A Mr. Olympia Gift

7X Mr. Olympia Phil Heath Is Part of This Year’s Big Show!

Interview by Ron Harris

Phil Heath is one of the few living icons in our sport. “The Gift” won seven consecutive Mr. Olympia titles going up against some of the greatest bodybuilders of the modern era like his mentor Jay Cutler and the incredible Kai Greene. I spoke with him recently about his new role as color commentator for the Mr. Olympia pay-per-view and got his take on current champion Big Ramy as well as his challengers. Who better to provide insights on who might be able to nab the Sandow this year?

Phil, I have to start with the question that fans ask every day. We’ve seen you on the Mr. Olympia stage twice since you held the title. Will we ever see you up there again?

I’ve given it a lot of thought. Right now I say no. That’s just me being honest. If I was competing, I would be doing it this year instead of commentating, right? I give it a five percent chance. I could easily say I’ll never do it again. But why put limitations on myself? I don’t know what the future will hold. I’m working on various other goals at the moment and have unlocked a lot of opportunities over the last couple of years. But I wouldn’t say I will never, ever compete again. You just don’t know. Maybe they do a Masters Olympia and I’m 50 years old and I say, one more time. Who knows? But I will say this. I’m really excited for this year’s Olympia and those athletes, both the men and the women. I do realize through the many comments and messages I get that people really do miss me.

Believe it or not, that was going to be my next question. I remember a couple of years ago when you said, “You will miss me when I’m gone.” Even the people who weren’t necessarily Phil Heath fans when you were competing do miss having you up there. It was a higher quality Mr. Olympia with you in it.

It was a different vibe. What I provided was entertainment. Whether you loved me or hated me, I gave you energy. I remember meeting with Dan Solomon in his office and him telling me I was a highly competitive person. I told him no, I’m probably the most competitive person you’ve ever met. I think that comes across not only in real life, but even in podcasts. It’s a fire. Bodybuilding gave me a place to showcase my body of work to the world. I came from a completely different sport, conquered any limiting beliefs I had, and look what I did. People were very critical of me when I turned pro, saying my clavicles were too narrow or I’d never have a good back. It’s because they held me to a higher standard, the way they did with Flex Wheeler. They knew I would be the one to push all the other top competitors.

The next question people seem to ask a lot is, if Phil is done competing, why is he still carrying so much size? You don’t seem to be significantly smaller than when you were actively competing.

I’m right around 250 pounds, and that’s just on TRT and some peptides from Transcend. It’s genetics plus muscle maturity. I’m 42 years old now. I turned pro in 2005, so that’s 17 years of doing things the right way. That enabled me to keep that roundness and good skin texture. That’s just me eating three to four times a day, a protein shake once in a while, no creatine, just no stress and having fun. I even enjoy some tequila – just living a normal life. Anyone who followed me, especially in my prime years, knows I was always around 275-280 before I started my Olympia preps. If you saw me earlier in the year, say at the Manion show in the spring, I was usually 260-265 and then I grew from there. It was almost six months before the Olympia.

Many people would say you are still too big and heavy and need to drop down another 30 pounds or more.

After 2020 I was getting ready for some movie roles, and the objective was to crash diet down to a smaller version of me. I’m 5-9½, so even 230 pounds would still look too big because the camera does add size. I got on the Peloton and did a ton of plyometrics and got down to 228. People said I should do Classic and I laughed. I’ll be 43 in December. I had a goal that I would cut it down by 10 pounds every couple of years. That means by age 50 I shouldn’t be 250 pounds, on TRT and eating three times a day. I should be 230 by then unless I get a wild hair up my ass and decide to compete again.

I think I speak for a lot of fans when I say I was very happy to hear you were hired to provide commentary on this year’s Mr. Olympia pay-per-view. Are you ready to give your honest critiques and take the heat from those who may not agree with your assessments?

It gives them an opportunity to hear what a seven-time champion thinks, someone who has actually been through it. If they hear something they don’t like, they have to ask themselves a couple of questions. Number one, is it true? If I say you’re not in shape, look at yourself. Did you really nail it? Did you really do everything 100 percent in your prep? Most people even at the Olympia level, if they’re honest, would say no. They probably did cheat on their meals or cut some cardio sessions short. You also have to know how to critique, and always edify the person at the same time. I might say, your chest is great but you need more delt width to compare to the guys next to you who outweigh you by 30-40 pounds, and that’s why you weren’t in the first callout. That’s better than just saying, “your delts suck.” I’m a fan, and I can analyze physiques. I don’t have to make this about myself. I won’t be saying things like “back in my day” or “when I competed in the 2012 Mr. Olympia,” unless my co-hosts asks me those questions. I’m not there to adjudicate them. That’s what the judges are for. My job is to relate what I see to the people in digital space. It’s to help the competitors so they can improve, or to help the grandma who bought the pay-per-view for her grandson understand what’s going on up there on stage. Based on the reaction video I did after last year’s Olympia, the athletes had nothing bad to say about my analysis. And if they do, they can always hit me back in the DMs.  I’m there to help the sport, the athletes, and the fans at home.

