Mr. Olympia lineup in Helsinki, Finland in 1992, to finish dead last before ultimately dominating the stage with eight consecutive titles. Later, Ronnie was beaten by four-time Mr. Olympia runner-up, Jay Cutler, in 2005. Even then, the young Jay Cutler could only muster up three Mr. Olympia titles before getting beaten by Dexter “The Blade” Jackson, whom he would get revenge on the following year in 2009, when Jay took his title back one last time. Even four-time Mr. Olympia champion Phil Heath was beaten twice in his first three Mr. Olympia appearances, placing third, fifth and second, before becoming the reigning four-time champion.
However secure Phil may feel about his four Sandows, the longer he competes, the more slippery that title is to hold on to. Don’t forget the 1998 Mr. Olympia contest in New York City. After six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates pulled out due to injury and retired for good, a middle-of-the-pack athlete in the form of Ronnie Coleman leapfrogged over at least five future IFBB pro Hall of Fame bodybuilders to not only win the 1998 title, but hold on to it for a record-tying eight consecutive years! That being said, Phil’s greatest challenge is not the guys he competes against, but being better than Phil Heath of last year. If Phil slips up from last year’s appearance, a number of guys could beat him, including Kai, Dexter, Dennis, Shawn or Ramy. Which of those guys could it be? One or all of them– as was the case when Ronnie beat Levrone, Wheeler, Cormier, Nasser and I in 1998. I bore witness to what one man's will and determination can do when he wants something badly enough.
If I were Phil Heath, I would not rest on my five previous Sandow trophies, but approach this contest as if it were my first victory, and give everything I have to stay on top. Let it be known that for me, Phil Heath is the embodiment of Mr. Olympia, but I’d be the first to say that Phil can be beaten by a number of guys. If I had to choose one, I’d choose a new and improved Phil Heath, who should be a couple of pounds lighter, drier and tighter this year for victory number six.
Dorian Yates
Can Phil be beaten? Yes, of course he can. Anybody can get beaten if they are off by a wide enough margin. Phil was clearly off his best last year. The only issue here is that there doesn’t seem to be anyone else currently competing who is good enough to make up that gap when Phil is just a little bit off. For a while, I thought Kai Greene might be that man, especially if he were to come in with a level of dryness and hardness like he’s never shown before. But at this point, I think it’s safe to say Kai isn’t interested in doing that. Shawn Rhoden could have a legitimate chance of beating Phil if he were to gain 15-20 pounds in his upper body while maintaining his small waist. I’m not sure that’s possible for him to do at this stage, given his age and the amount of muscle he’s already added over the years.
Some people ask me if I think Dennis Wolf can beat Heath … absolutely not. Structurally, he just has too many weak points that make that nearly impossible. His lats insert high, and there’s nothing he can ever do to change that. From the front, he looks fantastic. When he turns around, the lack of mass in his mid and lower back is impossible to ignore. There is also the issue of his calves. One is very small, and the other one is almost nonexistent due to what seems to be nerve damage. Phil Heath is too complete for someone like Dennis to beat. Aside from his clavicles being a little on the narrow side compared to someone like Wolf, Phil has no real weak points. His chest, delts, back, arms, quads, hams, calves– it’s all there. And his muscle bellies are all full and round, which gives him a look the other guys just can’t march.
The guy a lot of people lately seem to think has the best chance at beating Phil is Big Ramy. He sure is enormous, but not as complete as Phil. Ramy still needs more back and calves. Far more of an issue is his lack of deep, clear muscle separation and detail. It’s only been a couple of years since he’s been a pro, but I haven’t seen any improvement in that area. Perhaps it’s somehow related to the way he added all that size in such a short time, as reported. Not knowing his regimen and what he’s done, that’s pure speculation. But the fact remains that Phil destroys Ramy in the detail department, and being Mr. Olympia means having the best total package. Just being the biggest guy up there won’t cut it.
It’s all well and good to imagine someone else could win the 2016 Mr. Olympia except Phil. Any time you have the same champion for years and years in a row, it’s not quite as interesting anymore. And you also will have plenty of fans who want to see a new champion. After Haney, me and Ronnie had each won a few titles, a certain contingent among the fans turned against us and started rooting for their favorite underdog instead. That’s how it’s always been. But the judges base their decisions on what they see in front of them onstage that day. For now, I don’t feel any of the challengers can conceivably beat Phil unless he somehow comes in looking truly awful.
Kevin Levrone
Instead of talking about if Phil can be beaten this year, let’s look at it in terms of the future. Here’s the thing. You never know when someone is going to make crazy improvements and suddenly start dominating people who used to dominate him. Look at Ronnie Coleman. Ronnie didn’t do all that well in his first few years as a pro. In the early years, nobody would have ever said this is a guy who will win the Mr. Olympia title once, let alone eight times. I recall the point where all that changed. We were on the Grand Prix tour across Europe after the 1997 Olympia, and I was winning all the shows. Ronnie was placing third, fourth, fifth, sixth and even seventh at those shows. He had really good mass and shape, but he was watery. The night before the last show on the tour in Russia, I talked to him and gave him some tips to dry out. The next day, he beat my ass! And I never beat him again after that. Ronnie got a whole lot bigger, too. He went from ninth place at the 1997 Mr. Olympia to winning it in 1998, and he won it eight times.
Dorian is another guy who made tremendous improvements. When I first faced him at the 1992 Olympia, he really wasn’t much bigger than me. But by the next year, he sure was!
Someone out there right now is lurking, and that’s the man who’s going to beat Phil Heath in the very near future. And I’m calling it right here and now: that man is Justin Compton. He sat out the Mr. Olympia last September, but that’s because he wants to wait until he can step up there with a legitimate chance of winning. And you know what? I think he has the ability to do that. Justin is only 27 years old, and look at the progress he’s made so far. A few years ago, he was a light heavyweight amateur. Now he’s got a pro win, and took third place at his first Arnold Classic behind two great veterans, Dexter Jackson and Branch Warren. The guy is serious and focused, and seems to be all about hard work. You don’t see him running his mouth about how he’s going to beat this or that guy. Justin just grinds away and keeps getting better all the time. He has amazing genetics, with full, round muscle bellies, a small waist and a structure that can hold more quality mass. That’s the key.
Phil Heath is maxed out. He has a smaller, narrower structure. We’ve already seen him starting to get a little bit of a gut in 2014 when he came in too full. Any more mass on his frame is only going to blow out his waist. Justin has time on his side, and I do believe he will be the man to beat Phil. Maybe it will be next year, maybe the year after– but that day is coming.