If you’re a fan of bodybuilding, you’ll certainly know what the Mr Olympia contest is. Just to ensure that there’s no confusion, though, allow us to bring you up to speed anyway. The Mr Olympia contest is the grand daddy of all bodybuilding competitions. It is the contest that all bodybuilders dream about winning. It is the bodybuilding equivalent to the soccer World Cup, or the Superbowl of football. Basically, the individual that wins the Mr Olympia title is the greatest bodybuilder in the world. Only a select few bodybuilders have been fortunate enough to win that title, but Phil ‘The Gift’ Heath is certainly one of those men. In fact, he’s won it multiple times and is certainly one of the best bodybuilders on the planet. Here’s a better look at ‘The Gift’.
Who is Phil Heath?
Phil ‘The Gift’ Heath is a professional IFBB pro bodybuilder and seven-time Mr Olympia winner. As of this writing, he is tied with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the third all-time number of Mr Olympia wins. The only two bodybuilders to even win more titles are Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman, who both have eight titles to their names. Phil is a bodybuilder, a sponsored athlete, an entrepreneur, a bodybuilding/fitness model, and much more besides. He is renowned for his huge arms and massive physique, and is currently taking a hiatus from bodybuilding.
Early life
Phillip Jerrod Heath was born in Seattle, Washington, 1979. He was an athletic kid growing up, and showed a keen interest in sport. In particular, he excelled in basketball, and was the team captain and shooting guard on the varsity basketball team. Despite being relatively short to play basketball (5ft 9) there were rumblings of Phil turning pro. He even earned an athletic scholarship at the University of Denver, Colorado, where he majored in business admin.
Bodybuilding
To stay fit and strong for basketball, Phil lifted weights and worked out. It turned out that he responded well to training, and he enjoyed lifting more than he enjoyed shooting hoops. In 2002 he started bodybuilding and by 2005 he had won his first major contest – the NPC USA Championships. This earned him his IFBB pro card. He would compete in the New York Pro, the Arnold Classic, and the 2008 Olympia, where he placed 3rd. In 2011, he won the Olympia for the first time, and continued to defend his title right up to 2018, where he placed 2nd behind Shawn Rhoden. He sat out the 2019 contest, and there is speculation about whether he will retire to pursue other ventures.
Training
Phil Heath trains with renowned personal trainer Hany ‘The Pro-Creator’ Rambod’. He follows what is known as FST-7, or Fascia Stretch Training-7. FST-7 is Hany’s training protocol and it requires individuals to perform 7 sets for the final exercise of a target muscle group. The idea here is to train as usual, but for the final exercise, say, of biceps, you will do your bicep exercises as normal, but for the final exercise, EZ bar curls for example, you will perform 7 sets of 8 – 12 reps. The idea here is to completely break down and stretch out your muscle fascia, which will result in greater levels of muscle hypertrophy. Because of this, you train a maximum of 5 days, as you need at least two full days per week to recover.