Since I have you here, I definitely want to get your take on what might happen this year at the Olympia. First off, there have been rumors swirling around that Big Ramy will retire after this year. Assuming he is able to win a third title, do you feel he could have tried to push on to eventually try and break the record of eight titles held by Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman?

It’s a different era now with social media and influencers. Ramy’s fame started with bodybuilding wins, but it’s gone so far beyond that now. We saw videos where he returned to Egypt and was greeted by the President! He can keep pushing every year for another $400,000 check that isn’t guaranteed. But the sponsors he has would probably still keep him even if he stops competing. He’d also be able to do more appearances around the world without the stress on his mind, spirit, and his heart. Does Ramy need to win four, five, or six Olympia titles to be considered a great champion? I don’t think so. We also have to look at longevity with his body. I don’t know his pharmacology or his blood work. It’s none of my business and I don’t care to speculate. But when you’re that big and competing at that level, you always have to get one percent better every time. Winning your first one is one thing, but going for a title defense is different. Ask Brandon Curry. If Ramy decides this is his last year, I say walk away with those titles, your health, and your sponsors. He can still be involved in the sport in different ways and make a great living from it. And he could leave on his own terms as the champion, which Ronnie, Jay and I didn’t do.

Out of all the challengers, who do you feel has the best chance of beating Ramy this year?

You have to go with numbers two and three from last year, Brandon and Hadi. Hadi has packed on even more muscle than he already had. All it takes is for Ramy to slip. We saw last year that Ramy wasn’t as good as when he won it the first time in 2020. If you leave the door open twice, things can happen. I’ve yet to see Nick Walker compete in person, but you have to lean toward him being a disruptor and keep your eye on him. I always mention William Bonac. If he put it together with Chad, he has muscle maturity and density that almost no one else can match.

Even though he’s neither qualified nor an IFBB Pro League pro as we speak, everyone is talking about Michal Krizo. How do you rate him?

He looked great in the videos where he visited Venice and Las Vegas, but I do see holes in his physique. Krizo needs to work on his presentation. If you look at videos of him competing, he can’t hold poses very long. In this league, they will run your ass through some callouts. And if you relax or let up on anything up there, someone will capture it and post it. Physique-wise, he needs more lower lat thickness, better legs from the rear, and to come in ripped. His traps and chest are ridiculous, and you don’t see too many white dudes with that type of roundness to the muscles. I’m excited to see him.

The newest sensation is Andrew Jacked, who I watched win his pro debut in Texas. Some feel he’s already good enough to be Mr. Olympia. Do you agree or disagree?

Until we see someone bring 100 percent condition, I don’t like to believe in fairy tales. He wasn’t fully peaked for Texas. Will he be there at the Arnold UK, or are they saving that for the Olympia? I don’t know if he can make top five. Can he beat Samson Dauda? Andrew has a lot of muscle, but he still has room to grow. People get excited about the new guy. What weapons does he have to demolish Nick Walker, Hadi Choopan and Brandon Curry before we even get to Ramy? I’m not sure, but I wish him the best. He’s bringing excitement to the sport and he's a humble, hardworking guy.

Brandon Curry has now made two unsuccessful attempts to reclaim his Mr. Olympia title. Do you see him getting it back?

I don’t know. I saw him turn pro and later competed with him. I think it’s very possible. If I’m him, it’s all or nothing at this point. It’s all about conditioning with him. We have yet to see a diced Brandon Curry. With that plus his size and shape, he can be a real problem for Ramy. But would he lose leg volume to get that level of condition? If not, I think he wins. We know Hadi and Bonac will be shredded. But I wouldn’t write Brandon off. Everyone loves a comeback story.

Some huge news recently was that you entered into a partnership with Transcend TRT. Can you please tell us a little bit about the company and how you became part of it?

Many TRT/HRT companies reached out to me over the course of my career, but I was never certain about their intentions. What were they really trying to provide? It’s one thing to provide medications, but another thing to provide awareness, knowledge, and support. I had a Zoom call with Jesse and Ernie, the owners of Transcend, and it was like I’d known them my whole life. They explained how they analyze the blood work and provide wellness coaches for clients. They figure out what you want and then give you suggestions. It was a more extensive blood panel than I think I’ve ever had in my career, and it was inexpensive compared to what I’ve had done in the past. That’s important because we know a lot of bodybuilders don’t get blood work done because they don’t have medial insurance. They asked me what I wanted. I said, why don’t we expand the awareness of getting blood work done? You don’t know what you don’t know. Maybe if all those people who have passed away in our sport had access to something like this, they may have been able to catch something before it was too late. They could have worked with a wellness specialist rather than their prep coach. We all know some coaches are only acting in their own self-interest. Coaching is a business. They’re like the guy up in the booth telling the race car driver to redline it even though he might crash and die. They’re not the ones who will die. I told Transcend I really wanted the athletes to get their blood work done regularly so they know what’s going on. They should then take that information to their coach or spouse and say, I may not be able to do this prep. My AST and ALT levels are too high. I did five shows last year, and my body needs a break. Transcend isn’t just a hormone clinic. It’s a family that provides great awareness, great products for not only bodybuilders, but regular moms and pops, professional athletes from other sports, entertainers, even members of the U.S. government. I also love that they don’t hide any information on their products. They give you all the medical data and can answer any and all questions you have about proper use.

I will end with the question many were waiting for me to ask: what’s your current TRT protocol?

I do 100 milligrams of test cypionate three times a week, along with DHEA, pregnenolone, Dihexa in the morning, and a little bit of T3 because my thyroid was low, and I wanted it to be more optimal. I never used it as a competitor because it was always in range. Raising the levels helps me be more productive in the morning without being highly caffeinated. I no longer need coffee or energy drinks. I also use the BPC 157 and TB-500 peptides. I use HCG every now and then, and tesamorelin and ipamorelin at night for GH release. I don’t get the water retention or carpal tunnel from them like I did with growth. I never got into peptides when I was competing, and I notice it takes a while to see the results but then you can use them forever without cycling on and off. I’ve also been doing glutathione injections, which are fantastic for the immune system.

Phil, it’s great to see you so happy and healthy, proving that there can and should be plenty of life after bodybuilding. I’m very much looking forward to your commentary at this coming Mr. Olympia, and congratulations of your mutually rewarding partnership with Transcend.

Thanks Ron, always a pleasure and see you in Las Vegas!

Ron Harris got his start in the bodybuilding industry during the eight years he worked in Los Angeles as Associate Producer for ESPN’s “American Muscle Magazine” show in the 1990s. Since 1992 he has published nearly 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and fitness magazines, making him the most prolific bodybuilding writer ever. Ron has been training since the age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989. He lives with his wife and two children in the Boston area. Facebook Instagram

PHIL HEATH: OLYMPIA COMMENTATOR

By Giles Thomas

Quite the growing résumé seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath has now. Not content being the only man to own all THREE, different (as if they weren't unique enough) Eugen Sandow trophies (The 50th anniversary Gold “Sandow” being – without any doubts here – the “way” coolest).

Let’s take it back, shall we, to the eight-day UK MD Global Muscle Pro Tour I put together, summer 2019? Only six weeks after I’d even had the idea of flying over, one of only 16 men in history (since its inception in 1965) to become Mr. Olympia, literal living legend of bodybuilding Phil was flying over to sunny England (British summer 2022 – best “day” ever) and we had no idea at all what to expect.

Traveling around the UK for a hectic (but a whole lot of fun too) seminar tour with Phil, of course, I got to hear and learn more about one of my all-time favorite bodybuilders, but mostly in the parts in BETWEEN the seminars, I soon came to realize just how much of a truly knowledgeable fan of the sport he was. I was blown away at Phil's ability to assess and deeply analyze a physique, top to toe.

Fast-forward to the new Boston Pro event earlier this year, was enjoying the livestream watching in the MD Global Muscle studio and THAT'S when they brought on Phil Heath; not to be interviewed, not to guest pose (as you might expect). But to pop on a mic headset, watch the event and listen to his detailed commentary, LIVE. After the show, it was great to read and hear all the positive comments and love for his fair, balanced and unbiased assessments of each pro competitor that he broke down. There was no negativity or crushing “blows” to those that “perhaps” had not brought their absolute best packages. Rather, it was supportive, encouraging and highly articulated. Bravo, Phil.

So, to hear that many fans requests of having “The Gift” do “more, more, more” commentary was clearly being taken notice of, it was extremely welcome news to learn of Phil now being part of the official Olympia coverage team THIS December 18th, Las Vegas, 2022. So how’s THAT for an early Christmas “Gift”?

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